UFC Vegas 56 Volkov vs Rozenstruik: Prelims Odds, Predictions, Picks

• Rinat “Gladiator” Fakhretdinov makes his UFC debut.

• Erin “Cold Blooded” Blanchfield biggest favorite on the card.

Joe Solecki vs Alex Da Silva Coelho – Lightweight Division

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While Alex Da Silva is the more experienced fighter in this matchup, Joe Solecki should be able to win most of the grappling exchanges that might transpire in this fight. Despite coming off a loss to Jared Gordon in what was a very close split decision, Solecki recently got a win by first round rear naked choke over UFC legend Donald Cerrone at Fury Pro Grappling 3. When it comes to Da Silva, he had a phenomenal run on the regional scene before getting signed to the
UFC where he currently has a win and two losses. All three of his UFC fights were against high level opponents, his first fight resulted in a second round submission loss to Alexander Yakovlev, followed by his second fight in the promotion where he defeated Rodrigo Vargas via unanimous decision. His most recent UFC outing was against his toughest opponent to date, New Zealander Brad Riddell where he lost via unanimous decision. Ultimately the grappling skills and finishing ability of Joe Solecki should be the biggest factor in the outcome of this fight.

Our Pick

Joe Solecki by submission in round 1 (+600)

Ode Osbourne vs Zarrukh Adashev – Flyweight Division

While not having the smoothest of runs within the promotion so far, both fighters in this matchup are coming off dominant decision wins in the UFC. Despite the way his MMA record may look Zarrukh Adashev is a highly skilled fighter, and two of his three losses were against very high level fighters in Sumudaerji who defeated Adashev by decision, as well as Tyson Nam, who knocked him out in the first round of their fight. More recently, Adashev had a fantastic performance where he chopped down Ryan Benoit with leg kicks to secure the unanimous decision win. Ode Osbourne has had a similar last few fights. He got knocked out with a flying knee by former Rizin champion Manel Kape, before going on to win a unanimous decision win over CJ Vergara in an all out slugfest. Ode Osbourne is more experienced than his adversary in this matchup and will also have the reach advantage. Considering his last fight and the level of opponent he faced, Osbourne should be able to win every round of this fight.

Our Pick

Ode Osbourne by judges decision (+215)

Niklas Stolze vs Benoit Saint-Denis Lightweight Division

Both of these European MMA fighters have not yet bagged a win in the UFC and will both be hungry to end their losing streaks. While Stolze is still young, with a long career ahead of him, he has been finished multiple times throughout his career. His most recent loss also ended by finish when he was knocked out by Jared Gooden with a right cross in the first round. Unfortunately for Stolze, all of Benoit Saint-Denis’s wins have ended in a finish, so there is no doubt that the “God Of War” won’t be looking to leave it in the judges hands. Saint Denis will have the grappling advantage as Stolze’s main strength lies in the kickboxing department. With both fighters looking for the finish and their first UFC win, this fight should be an interesting watch and if Saint-Denis can get an early takedown, he might just be able to pull off an early submission to go along with it.

Our Pick

Benoit Saint-Denis by submission in round 1 (+400)

Johnny Munoz Jr vs Tony Gravely – Bantamweight Division

With both fighters coming off a win, confidence will be high for both fighters going into this matchup. Johnny Munoz has shown very high level jiu jitsu and grappling skills in the past and there is no doubt that this is his strongest attribute. With most of his finishes coming by way of submission, “Kid Kvenbo” will undoubtedly be looking to grapple his opponent to the ground as often as possible in search of another sub. On the other side of the octagon, Tony Gravely is very well rounded in all aspects of MMA and has a record of 3-2 so far with the company. Gravely has also fought much higher level opponents throughout his career unlike his opponent who has mostly faced regional level competition so far in his career. That level of experience should be the deciding factor in this matchup and while Munoz will be looking for submissions, Gravely should use his veteran fight IQ to thwart his opponents attacks while remaining active enough to win the rounds.

Our Pick

Tony Gravely by judges decision (+275)

Jeff Molina vs Zhalgas Zhumagulov – Flyweight Division

Currently on an impressive nine fight winning streak, Jeff “El Jefe” Molina is looking absolutely unstoppable right now. Molina is an all round well seasoned fighter who is highly skilled in all aspects of MMA and has shown finishing ability as well as high level of fight IQ throughout his career. His opponent, Zhalgas Zhumagulov, while being a veteran of the sport of MMA, has not had a good run in the UFC only netting himself one win and three losses. His most recent loss came by way of a devastating first round flying knee knockout vs the former Rizin flyweight champion Manel “StarBoy” Kape. Overall Molina should primarily find success in the striking department and wear his opponent down round by round.

Our Pick

Jeff Molina by judges decision (+120)

Rinat Fakhretdinov vs Andreas Michailidis – Welterweight Division

While Rinat Fakhretdinov was not facing the best of competition towards the beginning of his career, he recently turned it up a notch and his most recent win of his fourteen fight winning streak came vs UFC veteran Eric Spicely at UAE warriors 15 where he got the victory by knockout in the first round. On the other hand Andreas Michailidis has not had the best of runs in the UFC so far going 1-2 so far with the promotion. His most recent loss came in the form of a vicious flying knee knockout by Alex Pereira, a former kickboxing world champion who is known for knocking out current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in a kickboxing match back in 2016. With Fakretdinov having both the striking and grappling advantage in this matchup it is likely he will be earning himself an early finish in what will be his UFC debut.

Our Pick

Rinat Fakhretdinov by KO/TKO/DQ in round 1 (+240)

Erin Blanchfield vs JJ Aldrich – Women’s Flyweight Division

Erin “Cold Blooded” Blanchfield is the biggest favorite on this card and that is because she is currently on a five fight winning streak and has defeated some top level competition, including most recently Miranda Maverick by unanimous decision at UFC 269. While Blanchfield is known to have excellent takedowns, her opponent JJ Aldrich is equally good at defending them. Speaking of Aldrich, she is also one of the top fighters in the division and is currently on a three fight winning streak. While both of these fighters are equally skilled in the striking department, Blanchfield has a huge advantage when it comes to the grappling aspect of this particular matchup. Blanchfield’s most likely approach to this match will be to replicate her most recent performance where she dominated Miranda Maverick on the ground for all three rounds.

Our Pick

Erin Blanchfield by judges decision (-175)