UFC Fight Night ‘Bisping vs. Le’ Preview

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Bantamweights

Roland Delorme (9-3, 3-2 UFC) vs. Yuta Sasaki (17-1-2, 0-0 UFC): This is one of the better fights on the card. Sasaki has been one of the best prospects on the Japanese scene for quite some time, with an enormous 5-foot-10 frame, slick grappling and enough wrestling and striking skill to get by. Delorme, who is coming off a loss to another touted Japanese prospect in Michinori Tanaka, is mostly a ground specialist, as well. The Canadian is a reasonably competent striker, but I think he will be willing to engage Sasaki in wrestling exchanges and on the ground, as he was against Tanaka. In those phases, the UFC rookie has the advantage. Sasaki wins by unanimous decision.

Welterweights

Wang Sai (6-5-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. Danny Mitchell (14-5-1, 0-1 UFC): Sai came up short in his battle to be crowned winner of “The Ultimate Fighter: China” welterweight tournament in a fight many thought he won. He is a decent kickboxer, stringing together punch-kick combinations and working a solid back step counter game, but he lacks much in the way of wrestling or ground skills. Mitchell lost a brutally uneventful fight to Igor Araujo in his UFC debut in March. Mostly a clinch grappler and wrestler, he will need to make that game work against a far superior striker in Sai. Mitchell wins by decision.

Middleweights

Alberto Mina (10-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Shinsho Anzai (8-1, 0-0 UFC): The UFC signed Anzai on late notice to replace Sheldon Westcott, who pulled out a little more than a week before the fight. Mina, who was originally scheduled to touch down in the Octagon in March, will finally make his highly anticipated debut here. With black belts in both Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo, he offers well-rounded skills and has finished each of his 10 wins. Anzai, the current middleweight King of Pancrase, has a wrestling background but is otherwise a relative unknown. Mina has fought good competition and has outstanding killer instinct, and he should be the favorite in this one. Mina takes it by unanimous decision.

Welterweights

Anying Wang (2-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Colby Covington (5-0, 0-0 UFC): Covington is a big-time prospect, an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at Oregon State University and a product of American Top Team. Wang, who lost to eventual “The Ultimate Fighter: China” finalist Wang Sai by submission and beat Albert Cheng at the show’s finale, is badly outmatched here despite a promising background in sanda and muay Thai that translates to decent striking and top control. Covington is undeniably raw, but he is miles ahead of Wang, who is even less polished, as an athlete. There is no reason to think Wang will have any answer for his high-level wrestling or punishing top game. Covington wins by submission in round two.

Women’s Bantamweights

Elizabeth Phillips (4-2, 0-1 UFC) vs. Milana Dudieva (10-3, 0-0 UFC): Dudieva, a UFC debutante hailing from the North Caucasus region of Russia, brings the sturdy skill set we have come to expect from other products of the area. Her judo background gives her slick takedowns from the clinch and strength on top, and she prefers the powerful, looping and well-timed punches common to fighters from the region. Phillips lost in her first UFC appearance against Valerie Letourneau in June, and unless she has drastically sharpened her raw but physically talented game, the pick should be Dudieva by unanimous decision.

Bantamweight

Zhuikui Yao (1-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Royston Wee (3-0, 1-1 UFC): A pair of inexperienced bantamweights opens the card, as “The Ultimate Fighter: China” competitor Yao takes on Singaporean Wee, who has already won a fight in the UFC in his young career. Neither fighter is particularly skilled compared to other UFC bantamweights, but Yao should be the better striker and Wee the better wrestler and grappler. Zhuikui has been submitted before by less skilled grapplers, and I think that could happen again. Wee takes it by submission in round one.

Follow Sherdog.com preview expert Patrick Wyman on Twitter.