Preview: UFC Fight Night ‘Machida vs. Romero’

---

WELTERWEIGHTS

Alex Oliveira (11-2-1, 1-1 UFC) vs. Joe Merritt (6-0, 0-0 UFC): Oliveira steps up on short notice once again, less than a month after defeating K.J. Noons. He draws the debuting Merritt, whose last fight was a win inside the Resurrection Fighting Alliance organization in December. The Brazilian is a real talent with great physical tools who is still developing his skills. He has a nice arsenal of combination punching and kicks at range, drops bombing knees and elbows in the clinch, works powerfully finished takedowns and can finish on the mat, as well. Merritt is an excellent athlete with a slick striking arsenal and some skill from the top, but he does not throw much volume and has little experience against even mediocre competition. This should be fun, but I think Oliveira has the more diverse skill set and should have a substantial edge on the ground. The pick is Oliveira by submission in the first round.

WELTERWEIGHTS

Leandro Silva (17-2-1, 1-2 UFC) vs. Lewis Gonzalez (10-1, 0-0 UFC): Gonzalez, a World Series of Fighting veteran coming off a split decision win over Justin Buchholz, snags a matchup with Silva, who “submitted” Drew Dober on March 21 after tapping Charlie Brenneman in November. The American is a good wrestler with a diverse arsenal of takedowns and some power in his hands, but he struggles to set up his shots with strikes and does not throw combinations. Silva is basically a solid wrestle-grappler who can throw some combinations on the feet. With both fighters entering the bout on late notice, I am not expecting much here. Either Gonzalez sprawls-and-brawls his way to a slow-paced decision or Silva locks up a submission, and the latter seems more likely. The pick is Silva by submission in the second round.

WELTERWEIGHTS

Steve Montgomery (8-2, 0-0 UFC) vs. Tony Sims (11-2, 0-0 UFC): Two UFC debutantes meet in an intriguing welterweight clash. American Top Team’s Montgomery was slated to appear on the ongoing season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” but a bad weight cut knocked him out of the competition. He gets another chance against Sims, a credentialed amateur boxer training out of Elevation Fight Team in Denver. Montgomery is a huge 6-foot-4 southpaw who flicks a powerful left kick at all levels, throws a nice straight left and backs it up with strong work in the clinch, but he is seriously hittable and does not use his length particularly well. Sims’ crisp boxing forms the basis of his game. He works at a quick pace from both stances, packs real power in his hands and has enough ancillary skills to keep himself out of trouble elsewhere. While Sims is giving up a lot of size to Montgomery, he is much faster, throws a great deal more volume and should be able to exploit the ATT product’s poor defense. The pick is Sims by knockout in the first round in a mild upset.

BANTAMWEIGHTS

Sirwan Kakai (11-2, 0-0 UFC) vs. Danny Martinez (16-6, 0-2 UFC): Yet another late-notice booking opens the show as the veteran Martinez takes on Sweden’s Kakai, who trains at American Top Team. Martinez dropped decisions to Scott Jorgensen and Chris Cariaso, while Kakai is riding a two-fight winning streak. Martinez is basically a wrestler -- and a relentless one -- who works at a quick pace. He has subpar takedown defense and lacks much skill as a striker, though. Kakai can do a bit of everything, with a crisp but low-output striking game, strong takedown defense and some grappling skill. This is a close matchup, but I think Martinez should be able to get Kakai down and generally outwork him. The pick is Martinez by decision.

Follow Sherdog.com preview expert Patrick Wyman on Twitter.