Welterweights
Impa Kasanganay (8-1 | 1-1 UFC) vs. Sasha Palatnikov (6-2 | 1-0 UFC)Odds: Kasanganay (-280), Palatnikov (+240)
It's always fascinating to see how fighters bounce back from their first loss, but especially so in Kasanganay's case; Kasanganay's last bout saw him eat one of the most spectacular knockouts in MMA history, a spinning back kick from Joaquin Buckley this past October. That slowed what had otherwise been a rapid rise for Kasanganay, who earned a spot on the Contender Series just months into his professional career, then earned a UFC contract less than a year later. He is a physical specimen with an impressive amount of poise that just needs experience at this point; while he has a lot of the right ideas, his lack of technical depth leads him to a lot of slow-paced decision victories. Kasanganay's obviously improving from fight to fight, and when things click the results should be spectacular, but for now he makes a surprising cut down to welterweight to try and get back in the win column against Sasha Palatnikov. Hong Kong's Palatnikov had a middling resume leading into his UFC debut against Louis Cosce this past November, but he came out the victor in an entertaining war. Palatnikov's willingness to continually press the action should find some early success, but things should eventually turn against him; Kasanganay's proven to be durable outside of the Buckley knockout and has huge physical and athletic advantages here. Add in that Palatnikov started to flag a bit down the stretch against Cosce - although he still impressively fought through it - and it should be Kasanganay's turn to win a war of attrition. The pick is Kasanganay via third-round stoppage.