UFC Vegas 48 Main Card Odds and Predictions

UFC action returns to the APEX Facility in Las Vegas after last weekend’s excursion to the Toyota Center in Houston.

This week light, heavyweights Johnny Walker and Jamahal Hill will square off in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Walker vs Hill on Saturday night. Walker and Hill were supposed to fight in the co-main event but after the original headliner was removed from the event, it was promoted to main event status.

The new co-main event will feature Kyle Dauskas against Jamie Pickett while Porker Parter faces Alan Baudot in the third bout of the night. Veteran fighter Jim Miller will take on Nikolas Motta in the 4th bout of the evening while Joaquin Buckley and Abdul Razak Alhassan will open the main card with a three-round middleweight feature.

Let’s take a look at the UFC Vegas 48 main card bouts and make our predictions.

Johnny Walker vs Jamahal Hill

Johnny Walker is the no. 10 ranked light heavyweight in the UFC. The 29-year old from Rio de Janeiro was a former Ultimate Challenge MMA light heavyweight champion and European Beatdown light heavyweight champion. Walker was a product of the Contender Series where beat Henrique Da Silva to gain entrance to the UFC. He won his first three UFC bouts via first round knockout but is just 1-3 since then, including a unanimous decision loss to Thiago Santos in his last bout.

Walker is 18-6 with 15 knockouts and two submission wins. He stands 6-6 tall with a reach of 82 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Jamahal Hill is the no. 12 ranked light heavyweight in the UFC. The 30-year old from Chicago, Illinois is a former Knockout Promotions light heavyweight champion. Hill also appeared in the Contender Series where he knocked out Alexander Poppeck to earn his UFC contract. Hill defeated Darko Stosic via unanimous decision in his UFC debut and is 3-1 with one no-contest in his last four bouts. Hill is coming off a knockout win over Jimmy Crute at UFC Vegas 44 last December 4th.

Hill is 9-1 with five knockouts. He stands 6-4 tall with a reach of 79 inches and is a southpaw fighter.

Walker is a big light heavyweight as he stands 6-6 tall with a reach of 82 inches. Despite his size, he is explosive and has plenty of spinning and flying attacks that could end any fight if they land clean. Walker is all-out aggression right from the opening bell and we’ve seen him lose steam late in fights. In his most recent bout, however, he was patient with his attack and in fact, got too patient that he didn’t unload enough strikes to beat Thiago Santos.

Hill is a southpaw and is an exceptional striker. He has a very high offensive output and absorbs only half of the strikes he lands. His 79-inch reach has mostly been an advantage for him but not here against Walker. Hill also has great footwork and he throws counter punches that are accurate and powerful.

Jamahal Hill has landed zero takedowns in the UFC so you have the idea where he wants this fight to happen. Walker will most likely oblige, knowing that he also has his own devastating punching power. However, Walker has struggled with big hitters and it’s safe to say Hill is that kind of fighter.

These are two explosive fighters. I don’t expect this fight to go the distance and one of these fighters is going to get clipped. I like Hill because we’ve seen Walker struggle with big hitters.

Prediction: Jamahal Hill

Kyle Daukaus vs Jamie Pickett

Kyle Daukaus is a former Cage Fury Fighting Championships middleweight champion who had two successful title defenses. The 28-year old from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania made an appearance at the Contender Series in 2018 where he defeated Michael Lombardo.

Daukaus is 10-2 with eight knockouts. He is a southpaw who stands 6-3 tall with a reach of 76 inches.

Jamie Pickett is a former Next Level Fight Club middleweight champion who also made two successful title defenses. The 33-year old from Jacksonville, North Carolina made three appearances in the Contender Series. After losing his first two tries, he finally picked up a win over Jhonoven Pati in August 2020 and earned his UFCcontract. Pickett is lost his first two UFC bouts but is coming off back-to-back wins over Laureano Staropoli and Joseph Holmes.

Pickett is 13-6 with eight knockouts and one submission victory. He is 6-2 tall with a reach of 80 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Daukaus has yet to take off in the UFC despite what his skills imply. He’s fought considerably tough opposition and that’s why he’s struggled. However, Daukaus has displayed a good mix of skills, conditioning, and toughness inside the Octagon. Pickett meanwhile has a strong combination of wrestling and distance striking but has not displayed stopping power nor has he landed anything big to strike fear in his opponents.

Between the two, Daukaus is the more technical fighter, especially when it comes to grappling. He’s also faced tougher competition and is the younger fighter here. This is a classic striker vs grappler matchup with Pickett winning most of his fights via strikes and Daukaus picking up submission wins. However, we’ve seen Pickett go for takedowns or trade positions in the clinch during his UFC bouts. That leads me to think he will grapple with Daukaus here, even if it’s not a good idea. I like Daukaus in this matchup.

Prediction: Kyle Daukaus

Parker Porter vs Alan Baudot

Parker Porter is a former Reality Fighting Championship heavyweight champion. The 36-year old from Hartford, Connecticut also fought under Bellator and CES MMA before joining the UFC in 2020. Porter was knocked out by Chris Daukaus in his UFC debut but he’s picked up back-to-back victories over Josh Parisian and Chase Sherman in his last two bouts.

Porter is 11-6 with five knockouts and three submission victories. He is six feet tall with a reach of 75 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Alan Baudot began his career at Grand Slam MMA, HEAT, Angel’s Fighting, and EFC. He joined the UFC in 2020 and was knocked out in his first two UFC assignments. The second KO loss however was overturned to a no-contest after his opponent failed a drug test.

Baudot has a record of 8-2 with seven knockouts. He is an orthodox fighter who stands 6-3 tall with a reach of 79 inches.

Parker isn’t your usual heavyweight fighter. He is deceptively technical, is very quick for his size, and can fight for 15 full minutes without slowing down significantly. Baudot meanwhile, hasn’t really shown anything that makes me think he can beat Porter. Had it not been for a failed drug test by his last opponent, he would have been 0-2 with two knockout losses in the UFC.

Perhaps Baudot can finally showcase what he’s made of here. But then again maybe not. From what we’ve seen so far, he’s looked overmatch and I think he will be once again here. Parker isn’t a title contender by any means. But he’s got the skills to stick around and has what it takes to be in the UFC. Baudot, I’m not sure of.

Prediction: Parker Porter

Jim Miller vs Nikolas Motta

Jim Miller is one of the longest-tenured veterans in the UFC and holds the record for most wins ever inside the UFC Octagon. The 38-year old from Sparta Township in New Jersey was a Cage Fury lightweight champion who joined the UFC in 2008. Miller owns wins over the likes of Joe Lauzon, Melvin Guillard, and current UFC lightweight king Charles Oliveira.

Miller is 33-16 with 5 knockouts and 18 submission victories. He is 5-8 tall with a reach of 71 inches and is a southpaw fighter.

Nikolas Motta fought under Bitetti Combat, Shooto Brazil, Cage Fury Fighting Championships, and 864 Fighting Championships before coming over to the UFC via the Contender Series where he picked up a win over Joseph Lowry in 2020. Motta will be making his UFC debut in this event.

Motta has a record of 12-3 with eight knockouts. He is 5-9 tall with a reach of 70 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

This is an obvious veteran vs prospect matchup with Miller nearing 40 fights in the UFC and Motta having none yet so far. But Motta is a TUF veteran and a 10-year pro fighter so that makes this an interesting bout.

Despite his age, Miller still has plenty of pop behind his punches although his best weapon is still his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. If Motta gives him the opportunity, Miller could easily choke him out or finish him with an armbar submission.

Given his advanced age, Miller needs a quick win here, or else he’s going to fade late in fights. Miller has not won a fight on points since 2016 so that proves our point. All of Motta’s losses have been by finish so Miller does have a shot here.

However, Motta won’t be an easy foe to beat, at least early in the fight. He’s an experienced fighter and has fought quality opponents. I think Motta’s smart enough to survive Miller’s early onslaught and then he’ll take over late when Miller begins to slow down.

Prediction: Nikolas Motta

Joaquin Buckley vs Abdul Razak Alhassan

Joaquin Buckley fought under Bellator and Legacy Fighting Alliance. The 27-year old from St. Louis, Missouri joined the UFC in 2020 and was knocked out by Kevin Holland in his UFC debut, Buckley has bounced back by winning three out of his last four bouts including a KO win over Antonio Arroyo at UFC Vegas 37 last September 18th.

Buckley is 13-4 with 10 knockouts. He is a southpaw who stands 5-10 tall with a reach of 76 inches.

Abdul Razak Alhassan is a veteran of Bellator and Legacy Fighting Championships. The 36-year old from Accra, Ghana is joined the UFC in 2016 and posted a 4-1 record in his first five Octagon appearances. However, he lost three straight bouts before picking up a win over Alessio Di Chirico in his last bout at UFC Vegas 35 last August 28, 2021.

Alhassan has a record of 11-4 with all his wins coming by way of knockout. He stands 5-10 tall with a reach of 73 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Buckley puts together good combinations of fast and powerful punches both to the head and body. However, he does so at one speed, making him very predictable and easy to counter. However, he’s fought his previous bouts at middleweight where he gave up height and reach disadvantages to his opponents. Not in this one.

Not only is Alhassan the same size as Buckley, but Judo Thunder is also almost a decade older and has looked bad during his current losing skid. However, Alhassan will never be out of any fight because he hits hard and has knockout power.

Buckley has plenty of weaknesses but he is improving and the potential is there. Against an opponent whom he won’t have a hard time luring in a firefight, this is a good spot for him. Buckley should be able to land his combinations and he should be able to dictate the pace of the fight. Alhassan is dangerous in round one but after that, it’s all Buckley.

Prediction: Joaquin Buckley

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