UFC On ESPN: Kattar Vs. Ige Predictions

Jimmie Rivera had a staggering twenty fight win-streak before running into the feet of Marlon Moraes. His next two losses were decisions to number one contender Aljamain Sterling and now-champion Petr Yan.

It’s hard to really judge Jimmie for being 1-3 in his last four fights when he has only lost to the top three ranked fighters in the world right now.

Despite being a karate expert, Rivera can bust out wrestling to control an opponent on the ground if he needs to, and defends a whopping ninety-five percent of all takedown attempts. He hasn’t had a finish in over five years, and he’s unlikely to get one over Cody, who is also a decision machine.

Stamann impressed with an emotional victory over Brian Kelleher in a jump up to featherweight only a month ago, and before that had a controversial draw against Song Yadong many believed he won. His only loss has come against the aforementioned Sterling.

Stamann is a solid all-round fighter, but he is at his best when he dragging opponents to the mat and scores with ground and pound. It’s his best route to victory here, but it's hard to see him taking down Rivera when so many superior wrestlers have failed to.

More than likely, Rivera is able to thwart Stamann’s takedown attempts to make it a gritty stand-up clash, and Jimmie’s crisper striking and longer reach should keep Cody under control to get him back in the win column.

Prediction: Rivera Via Decision