UFC Fight Night 77 Poster (Photo : Photo: Reddit)
UFC Fight Night 77 will make a stop at the Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sau Paulo, Brazil where future hall-of-famers, Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort and Dan Henderson square off for the third time in the middleweight main event.
Other main card matches consist of a co-main event fight pitting hometown hero and one-time title challenger Glover Teixeira against decorated wrestler Patrick Cummins; Thomas Almeida versus Anthony Birchak; and Fabio Maldonado versus Corey Anderson.
With just a couple of winks away from the Sau Paulo card, now is the time to dust off the crystal ball and predict who will get the W and who will go back to the drawing board.
Light Heavyweight Bout: Fabio Maldonado (+375) vs. Corey Anderson (-550)
Fabio Maldonado and Corey Anderson will kick off the main card of UFC Fight Night 77.
The Brazilian brawler goes into this as a huge underdog against The Ultimate Fighter 19 winner.
Expect Corey Anderson to impose his wrestling game throughout the match and pick up a unanimous decision win over a game Fabio Maldonado.
Lightweight Bout: Gilbert Burns (+140) vs. Rashid Magomedov (-170)
A scrap between surging fighters Gilbert Burns and Rashid Magomedov will follow next, where the winner can possibly crack the top 15 of the UFC lightweight ranking.
The fighters have similar 3-0 records in the octagon, with Burns submitting his last two opponents via armbar.
Even though Gilbert Burns has significantly improved his stand up, still look for Rashid Magomedov to connect big shots and negate takedown attempts en route to a split decision victory.
Lightweight Bout: Alex Oliveira (-210) vs. Piotr Hallmann (+165)
Both Alex Oliveira and Piotr Hallmann boast a fantastic well-rounded game; however, this potential Fight of the Night still establishes its roots as the classic striker versus grappler match.
Alex Oliveira looks good on paper following his wins against KJ Noons and Joe Merritt. On the other hand, Hallmann sports a 2-3 record in the UFC with decision losses coming from the likes of Al Iaquinta and Gleison Tibau.
Once the smoke clears, Alex Oliveira will get his hand raised after he breaks down Piotr Hallmann with crisp strikes.
Bantamweight Bout: Thomas Almeida (-450) vs. Anthony Birchak (+325)
Thomas Almeida plans to continue his climb the UFC Bantamweight ranks as he faces former MFC fighter Anthony Birchak.
The American enters this contest with a quick first-round KO victory over one-time title contender Joe Soto, while Almeida puts his 20-0 record - with 19 finishes no less - on the line.
It's hard not to root for Thomas Almeida on this one, as not only is he fighting in his birthplace, he's also blasted his last two opponents Yves Jabouin and Brad Pickett.
Light Heavyweight Bout: Glover Teixeira (-450) vs. Patrick Cummins (+325)
The co-main event will feature the No. 4 ranked Glover Teixeira going up against No. 9 Patrick Cummins.
Teixeira has always been comfortable both on the feet and on the ground, which puts him in a favorable spot coming into the match. However, Cummins has slowly sharpened his overall tools with dominant wins over Kyle Kingsbury, Antonio Carlos Junior, and Rafael Calvacante.
This one's still Glover Teixeira's fight to lose as he's still a heavy favorite and is one of the best light heavyweights in the world.
Middleweight Bout: Vitor Belfort (-375) vs. Dan Henderson (+275)
Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson will go toe-to-toe for the third time in this legend versus legend main event.
Hendo took the first meeting by unanimous decision back in Pride 32, while Belfort exacted revenge at another UFN event with a devastating head kick knockout. Both are ready, willing, and able to throw bombs at any moment during the fight.
Though their power and conditioning have considerably decreased over the years, The Phenom will still have the all-important speed advantage against a much slower Dan Henderson. As a result, expect Vitor Belfort to walk away, this time, with a UD win.
