UFC 270
Picks of the Prelims
Cameron Carlson
Jack Della Maddalena vs Pete Rodriguez
What is there to say about this fight but that it is Della Maddalenas chance to put on a show and
launch himself into stardom. In his DWCS fight he averaged 7.2 significant strikes a minute over the
course of a full 15-minute scrap. It is unlikely Pete Rodriguez 4 fights into his professional career has
come across even a fraction of the threat that Della Maddalena poses, but this may be his shot if not to
win to put on a show and win the fans.
Prediction: Jack Della Maddalena by TKO
(Pete Rodriguez has a 4-0 record with his most powerful win against a 5-1 opponent. It looks strong on
the surface but all 5 of those wins came against debuting fighters)
Michael Morales vs Trevin Giles
Michael Morales like Jack Dell Maddalena was matched up with a relatively seasoned UFC
fighter but was lucky or unlucky enough for his original match up to hold up going into the weekend. We
saw what a great prospect could do to Giles when Dricus Du Plessis dropped him in his last fight and
because of one tough loss Giles might have fallen into the role of the sacrificial lamb to incoming UFC
prospects.
Both are averaging over 3 significant strikes a minute, but the difference is that Giles has 8 fights
in the UFC and all we have to judge Morales on was an admittedly high level DWCS fight. Giles is deep
into his career with a 5-3 UFC record and this is a big fight considering the hype Morales has coming off
DWCS, his strike numbers matching Morales 1 fight despite being across 8 fights should give him a huge
edge on the feet.
The deciding factor for me comes on the ground. I expect Morales to be able to take Giles down
if the striking game doesn’t lean in his favor.
Prediction: Morales UD
BigAl’s Main Card Picks
South African Broadcast Times
