Jessica Aguilar V Cortney Casey: What will go down:

The once WSOF queen is still waiting for her premier UFC victory.

The featured prelim of UFC 211 this month, sees a hugely intriguing Women's Strawweight clash between Jessica Aguilar and American submission specialist Cortney Casey. A former WSOF Strawweight champ, 'JAG'Aguilar made her octagon bow against former title challenger Claudia Gadelha in an unfortunate decision loss at UFC 190, and is attempting to claim her first UFC victory against Casey. With two successful title defences against both Emi Fujino and Kalindra Faria, Aguilar was a force to be reckoned with, after securing an arm-triangle finish over Alida Gray to claim the title originally. Casey claimed her most recognisable victory back at UFC 202, with an impressive armbar win over Randa Markos, and was faced with stiff competition in her last contest, in the form of Brazilian aggressor Claudia Gadelha, who coincidentally handed Aguilar her octagon bow loss. Both women are predominantly grapplers, with BJJ brown-belts to both their names, so we may very well see a Jiu-Jitsu matchup rather than a striking showcase, but this is most certainly a pick em' matchup.

Jessica Aguilar via split decision.

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Krzysztof Jotko V David Branch: What will go down:

A much more experienced and successful David Branch is back.

Former World Series of Fighting Middleweight and Light Heavyweight king David Branch will make his second UFC debut next week, as he takes on menacing Polish contender Krzysztof Jotko. Branch of course made the leap from WSOF back in mid February after a string of both Middleweight and Light Heavyweight title defences, but certainly hasn't been gifted a favourable opponent for his second stint in the promotion. At 27 years of age, Elblag born Jotko, holds a hugely impressive 19-1 professional record, dispatching both Thales Leites and Tamdan McCrory as of late, to occupy the
#9 position in the 185lbs rankings. Jotko isn't regarded as a hugely active finisher, going the distance 12 times in his career, despite his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt. The brown belt of Jotko presents nothing Branch hasn't witnessed before, as the New York native has defended successfully against fellow black belts Paulo Filho and Vinny Magalhães. The striking skills of Branch have only finished Yushin Okami notably, but with 8 wins by submission, Branch relies heavily on his grappling game. It remains to be seen whether Branch will stay at Middleweight if he proves successful against Jotko, but the Light Heavyweight might present an enticing prospect for the American.

David Branch via submission.

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Chas Skelly V Jason Knight: What will go down:

Exciting grappling matchup ahead of us at UFC 211.

Exciting Featherweight submission specialists Chas 'The Scrapper' Skelly and Jason 'The Kid' Knight matchup in the UFC 211 Prelims next week, as both men attempt to continue their impressive win streaks. 31 year-old Texas native Skelly, has only tasted defeat twice in his professional career, finishing 10 of his 17 wins by submission. Skelly is currently riding a 2 fight high, forcing the tap from both Maximo Blanco and Chris Gruetzemacher, while UFC 211 opponent Knight, earned a Performance of The Night bonus on his way to a head turning rear-naked choke victory over long time UFC fighter Alex Caceres. A former Atlas Fights Featherweight champ, Jason Knight's most significant loss came against Tatsuya Kawajiri, but at just 24 years of age, he most definitely has a bright future ahead of him in the UFC. Making his promotion debut in a loss to Mirsad Bektić back in 2014, Skelly's most notable career win came against former Legacy FC Featherweight king Daniel Pineda, twice beating the grappler. I think the younger Jason Knight steals a win next weekend particularly after his experience gaining W over Alex Caceres.

Jason Knight via submission.

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Eddie Alvarez V Dustin Poirier: What will go down:

This matchup has Fight of The Night written all over it.

What a matchup to headline the UFC 211 Prelims! A hugely defining and important Lightweight scrap takes place next weekend, as former division champ Eddie 'The Underground King' Alvarez returns to the octagon for the first time since his November drubbing to Conor McGregor, against impressive long time contender Dustin 'The Diamond' Poirier. Alvarez of course headlined UFC 205 in Madison Square Garden at the end of last year, and was completely outclassed by Dublin born star McGregor as he lost his Lightweight championship at his first defence attempt. Louisiana boxer Poirier, has also faced 'The Notorious' one before, losing via knockout in the first round, before a return to 155lbs for 'The Diamond'  brought major success in the form of a four fight win streak, including stoppage wins over Yancy Medeiros and Bobby Green, before a stunning loss to Michael 'The Menace' Johnson sent the streak to the grave. Facing long time competitor Jim Miller at UFC 208, Poirier subsequently recovered with a dominating decision victory. A two time Bellator Lightweight title holder, Alvarez made the jump to the UFC in 2014, but lost a decision to 'Cowboy' Cerrone, before handing losses to Gilbert Melendez and Anthony Pettis earning him a title shot against Brazil's Rafael Dos Anjos. Not many in the MMA community gave the Philadelphia native a chance agaisnt RDA, but a first round blood and guts KO win seen him leave Las Vegas as the new 155lbs king. Heading into his premier title defence against then Featherweight champion Conor McGregor, Alvarez was seen as a huge obstacle for McGregor to overcome, but a questionably executed game plan seen Eddie knocked down 3 times in the first round, before eventually succumbing to a lethal combination in the second round. A hugely attractive matchup for both competitors as a rematch with McGregor becomes a distinct possibility with a win. A must for Eddie in this matchup is to implement a solid wrestling prowess and avoid the power and slick striking of Dustin Poirier.

Dustin Poirier via knockout.

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Henry Cejudo V Sergio Pettis: What will go down:

Can 'The Messenger' deliver a firm reminder to the Flyweight division?

A former UFC Flyweight title challenger and Olympic wrestler, Henry 'The Messenger' Cejudo will look to bring an end to his disappointing two fight slide on Saturday when he opens the main card of UFC 211 against promising contender Sergio Pettis. With one of the best wrestling backgrounds in professional mixed-martial arts today, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist burst onto the UFC scene back in 2014, securing four consecutive decision wins, including a razor thin victory over grappler Jussier Formiga, Cejudo then faced P4P #1 Demetrious Johnson at UFC 197, losing via a comprehensive first round knockout as his stock took a knock. 'The Messenger' was then matched up against Joseph Benavidez, and was hugely unfortunate to find himself on the wrong end of the score cards at the fights conclusion. The brother of former UFC Lightweight champ Anthony Pettis, Sergio is on a completely separate spectrum in terms of form, riding a three fight high, most recently winning a decision over John Moraga to earn a shot at Cejudo. A second degree black belt in Taekwondo and with a purple belt in BJJ, Pettis is a well rounded fighter with both submission and knockout victories on his record. A victory for Cejudo would firmly reinstate him into title contention, while Pettis would not only secure his fourth win on the trot, but may set up an exciting title eliminator with Ray Borg for the young Milwaukee man. Ultimately, I believe Cejudo smothers the striking style of Pettis with clever pressure and takedowns, on his way to a comfortable decision victory.

Henry Cejudo via unanimous decision.

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Frankie Edgar V Yair Rodríguez: What will go down:

A win for Edgar may see him face the victor between Aldo V Holloway.

A hugely important and exciting matchup for the future of the UFC Featherweight title picture takes place this weekend, as former Lightweight king Frankie 'The Answer' Edgar plays welcoming party to one of the most dynamic and unorthodox strikers in the UFC today, in the form of Mexican youngster Yair 'El Pantera' Rodríguez. Edgar appeared at UFC 205 last November, comfortablely out striking and wrestling Jeremy Stephens as he recovered from his UFC 200 loss to José Aldo. At just 24 years of age, Yair Rodríguez will most certainly be a force to be reckoned with in the immediate future, especially with his unpredictable and unprecedented striking ability, and his underrated grappling game. Former Lightweight and Welterweight champion B.J. Penn made his return to the octagon against Rodriguez and was completely outclassed throughout before being finished early in the second via a fantastic front kick, as 'El Pantera' moved to 10-1, and remained undefeated in the promotion. With a rock solid wrestling background, black belt BJJ experience under Ricardo Almeida and Renzo Gracie and boxing guided by Mark Henry, Edgar is one of the most well rounded contenders in the sport today. At 35 years of age, 'The Answer' has faced the best of the best in the form of the aforementioned B.J. Penn, José Aldo, Gray Maynard, Urijah Faber and current Bellator star Benson 'Smooth' Henderson in his storied career. A really interesting questioned posed by this matchup is whether or not Edgar can deal with the striking dynamics of Rodríguez, and if Rodríguez can dictate the pace and keep Edgar from turning this into a grappling and wrestling affair. Edgar presents too much experience for me but you never know when 'El Pantera' is in town.

Frankie Edgar via split decision.

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Demian Maia V Jorge Masvidal: What will go down:

Can Demian Maia finally earn his overdue title tilt?

A stylistic matchup for the ages takes place in Texas this weekend, as expert grappler Demian Maia faces feared striker Jorge 'Gamebred' Masvidal, with the victor most likely facing reigning Welterweight king Tyron Woodley. Arguably the greatest pure Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner in all of mixed-martial arts today, Demian Maia has seen a huge rise in his success since his move from 185lbs, finishing some of the best in the Welterweight division in the form of Rick Story, Matt Brown and Neil Magny, before making incredibly easy work of former interim champion Carlos 'The Natural Born Killer' Condit in their main event clash back in August last year, securing a rear-naked choke win just under two minutes into the premier round, avoiding any real damage in the process. The highlight reel win over Condit really cemented Maia as a top Welterweight challenger and in many people's eyes, earned him a second chance at UFC gold, although Stephen Thompson was twice preferred as the challenger to 'The Chosen One' facing him at both UFC 205 and just recently, a decision loss at UFC 209. Another man who has seen vast glory since his move in weight, is Jorge Masvidal. After a close decision loss to Al Iaquinta, 'Gamebred' finished Cezar Ferreira before losing to cream of the crop strikers Lorenz Larkin and Benson Henderson. Masvidal has since looked unstoppable, finishing Jake Ellenberger after a Ross Pearson win, and to many people's surprise, stopped the run of 'Cowboy' Cerrone with a huge second round KO. Masvidal presents a hugely stiff opponent for Maia, particularly with his boxing which is some of the best in the UFC today. If Maia can get Masvidal to the ground early on he is surely on his way to yet another stream rolling and submission victory, but the question remains, can the Brazilian deal with the striking of Masvidal, considering top strikers like Rory MacDonald, Nate Marquardt and Anderson Silva all caused him problems. For me, Masvidal clips Maia and similar to the Cerrone finish, scores a knockout win after a barrage.

Jorge Masvidal via knockout.

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