Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is getting International Fight Week started with the UFC Fight Night 90: "Dos Anjos vs. Alvarez" mixed martial arts (MMA) extravaganza tomorrow night (Thurs., July 7, 2016) from inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In the Fight Pass-exclusive main event, scheduled for five championship rounds, reigning UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos will defend his strap against former Bellator 155-pound titleholder and No. 2-ranked contender Eddie Alvarez.
Meanwhile, in the heavyweight co-main event, The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 winner and former IFL standout, Roy "Big Country" Nelson, trades heavy leather with rising 265-pound smashing machine and streaking knockout artist Derrick "Black Beast" Lewis.
Don't blink.
As usual, the esteemed Patrick Stumberg went to town on all the UFC Fight Night 90 "Prelims" bouts right here. Odds and betting lines for the "Dos Anjos vs. Alvarez" can be found here, and now it's time to take a closer look at the four-fight main card.
155 lbs.: UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos (25-7) vs. Eddie Alvarez (27-4)
Nostradumbass predicts: I'm sure I'm not the only one who's been underwhelmed by the body of work Eddie Alvarez has put together since crossing over from the ranks of Bellator, where he engaged in some of the best lightweight fights of all-time opposite Michael Chandler.
Since then? Well...
A lot of folks are willing to give the longtime veteran a mulligan after laying an egg against Donald Cerrone at UFC 178, citing Octagon jitters and that bright lights, big city crap. Maybe if he was some regional import with a 9-0 record, like Belal Muhammed, sure, but Alvarez has headlined major Spike TV events.
If you want to be elite, you have to perform at an elite level.
Unfortunately, what I saw in follow-up fights against Gilbert Melendez and Anthony Pettis was good, but not great. Alvarez managed to wrangle a pair of split-decision victories, which means he was one judge away from losing three straight.
That's not going to cut it against Rafael dos Anjos.
Specifically because two fighters who troubled Alvarez -- the aforementioned "Cowboy" and "Showtime" -- were dominated by the Brazilian, who also knocked out Benson Henderson during his torrid 10-1 streak across the past five years.
Only the wrestling of Khabib Nurmagomedov gave him pause.
Alvarez hasn't finished a fight since knocking around Bellator's second string back in 2012. His boxing is as sharp as it's always been, and he's a talented wrestler, but what Dos Anjos has been done to the rest of the lightweight division, on paper, reads like a work of fiction.
It's been that good.
Final predictions: Dos Anjos def. Alvarez via unanimous decision
265 lbs.: Roy "Big Country" Nelson (21-12) vs. Derrick "Black Beast" Lewis (15-4, 1 NC)
Nostradumbass predicts: I'm not sure what kind of analysis we can glean from looking at tape when you consider that Derrick Lewis has captured victory by way of knockout or technical knockout in 14 of his 15 professional wins. The strategy here is not much of a secret.
Walk forward, unleash hell.
But when you live by the bomb, you die by the bomb, so it probably won't come as a surprise to learn that "Black Beast" has also gone limp in two of his four losses. That has less to do with his chin and more to do with the fact that anyone weighing in the neighborhood of 265 pounds can hit hard.
If Matt Mitrione and Shawn Jordan can take Lewis to the woodshed, then so too can Roy Nelson.
But calling "Big Country" a lock would be a mistake. The portly power puncher is by no means invincible, eating leather in knockout losses to Andrei Arlovski and Mark Hunt. He's also looked like trash over the past few years, mustering a paltry 2-5 record and doing little with his formidable ground game.
He's also 40 years old.
Nelson has fought some of the toughest names in all of MMA, but the numbers here are very telling. The bastion of Burger King is nine years older and three inches shorter than Lewis, and more importantly, gives up a staggering seven-inch reach advantage.
Probably not the best candidate for this heavyweight firefight.
Final predictions: Lewis def. Nelson via knockout
170 lbs.: Alan "Brahma" Jouban (13-4) vs. Belal "Remember the Name" Muhammed (9-0)
Nostradumbass predicts: I don't want to come down too hard on Belal Muhammed -- despite his awful nickname -- because he was kind enough to take this fight on short notice. In addition, he's looked great on the regional circuit, which includes a pair of wins under the Bellator banner.
That said, I don't like his chances against Alan Jouban.
Especially when you consider the kind of performance "Brahma" had back in March, scoring his tenth finish by way of nasty technical knockout. He's not been perfect, mind you, but his experience, coupled with his aggression, makes this a very winnable fight.
Muhammed has just three finishes.
How well "Remember the Name" performs in a high-profile fight is something of an X-factor, as some fighters can rise to the occasion, but until I see otherwise, I have to side with the seasoned veteran who knows how to end a fight with extreme violence.
A first-round finish would not surprise me.
Final predictions: Jouban def. Muhammed via technical knockout
155 lbs.: Mitch "Danger Zone" Clarke (11-3) vs. "Irish" Joseph Duffy (14-2)
Nostradumbass predicts: Hard to believe we were talking about a Joe Duffy vs. Conor McGregor rematch earlier this year, especially now that both "Irish Joe" and "Notorious" were both upended in their most recent fights -- though Duffy may have taken the bigger hit.
Simply because he doesn't have the same star power as his Irish counterpart.
But aside from getting outsmarted by Dustin Poirier, the 28-year-old Duffy looked terrific in a pair of finishes after crossing over to the ranks of ZUFFA. With four knockouts and nine submissions, he's as dangerous on his feet as he is on the ground.
Dangerous enough to prove victorious?
That depends on which version of Clarke we get, as "Danger Zone" has struggled to find consistency in five fights with UFC (2-5). I liked what I saw against Al Iaquinta, but I'm not sure Duffy will be as easily subdued and he struggled against the grappling-savvy Michael Chiesa.
I do expect this to go all 25 minutes, just as I expect Duffy to win a sweep on the judges' scorecards, as the zone just won't be dangerous enough to see the Canadian prevail.
Final predictions: Duffy def. Clarke via unanimous decision
That's a wrap.
For much more on tomorrow's UFC Fight Night 90 event click here.