Brady Hiestand

Angelo picks Garrett, citing his busy striking, forward pressure, and good takedown defense. He expects the fight to look like Garrett's win over Brad Katona, where he outworks Brady on the feet and wins a decision. He notes Brady struggles with pressure and has not shown he can dominate wrestling or striking.

Cody picks Garrett Armfield, comparing him to last week's Ludovit Klein as a bettable favorite. He notes Armfield's improvement under Trey Ogden at Marathon MMA, his striking advantage, and his takedown defense. Cody believes Armfield can keep the fight standing and outbox Hiestand, who is one-dimensional and lacks activity. He expects a clear decision win for Armfield.

Daniel Vreeland has seen big improvements in Garrett Armfield's game, especially his head movement, boxing, and volume. He notes Armfield hurts everyone he fights with his right hand. He acknowledges Brady Hiestand's durability and grinding style but believes if Armfield keeps it standing, he lands the better shots and possibly gets a knockout or wins a decision.

Jacob picks Garrett but expects a close fight. He notes Garrett's low stance and reaction to faints could be exploited by Brady's overhand right. He thinks Garrett's striking should be enough to win a decision, but Brady's relentless wrestling could make it competitive. He believes Garrett has high fight IQ and knows how to win rounds.

Paul agrees with Cody, noting that he has backed Hiestand before and got lucky. He points out that Hiestand's takedowns don't lead to damage and judges are not rewarding control time anymore. Paul thinks Armfield can replicate his performance against Katona and win easily.

Angelo picks Danaa Batgerel, noting his striking speed, volume, and power. He thinks Batgerel will dominate the striking and if taken down, he will scramble well to get back up. He expects Batgerel to win but is not betting yet, waiting to see line movement or possibly betting on a prop like over takedowns on Brady.

Big Brady picks Danaa Batgerel to win by first-round knockout. He notes that Batgerel has incredible power and that Hiestand is very hittable with poor striking defense, having been dropped and knocked out before. He believes Batgerel will land a big shot early and put Hiestand's lights out, as Hiestand's path to victory requires a perfect fight. Brady also mentions that Hiestand trains with Marab and is a 100% wrestling style, but his chin is a massive liability against Batgerel's power.

Cody picks Batgerel, citing his power, volume, and takedown defense. He notes Batgerel has knockout power and good cardio, and has fought at Jackson Wink. He criticizes Hiestand as one-dimensional with wrestling, lacking striking and submission offense. Cody believes Batgerel will stuff takedowns and win on the feet, possibly by knockout.

Connor picks Danaa Batgerel, noting that Hiestand has terrible striking and gasses quickly due to inefficient wrestling. He highlights that Batgerel is a devastating puncher with a good left hook and will put Hiestand on the back foot. Connor recalls Hiestand's knockout loss to Chad Anheliger as a template for how this fight could go.

Brady Hiestand is a strong wrestler with good control and a solid grappling base. He should be able to take Danaa Batgerel down and grind out a decision. Batgerel has power in his strikes but poor takedown defense and cardio. However, Batgerel has been training at Fight Ready and may have improved his wrestling defense. Hiestand may get clipped early but should recover and implement his game plan. Prediction: Hiestand by decision.

Paul also picks Batgerel, agreeing with Cody. He notes he will be adding money on Batgerel. He mentions the market is moving in Batgerel's direction, now minus 155. Paul had previously picked Hiestand as a dog in his last fights but sees this as a tough matchup for him.

The MMA Guru picks Danaa Batgerel to win by KO in the first round. He acknowledges Brady Hiestand's decent grappling but believes Batgerel's size and power will be too much. He thinks Hiestand's striking is not yet developed and that Batgerel can shut down takedowns for a round and then do damage on the feet. He expects a vicious first-round TKO finish.

Angelo picks Turcios, citing his crazy style, pressure, and variety of strikes. He notes Hiestand is formulaic and will struggle with Turcios' unpredictability. He has Turcios in his DraftKings lineup at 8700 and likes the more more on monkey knife fight.

Cody leans toward Hiestand as a live underdog, impressed by his takedowns and knockout of Vince Murdock on TUF. He thinks Hiestand's wrestling could neutralize Turcios, but acknowledges Turcios' experience and scrambling ability. Cody is worried about Turcios' takedown defense and thinks Hiestand could control the fight. He calls Hiestand a prospect and says the plus-140 line is not terrible.

Jacob picks Turcios but is hesitant, noting Hiestand's good takedowns and Turcios' defensive movement issues. He worries if Hiestand gets a hold of Turcios, it could be one-sided. He relies on Turcios' movement and volume to win.

Lock picks Hiestand as an underdog, citing his wrestling-heavy approach and ability to implement a game plan. He thinks Hiestand's jiu-jitsu is good enough to avoid submissions from Turcios. Lock is concerned about Hiestand's striking and cardio but believes he can secure takedowns and win rounds. He likes Hiestand by decision at +300 and considers him a potential dog of the night.

Paul picks Hiestand as a dog, noting his quick takedown entries and potential. He thinks Turcios' veteran savvy will neutralize Hiestand's striking, but he likes the over 2.5 rounds as a parlay piece. Paul is not fully confident in Hiestand's hands but sees value at plus-140.