UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Teixeira- Raoni Barcelos vs Khalid Taha: Prediction and Analysis

UFC Bantamweight’s Raoni Barcelos and Khalid Taha square off at the mid-way mark on the main card for UFC Vegas 13. The card is headlined by light heavyweight’s Thiago Santos and Glover Teixeira, who will look to cement their place for contention. Unlike a lot of match-ups on the card, Barcelos and Taha aren’t vying for immediate title contention in their match-up.

The aforementioned bantamweights are in a division that has truly taken off in the eyes of the fans. With a new champion in Petr Yan at the helm, it’s easy to see why contenders are scrambling to enter the contention pool. What’s more, the talent runs well past the top 15 in the weight class and it’s a momentous task to break into the top ranks.

UFC bantamweight’s: Raoni Barcelos vs Khalid Taha

Raoni Barcelos is on an 8-fight winning streak and he hasn’t lost a fight since April 2014. Additionally, he’s been perfect in the UFC thus far, finishing three of his four victories in the company. He edged out a decision to Said Nurmagomedov in his last fight, a feat that is easier said than done. Barcelos’ overall game is heavily invested in minimizing risk, but this doesn’t hinder his drive for the stoppage win.

The 33-year-old Brazilian fighter has excellent head movement on entering the opponent’s range and avoids absorbing damage. Moreover, he has a good chin in the event that he gets caught with a clinical blow. Facing an expert marksman like Khalid Taha, Barcelos will have to sharpen all the weapons in his arsenal.

Khalid Taha has had an interesting run in the UFC thus far, to say the least. He has gone 1-1-1 in the promotion with his last fight at UFC 243 being overturned by the Australian commission. However, once the cage door slams shut, there’s no question as to the legitimacy of the threat he poses. Taha will look to finish the fight, at times risking a win on the scorecard.

The 28-year-old has been overzealous in the past and he must dot his I’s and cross his T’s against Raoni. They both pose different challenges to each other, no matter where the fight may go.

Prediction: Khalid Taha to claim a unanimous decision win.