UFC St. Louis Preview, Breakdown & Analysis

The UFC will kick off 2018 with a free fight card, as UFC Fight Night 124 is set to take place tomorrow (Jan. 14, 2017) live on FOX Sports 1 from St. Louis, Missouri.

In the main event, featherweight contenders Jeremy Stephens and Doo Ho Choi will square off in a five-round affair.

The co-main event will feature a flyweight tilt between Paige VanZant and Jessica Rose-Clark, while welterweight contenders Kamaru Usman and Emil Meek are set to do battle on the main card as well.

Without further ado, here’s a look at our UFC Fight Night 124 preview, breakdown, and analysis:

Jeremy Stephens vs. Doo Ho Choi

This main event will feature two featherweight contenders looking to continue rising up the 145-pound ranks.

Stephens, currently ranked No. 9, is a very experienced fighter, holding a 26-14 professional record through 40 fights. He has, however, lost two of his last three, although he’s coming off of a win over Gilbert Melendez.

Stylistically, Stephens is an aggressive and powerful fighter. He has a strong right hand and legitimate finishing ability, as 16 of his 26 wins have come by T/KO.

Rarely taking a step backward, Stephens likes to pressure his opponents, and he’s never shied away from a brawl. He has, however, gotten a bit more technical with his striking in recent years.

As far as the grappling department goes, “Lil’ Heathen” isn’t known for his submissions, but he does have an underrated wrestling game. I’m not sure we’ll see him shoot for many takedowns in this bout, but it could be a possibility.

Choi, on the other hand, holds an impressive professional record of 14-2 and is coming off of a loss to Cub Swanson in one of 2016’s best fights.

Like Stephens, Choi is a dangerous striker with fight-ending power, as 11 of his 14 victories have come by way of T/KO. He also likes to move forward, although he uses incredible timing to land counter shots as well. In addition, Choi is likely the faster puncher, while also being well-versed in the clinch.

In regards to the grappling department, Choi’s wrestling is a bit underrated as well, although he isn’t known much for his submissions either. He does, however, have solid defensive skills off of his back.

Ultimately, I see this fight playing out on the feet, and if that’s the case, anything can happen with two talented strikers like Stephens and Choi. In my opinion, however, Stephens’ pressure and Choi’s defense will be the x-factors. Although he landed some big shots of his own in his bout against Swanson, Choi showed that he was hittable.

If Stephens can inflict a fast pace and keep the pressure high, he may find opportunities to land powerful strikes. I’m not sure he’ll find the finish, but I see him scoring a closely fought victory.

Prediction: Jeremy Stephens def. Doo Ho Choi via unanimous decision

Paige VanZant vs. Jessica Rose-Clark

In this bout, VanZant, one of the UFC’s most hyped young stars, will be moving up in weight to compete in the new women’s flyweight division and she’ll be taking on a fighter in Rose-Clark who has competed at bantamweight and even as heavy as featherweight.

At 23-years-old, VanZant has a lot to learn and a lot to improve on. After starting her UFC career out 3-0, she’s since gone just 1-3 dropping losses to strawweight champion Rose Namajunas and top-10 contender Michelle Waterson.

Despite the losses, however, VanZant is certainly a talented fighter, as she holds a 7-3 professional record with two of those victories coming by way of knockout and two of those victories coming by way of submission.

She typically likes to move forward, while throwing a high volume of strikes. Over time, she has gotten a bit more patient, but VanZant is a creative striker, has a wide array of strikes and uses different angles and stances to land them.

She also isn’t afraid to engage in the clinch, and on the ground, “12 Guage” could cause some trouble for Clark. If she does indeed land a takedown, VanZant will likely be very active, looking for submissions, while continuing to land strikes.

In regards to Clark’s style, she has rounded out her game quite a bit since relocating to Las Vegas. Once primarily a boxer, Clark has added a wider arsenal of strikes to her repertoire.

She also has seemed comfortable fighting in the clinch, but I personally feel as if VanZant has the overall grappling advantage.

In my opinion, this is a difficult fight to call, and it’ll be interesting to see what version of VanZant shows up. The one thing that is for sure, however, is that Clark will be the larger and stronger fighter. That may help her avoid takedowns, and it’s very possible that she could out-strike VanZant on the feet.

PVZ is also coming off of a long layoff, which could be a factor.

I’m not completely confident in this one, but I’m going to side with Clark.

Prediction: Jessica Rose-Clark def. Paige VanZant via unanimous decision

Kamaru Usman vs. Emil Meek

This bout will play host to a battle between two of the stacked welterweight division’s brightest contenders.

Currently riding a 10-fight winning streak, Usman has quietly begun to rise up the ranks. He’s scored five consecutive victories inside the Octagon and has proven to be a supremely talented fighter.

Judging by his recent fight, which ended with a knockout victory, Usman certainly has power on the feet, but his bread and butter is his wrestling.

He’s an incredible athlete, and he uses a rare level of physicality and aggressiveness, along with a decorated wrestling background to drag opponents to the canvas. And if he gets the takedown, Usman is relentless, as his top game is amongst the best in the division.

Meek, on the other hand, has only competed once in the UFC, scoring a decision victory over Jordan Mein in his promotional debut last December. Overall, he holds a 9-2 professional record with 7 of those victories coming by way of T/KO.

Although he appears to be quite well-rounded, Meek’s strengths lie on the feet.

In this bout, he’ll need to do everything he can to keep the bout on the feet where he has the opportunity to land a fight-ending blow.

Unfortunately, I don’t see that happening. I expect Usman to overwhelm Meek with his wrestling, top control and ground-and-pound on his way to a finish.

Prediction: Kamaru Usman def. Emil Meek via second round TKO (strikes)