Brando Pericic

says plainly he is much less confident than last time; calls it close

Brando Pericic's kickboxing is the standout tool here: a sharp poking punch out front, tidy mixed-strike sequences, and a dangerous but risky spinning finish best saved for the final seconds of a round. His grappling is his clear weak point, though opponents struggle to put him on the mat while he is backed up near the fence, and he does good dirty boxing in close. His one prior poor cardio showing is defended as a product of very short notice and a layoff rather than a reliable read of his conditioning, and he is expected to fade only if Gaziev forces a wrestling match on his own terms.

picks Pericic to win on feet

A kickboxing convert the analyst ranks near the very top of the heavyweight division on raw tools: constant forward pace, a stiff jab, and fluent blending of punches and kicks. His one real flaw is a fondness for a spinning back-kick attack -- when it misses, he's left winded and flat on the mat in a bad spot, though it hasn't cost him across a 5-1 stretch. His MMA grappling sample is small (six pro bouts), but what shows -- heavy strikes on top, strong cage control, sharp dirty boxing -- grades out well.

He says the fighter wins this fight all day, repeatedly says the line makes no sense to him and names only one specific, low-percentage path to a loss.

A solid kickboxer who comes forward with good combinations, mixing punches and kicks, and a stiff jab. His one real liability is a low-percentage spinning attack he throws too often. He is also a decent grappler with heavy ground-and-pound, a good cage push and dirty boxing. The analyst sees essentially one path for him to lose this fight.