Rolando Bedoya

He states outright that this is not a confident pick, right after naming Bedoya, and separately predicts Mullarky probably gets knocked out while still picking the other man.

A pretty good, well-rounded striker -- forward pressure, leg kicks, combinations, volume and counters -- who is prone to being drawn into a brawl. His takedown defense is pretty good, helped by often having opponents on the back foot, though he is said to be outmatched if actually taken down.

Herbert gets the nod on a toolkit/experience edge, but the case is undercut by its own framing: a year or two back this would not even be in question, and the booking is explicitly called a wait-and-see proposition given his age.

A high-pressure, high-output striker whose leg kick is singled out as a nasty weapon, able to counter moving in either direction. His one real flaw as a stylistic matter is a willingness to brawl more than he should, though his chin and his ability to keep takedowns off bear that risk out fine. At 27, he is the clear up-and-comer in an age-gap matchup.

Named outright as the pick, then reaffirmed a second time right after calling the price unappealing -- the hedge there is about personal bet sizing against a bad number, not about the analytical case itself.

Good striking that comes forward behind kicks at every level (the leg kick his sharpest tool), sharp combinations and real volume, comfortable trading in a brawl. Extremely durable -- having already absorbed full-power shots from a dangerous opponent -- and expected to handle this opponent's power the same way. Takedown defense is written in as a plus, though treated as unlikely to matter given both plan to strike.

He settles on Khaos Williams, predicting Williams puts Bedoya to sleep because Bedoya's striking defense cannot hold up against someone with fight-ending power. Unhedged on the winner; a brief aside that he doesn't think the take is crazy is mild self-awareness about the pick, not doubt about the outcome.

Presses forward with strong pressure, using kicks to every level and combinations, but loves a brawl -- a stylistic trait the analyst flags as risky because his striking defense cannot hold up under that kind of exchange. He is durable and has good takedown defense, so the fight is expected to stay standing, which the analyst sees as a problem given the power on the other side.