There are plenty of interesting stylistic clashes UFC on ESPN 46 and I’ll have a couple of bets on the event. Here are my main card MMA predictions from a betting perspective.

Maxim Grishin vs. Philipe Lins

It’s unfortunate that Maxim Grishin got the call to the UFC so late in his career, because I would’ve liked to see how he matched up against the top light heavyweight contenders in his prime.

Grishin’s style doesn’t rely on speed or athleticism, which is good for an ageing fighter. But its safe to say that his best years are behind him.

The Russian has a powerful right hand and digs the body effectively with front kicks. His volume is low, but his management of distance and ability to punish mistakes results in a lower output from his adversaries as well.

Grishin has stellar defensive wrestling and is a sturdy combatant for all three rounds.

Philipe Lins has the faster hands and I believe his combination striking should be useful against an opponent who wants to slide out of range for defense. I think Lins can find a home with low kicks and I could see him get ahead on points.

There are some concerns with the Brazilian however. We’ve seen Lins get sparked unconscious on numerous occasions and he takes more defensive risks than he should.

Also, Lins may presume himself to have a BJJ advantage and could blow his gas tank trying to take down the resolute Russian.

Ultimately, I’m expecting a competitve striking fight and I slightly lean towards Philipe Lins if he can keep his consciousness intact.

Muin Gafurov vs. John Castaneda

Tajikistan’s Muin Gafurov relinquishes his LFA title in order to take this fight on short notice. I doubt the lack of preparation will affect his performance because he has been training in the United States in anticipation of such an opportunity.

Gafurov brings a bullying presence inside the octagon. He has an excellent double leg takedown and packs a serious punch, but his overall skill set does not blow me away.

His striking is unrefined and I don’t think he has much BJJ to compliment his wrestling. His cardio also looked sketchy in his Contender Series bout, although that was a few years ago.

John Castaneda is returning after a disappointing loss against Daniel Santos, where he got off to a good start – but ultimately slowed down and was knocked out. Castaneda fought with bronchitis during this bout, so the lack of conditioning is excusable.

Castaneda has been training at Bangtao MMA and seems in good spirits after leaving his full-time job to focus on his MMA career.

I like Castaneda’s southpaw boxing repertoire. He throws caution to the wind defensively (which is a concern against a puncher like Gafurov), but his ability to pressure, draw out power shots and then counter with precision should serve him well in this bout.

Castaneda also looks like a proficient wrestler/grappler. He may concede takedowns, but I’d be surprised if Gafurov can ride out rounds in top position like he has done against lower tier opponents in the past.

At close to pick ‘em odds, I think John Castaneda is the value side.

Tim Elliott vs. Victor Atlamirano

Victor Altamirano is an entertaining fighter to watch. The Mexican is long and rangy for the division and fights effectively from both stances.

Altamirano has good footwork, a diverse variety of strikes and a high work rate. His biggest problem is a lack of physicality and weak takedown defense.

While Altamirano will fish for submissions aggressively off his back, it’s only a matter of time before he gets taken down and held down by a competent top-position wrestler.

Tim Elliott is not what you would describe as a fundamental striker. He moves awkwardly and uses feints to keep opponents guessing before firing off shots from weird angles.

Ultimately, Elliot’s goal is to get the fight to the mat and I think he’ll have ample opportunities here. Elliot has strong wrestling from the clinch and he will also try to catch kicks and convert them to takedowns.

We’ve seen Elliott get reckless on the mat and give up positions in search of submissions, but he should be fine if he can replicate his performance against Jordan Espinosa.

I just have a hard time trusting Elliott. He is getting up there in age, has recently switched to a smaller camp and is returning from an injury layoff.

I’ll pick Tim Elliott to win, but I have no interest in betting him at -180. This could play out closer than the odds indicate.

Alex Caceres vs. Daniel Pineda

Speaking of declining fighters, Daniel Pineda has been through many wars, surgeries, and also a PED suspension. He scored an emphatic finish over Tucker Lutz in front of his home crowd, but that performance told me more about his opponent than it did about him.

Pineda hits hard, has sharp counters and is a powerful wrestler with deadly finishing instincts – but he doesn’t have the cardio to sustain his fighting style.

On paper, a rangy southpaw like Alex Caceres is exactly the type of fighter that should cause him problems.

Caceres is hittable in the pocket and primarily uses distance control for defense, which could get him into trouble here. However, he fights well off the back foot, has a nice check hook and as well as dynamic kicks from the left side.

Training at The MMA Lab, Caceres has improved his defensive grappling over the past few years and all his hard work should have prepared him for this style of opponent.

This fight might be underwhelming, but I’m picking Alex Caceres to stick and move his way to a late finish or decision victory.

Kai Kara-France vs. Amir Albazi

Amir Albazi hasn’t faced the toughest competition, but I’ve been impressed by his UFC performances.

His ground game is the strongest aspect of his skill set, but he is well-rounded and fundamentally solid everywhere. He throws clean straight punches, changes levels at the right times and is a good positional grappler.

I particularly appreciate his decision-making and high fight IQ.

He will face a huge step up in competition and a difficult stylistic challenge in Kai Kara-France, who has been a top flyweight contender for years.

France can get flustered when you come at him with heavy pressure (as we saw against Brandon Royval), but he should have a clear advantage in open space. The New Zealander moves well, fires heavy low kicks and is creative when setting up his blistering right hand.

So long as he can hold his ground, his striking style should pose major issues for a less sophisticated boxer in Albazi.

France has strong defensive wrestling and has shown an ability to escape the body triangle and fend off the rear-naked choke. Albazi may score takedowns, but I’m not confident he can find the finish and every round starts on the feet.

Five rounds should be favorable to the New Zealander.

I like Kai Kara-France in this main event and I think there is some value at pick ‘em odds.