Khamzat Chimaev

Picked despite the analyst explicitly rooting for the other side -- states outright he wants to be wrong but ultimately can't pick against him.

Also a solid striker even though grappling is his clear preference -- a heavy, powerful jab (more forceful than technically polished), plenty of raw power, and a real signature wrinkle: a one-two into a takedown that works precisely because the punches alone carry enough weight to be respected on their own. He switches stances, moves well, and has a strong body kick. But his real intent is to grapple, and he's elite there -- elite takedown defense, proven repeatedly against opponents who tried shooting on him, and excellent takedowns with very good timing, able to close the distance and finish a takedown cleanly from unusually far out, chaining attempts together while keeping his neck protected on entries. He often lands in side control, with solid top control built around pinning down either an opponent's shoulders or their hips and legs. When he commits to it, his ground and pound is savage, his front chokes are nasty and very tight, and his scrambling is good, though not quite as good as this particular opponent's. His cardio has reportedly gotten better, though the analyst still gives the cardio edge to the other man.

He calls this the easiest pick on the card, saying his opponent has no realistic path to victory short of a miracle and predicting an early finish.

Khamzat Chimaev is presented as an outlier physical talent, undefeated, with statistical output in significant strikes and takedowns per fifteen minutes that the analyst says isn't seen paired together anywhere else at the UFC level. He's shown one-shot knockout power fighting up a weight class, gone the distance with a ranked contender in a fight many felt he won, and physically dominated the very fighter picked to beat Tony Ferguson on this same card. The case for him here is about as close to a lock as this analyst makes, with an early finish the expected outcome.