WSOF 19: Main Card Preview and Predictions

At WSOF 19, Justin Gaethje will look to defend his belt for the third appearance in a row.

Undefeated in 13 MMA bouts, Gaethje has become recognized as one of the best lightweights not on the UFC roster. In his most recent outing, Gaethje was tested by UFC veteran Melvin Guillard and passed with a decision victory.

Standing opposite Gaethje on Saturday will be Luis Palomino. A Bellator MMA veteran with wins over Jorge Masvidal, Daron Cruickshank and others, Palomino is a solid veteran, but he will be a significant underdog heading into WSOF 19.

In addition to the 155-pound main event, here are previews and predictions for all the WSOF 19 main card matchups.

Following a 4-4 run with Bellator MMA, Ed West has signed with WSOF and will make his debut at WSOF 19.

West has had some highs during his career, including a head-kick knockout against Josh Montoya in February 2013, and is a tough matchup for most unproven bantamweights. However, having been stopped in his past two outings, West appears to have been brought in as a stepping stone for Valiev.

The Russian has gone 2-0 under the WSOF banner and could be a future star in the promotion's 135-pound class. At 25 years old, Valiev is continually improving and will need to show more growth against West, who should be considered a step up in competition from his past opponents.

It wouldn't be shocking to see West use his experience to steal some rounds and win this bout. However, Valiev has the higher upside and should be able to overwhelm West early on.

Prediction

Valiev defeats West via (T)KO in the first round.

While he's still young at 27 years old, Jake Heun has had many opportunities in MMA.

Heun has failed to pick up a win on two different seasons of The Ultimate Fighter and posted a mediocre 1-2 record under the ProElite banner, where he received more spotlight than he did while competing on other, smaller shows.

That said, Heun's shortcomings have come on the ground, where he regularly gets caught in submissions. Teddy Holder, his WSOF 19 adversary is not exactly a grappling wizard, so there's a good chance this matchup turns into a slugfest.

It's a coin flip if that is how this plays out, but I'll give an edge to Heun, who has a bit more high-level experience than Holder does.

Prediction

Heun defeats Holder via (T)KO in the first round.

Thiago Silva and Matt Hamill have taken very different paths to get here, but the UFC veterans are set to meet again at WSOF 19.

Due to legal troubles, Silva was pulled from a bout with Ovince St. Preux and released by the UFC in 2014. However, the Brazilian later signed with WSOF and was originally booked to meet Ronny Markes at WSOF 19.

Instead, Markes was injured and replaced by Hamill, who had been retired since his October 2013 clash with Silva. So, Silva and Hamill will now both be returning to action for the first time since they met one another at UFC Fight Night 29, where Silva picked up a decision win.

Given the fact that we haven't seen either fighter compete since then, it's hard to imagine this bout going much differently than the last. Silva has more left in the tank and might even be able to finish Hamill this time around.

Prediction

Silva defeats Hamill via (T)KO in the second round.

Gaethje might be the best lightweight outside the UFC and has little serious competition to challenge him on the WSOF roster.

Some would have liked to see Gaethje make a bigger statement against Guillard, but the up-and-comer still showed that he can compete with high-level lightweights by beating the UFC veteran. Palomino should be a step down and could provide Gaethje with a chance to pick up another highlight-reel finish.

Palomino has scored two straight knockouts, so he's not getting this title shot without earning it. However, earning a title shot in the WSOF lightweight division doesn't take much right now.

Unbeaten in 13 MMA appearances, Gaethje is a star in the making and will be a WSOF champion as long as the promotion can keep him around. Having only been knocked out once in 32 career bouts, Palomino is tough enough to survive, but he'll take a beating in the process.

Prediction

Gaethje defeats Palomino via unanimous decision.