UFC 208 predictions: Who will be the 1st UFC women's 145-lb champion?

Prior to Saturday's UFC 208 in Brooklyn, theScore's Themistoklis Alexis and Alexander K. Lee predict the evening's main card bouts.

Women's Featherweight Championship

Holly Holm (3-2 UFC, 10-2)
vs.
Germaine de Randamie (3-1 UFC, 6-3)

Alexander K. Lee: Don't let the difference in name recognition fool you; Germaine de Randamie is more than capable of handing Holly Holm her third straight defeat.

Holm is a brilliant striker, but the fact remains she is a boxer first and a kickboxer second. She was unable to beat Valentina Shevchenko at her own game in her last fight, and will need to avoid making this one a straight Muay Thai match, lest she fall into that trap again.

There are few better game-planners in the sport than Holm's coach Greg Jackson, and he'll have "The Preacher's Daughter" well prepared for De Randamie, maybe even pushing her to mix in some ground work where De Randamie will be at a distinct disadvantage.

It will be close, but Holm will become the fourth fighter in UFC history to win titles in two divisions.

THE PICK: Holm

Themistoklis Alexis: The halfhearted inception of the women's featherweight division has unjustly stained an otherwise tantalizing matchup between two supremely gifted strikers.

The methodical Holm will have to ride her footwork and use of angles to best De Randamie, an aggressive Muay Thai artist who does her best work from the clinch. The Dutch native made short work of her last two conquests, but The Preacher's Daughter stands leagues above those lesser lights.

She may have to weather some storms from "The Iron Lady," but if Holm can emerge from the early rounds unscathed, expect her to chip away at De Randamie from range before setting up a late-round coup de grace.

THE PICK: Holm

Middleweight

Anderson Silva (16-4 UFC, 33-8)
vs.
Derek Brunson (7-2 UFC, 16-4)

Alexis: Anderson Silva hasn't had the easiest go fending off fighters of Derek Brunson's ilk, but if the latter's last performance offers any inkling, "The Spider" should be back to his winning ways in no time.

In his last outing, the North Carolina native recklessly chased Robert Whittaker around the cage - chin first - in pursuit of his fifth straight first-round knockout. If Whittaker could swiftly turn the tables to hand the 32-year-old that exact fate, imagine what the deadliest counterstriker to ever grace the Octagon will do to Brunson come fight night.

Re-enact his classic performance at UFC 126, that's what.

THE PICK: Silva

Lee: This fight seems tailor made for a vintage Silva performance. Brunson is a powerful, but wild fighter who's prone to making mistakes; the Spider has made a career out of feasting on opponents who fit that profile.

Look for Brunson to wander right into Silva's parlor and suffer a series of precision counter-strikes while flailing around as he desperately tries to land a kill shot of his own. If Brunson then thinks he can turn to his wrestling, he'll find that Silva is difficult to hold on to when your name isn't Daniel Cormier.

Silva gets back in the win column for the first time in a while here.

THE PICK: Silva

Middleweight

Ronaldo Souza (6-1 UFC, 23-4)
vs.
Tim Boetsch (11-9 UFC, 20-10)

Lee: Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza's biggest challenge on Saturday will be getting past the disappointment of not receiving a higher-ranked opponent. That, and the punching power of Tim Boetsch. But mostly the disappointment.

With all due respect, Jacare could easily be challenging Michael Bisping for the middleweight championship instead of facing Boetsch, the No. 13-ranked contender. He's one of the division's deadliest finishers with 19 wins by knockout or submission, and his only UFC loss came by decision to Yoel Romero.

Souza hasn't been finished since 2008, and as long as he doesn't get careless, he'll ride his submission game to another impressive victory.

THE PICK: Souza

Alexis: Those who've been foolish enough to overlook Boetsch have paid for it in brutal fashion, but Jacare has too much riding on the matchup - a potential title shot, to be exact - to join the 36-year-old's list of upsets.

The Brazilian's standup has improved exponentially since his early days in Strikeforce, but it behooves him to elude the dynamite in Boetsch's right hand and take the fight to the ground, where Souza is practically invincible and "The Barbarian" has met his demise on more than one occasion.

Jacare by early tapout. All day.

THE PICK: Souza

Light Heavyweight

Glover Teixeira (8-3 UFC, 25-5)
vs.
Jared Cannonier (2-1 UFC, 9-1)

Alexis: This matchup ultimately comes down to who lands the first telling blow, as Glover Teixeira and Jared Cannonier own 23 first-round finishes between them.

"The Killa Gorilla" is coming off a Fight of the Night performance against Ion Cutelaba, but he's wading into deep waters against a perennial contender in Teixeira, and his embryonic body of work says he won't make the leap on Saturday. Expect the Brazilian to make short work of Cannonier, and don't be surprised if he resurrects his dormant ground game to secure the stoppage.

THE PICK: Teixeira

Lee: Cannonier showed a lot of potential in his light heavyweight debut last December. The question is whether he's advanced enough to go toe-to-toe with an experienced striker like Teixeira.

While it would be exciting to see Cannonier pull off the upset, it's difficult to picture him having the necessary tools to overcome such a challenge at this point in his career. He has a puncher's chance for sure, but the outcome inevitably lies in the hands of the more fundamentally sound Teixeira.

THE PICK: Teixeira

Lightweight

Dustin Poirier (12-4 UFC, 20-5)
vs.
Jim Miller (17-7 UFC, 28-8)

Lee: It's time for Dustin Poirier to show he's more than a fringe contender. Life comes at you fast, and while it seems like just yesterday he was a 22-year-old making his UFC debut with an upset win over Josh Grispi, he's 28 now and the clock is ticking on his chances of becoming a world champion.

"The Diamond" needs to use that desperation to spur a career-best performance against the always tough-to-beat Jim Miller. This is going to be a rough-and-tumble affair from start to finish, with "finish" being the operative word. As durable as Miller is, he can be hurt, and Poirier should have enough gas in the tank to outlast him and close things out with a knockout or choke submission.

THE PICK: Poirier

Alexis: Miller will make Poirier rue the day he returned to lightweight, and he can do it in more ways than one.

The jiu-jitsu ace has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence of late, winning three straight over similarly seasoned competition, and while The Diamond has run through four of five since rejoining the 155-pound division, he often falters against top-tier fighters. Miller's best days may be behind him, but he can hang with the Louisiana native on the feet long enough to goad him into a scramble that would take the fight to the ground.

Even if Poirier manages to stave off his submission attempts, Miller can still cruise to a decision by staying busy from top position.

THE PICK: Miller