Wes Schultz

Picks McVey to finish early, but concedes there's 'a real chance' he instead gets submitted.

A decent striker who lacks real power but mixes a wide variety of kicks to every level and strikes his way into takedowns rather than shooting them clean, which the analyst links to a generally flexible, low-rigidity style. His grappling is good: the takedowns themselves lack physicality, but he can mat-return an opponent relentlessly, lands good ground-and-pound elbows, and is dangerous once he has your back. He's also very active submission-wise from the bottom, though his willingness to pull guard and play off his back is flagged as a real liability at this weight.

gives a specific technical reason (hook control), only a minor travel caveat

Wes Schultz lacks real punching power for a middleweight but compensates with a varied, flexible kicking game and decent straight punches that set up his takedowns. His grappling base, built at a solid BJJ gym plus a college wrestling background, is his strongest asset: he returns opponents to the mat, controls on top, takes backs, and stays extremely active off his own back. That bottom activity is specifically why he is expected to avoid the kind of hookless rear-naked choke that has caught Johnston's past opponents. He is favored mainly on grappling IQ rather than any single standout tool.

States plainly that he likes this fighter and settles on him as the winner, with a full stated mechanism (mat returns grinding the opponent down toward a submission). The only hedge voiced is about committing to the specific finish method, not about who wins, so it does not demote per the confidence-bar rule.

A good striker with a varied kicking arsenal to all levels and good straight punches, used mainly to set up takedowns rather than to trade, because he conspicuously lacks real power for a middleweight. His projected edge is grappling: good takedowns, good mat returns (called out as important to this matchup), really good top control, good ground-and-pound elbows, a strong back-take game, submission attacks, and activity off his back. The analyst also credits intangible heart and unusual flexibility that aid his bottom/submission game, and picks him - as a real betting underdog - to wear Pinas down and get a finish, while declining to bet the specific method.