Preview: UFC 306 Prelims

Lightweights

Manuel Torres (15-2, 3-0 UFC) vs. Ignacio Bahamondes (15-5, 4-2 UFC)

ODDS: Torres (-118), Bahamondes (-102)

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Torres has looked quite impressive thus far in his UFC career, but it’s time for Mexico’s “El Loco” to answer some questions. Torres was a pure flier ahead of his 2021 showing on Dana White’s Contender Series. On the regional scene, he was a reckless wildman who tended to rely a lot on getting to his wrestling and grappling game, and even then, he had walked himself into a few quick losses. To his credit, Torres suddenly looked much sharper in his Contender Series bout, even if his contract-earning win was marred a bit by the finish being set up by an inadvertent eye poke. At any rate, once Torres had his foot in the door, he continued to impress. His fights have all still ended within a round, but Torres has shown a willingness to pick his spots to throw with power, scoring two quick knockouts before finally pivoting back to his ground game with a submission win over Chris Duncan in February. Torres has looked sharp, but there’s still the question of how he fares against an opponent who can drag him into a longer fight. That’s where Bahamondes comes in.

Chile’s Bahamondes is another talented young prospect, and while “La Jaula” has put together a solid UFC campaign, there’s still a sense that everyone’s waiting for him to take another leap in terms of effectiveness. Massive for the lightweight division at 6-foot-3, Bahamondes has shown flashes of a grappling game but mostly looks to march forward and swamp his opponent with striking volume made all the more intimidating by his frame. That has overwhelmed opponents up to a point, during which Bahamondes has looked like an absolute terror, but that has made his losses all the more frustrating. John Makdessi and Ludovit Klein, much shorter fighters, found success standing their ground and either blasting Bahamondes or taking him down, landing hard enough to win rounds while slowing down his pace. Torres certainly has the tools to follow that game plan, but it’s essentially a complete unknown as to whether or not he can keep that approach up for more than a round. A Torres win wouldn’t be a shock, but this is basically a coinflip and he doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt. The pick is Bahamondes via second-round stoppage.

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