Preview: UFC Fight Night 187 Prelims

Featherweight

NR | Charles Jourdain (10-3-1, 1-2-1 UFC) vs. NR | Marcelo Rojo (16-6, 0-0 UFC)

ODDS: Jourdain (-255), Rojo (+215)

What do we make of Jourdain? The Montreal native came to the UFC as a prospect to watch, with some natural talent and a wild approach. Jourdain would often live up to his “Air” nickname thanks to his love of the flying knee. To his credit, Jourdain has developed nicely over the last two years. Channeling some of that wildness into more effective aggression, Jourdain scored a huge upset over Doo Ho Choi and held his own with tough veteran Andre Fili. However, his last fight against Joshua Culibao raised some concerns. It looked like an easy win on paper for Jourdain, but he was nearly finished early and had to fight back for what eventually became a draw. While Jourdain has made a lot of improvements, he still does not have the overwhelming offense or steady defense to take his opponents completely out of his fights. It would be nice to see him pick up a clean and clear win against this level of opposition. Maybe that comes here against an Argentinian newcomer in Rojo. Typically a bantamweight, Rojo was slated to make his debut two weeks ago as a late replacement against Raoni Barcelos until that fight was scrapped. That would have been a tough ask. Rojo is a straight-ahead striker who would have been taken apart by Barcelo’s grappling game. That style makes him an excellent opponent for Jourdain, as both men should look to tee off on each other with whatever comes to mind. Jourdain is more willing to cede ground, but he should be able to take this as the better athlete and more potent striker. Even so, Rojo should be able to join other Jourdain opponents in having his own moments of effectiveness. The pick is Jourdain via decision.

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