Preview: UFC Vegas 102 Prelims

Lightweights

Jared Gordon (20-7, 8-6 UFC) vs. Mashrabjon Ruziboev (19-4-1, 0-0 UFC)

ODDS: Hill (-112), Souza (-108)

Gordon has done well to adjust over the course of his UFC career, even if “Flash” hasn’t lived up to the considerable hype heading into his debut. Gordon was at his best as a pressuring featherweight on the regional scene, but he struggled to make 145 pounds while being unable to absorb strikes from the harder hitters in the lightweight division. That led to a combination of uninspiring wins and frustrating losses for a few years, but Gordon seemingly finally found a balance circa 2021, developing a crafty boxing game that allowed him to stay out of danger but still permitted him to pick his spots as a wrestler. Unfortunately for Gordon, his main issue now has been running into an athletic ceiling. While he’s no longer getting knocked out, opponents willing to hit hard and stick to a game plan have been able to eke out some controversial decisions against the New Yorker, namely Paddy Pimblett in 2022 and Nasrat Haqparast in Gordon’s most recent fight in June. That probably won’t be an issue against a late-notice replacement and UFC newcomer in Ruziboev, who has rarely seen the final horn.

Ruziboev has taken a similar path to the UFC in running over a questionable level of competition. The younger brother of UFC welterweight Nursulton Ruziboev, “Black Junior” comes out swinging with wild power, and that has typically been enough to score quick wins on the regional scene. On the rare occasions that Ruziboev’s fights go any length of time, he does a solid enough job of continuing to wrestle while both he and his opponent are exhausted, but that doesn’t look like it will carry forward with this massive jump in competition. As long as Gordon doesn’t get melted immediately, he should be able to coast this out and drown Ruziboev over time. The pick is Gordon via second-round stoppage.

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Hill vs. Souza
Gordon vs. Ruziboev
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