Lightweights
Michal Figlak (8-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. Austin Hubbard (15-7, 3-5 UFC)It is nice to see Hubbard stay in the UFC fold after losing the lightweight final on “The Ultimate Fighter” August, and “Thud” looks to pick up where he left off cutting the wheat from the chaff. Hubbard is a well-rounded fighter to a fault. A solid wrestler with a sound striking game, Hubbard can put in three hard rounds that sometimes overwhelm but rarely surprise his opponents. Hubbard’s first UFC stint drove that point home, as he alternated wins and losses through seven fights, and he won both of his fights handily upon his return to the regional scene. However, in a testament to Hubbard’s unspectacular competence, he continued his run as a decision machine. Hubbard got the call as part of the returning veteran cast on Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” winning two more decisions before losing to Kurt Holobaugh via submission—a trend that pops up from time to time in his career. Hubbard looks for the first win of his second UFC run against Figlak, a Polish prospect in a similar mold of unspectacular consistency.
Figlak has done a solid job of turning up the aggression throughout his career—even though, like Hubbard, he has not been much of a finisher beyond a certain level—but his UFC debut was a bit disheartening. It took a particularly strong performance from Fares Ziam, but the Frenchman did an impressive job of outmaneuvering Figlak and making his pressure game look fairly rudimentary. There is not a ton separating these fighters—the safest bet seems to be this going to a decision—but Hubbard looks a bit sharper on film, even if that never shakes out into a massive advantage. The pick is Hubbard via decision.
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