Heavyweights
Juan Adams (5-2) vs. Justin Tafa (3-1)ODDS: Adams (-240), Tafa (+200)
It may seem like an odd choice to have this fight this high up on the pay-per-view card, but there is some logic behind it.
The 28-year-old Adams is a Houston native and an interesting heavyweight prospect, but “The Kraken” also might need a win here to keep his spot on the UFC roster. Adams has some impressive physical gifts. Despite being absolutely gigantic, he is shockingly nimble on his feet and able to fight at a breakneck pace for heavyweight standards. However, thus far, he has been less than the sum of his parts. Arjan Singh Bhullar managed to take a close decision from him, and his last fight against Greg Hardy resulted in a failure of strategy, as Adams was stopped due to strikes while clinging to an unsuccessful takedown.
Adams will look to rebound against an Australian prospect who is even rawer. Tafa has gotten a bit more poised from fight to fight, but his plan basically boils down to throwing bombs and figuring out the rest later. He got absolutely nuked by Yorgan De Castro in his UFC debut, and frankly, he probably will not do much better here.
Adams is mostly insulated by his size rather than offering any sort of defense, so there is a chance Tafa can rush him early. However, Tafa does not appear to have much of a gas tank, and Adams’ wrestling should be a consistent failsafe. The pick is Adams via second-round stoppage.
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