Featherweights
Bill Algeo (15-6, 2-2 UFC) vs. Herbert Burns (11-3, 2-1 UFC)It will be interesting to see how Burns looks after two years out of action. The younger brother of welterweight contender Gilbert Burns, “The Blaze” had an up and down 2020 campaign, to say the least. His first two UFC bouts, including his promotional debut against Nate Landwehr, kept up the Brazilian’s tendencies towards first-round finishes, but he hit a clear wall in a third effort against Daniel Pineda. Burns missed weight for the fight and put on a flat performance. He is usually all about his hot starts to begin with, but things quickly went downhill after Burns’ opening salvo of offense, as Pineda took over the fight and pounded out a finish in the second round. After his long layoff, Burns was initially slated to cut down to bantamweight in a shocking decision. However, with Burns and Algeo each losing their opponents on this card, he instead stays at featherweight for a late-notice assignment. Algeo is a fighter whose style works better in practice than on paper, as “Senor Perfecto” does not make much use of his long frame, instead focusing on pressure and pace while wading through a ton of damage. Algeo is not a standout athlete, so the whole package figures to hit a clear wall, but the Pennsylvanian has been durable and persistent enough to split his four fights in the UFC thus far despite some clear physical disadvantages. Algeo is more vulnerable to a submission than a knockout, so there is certainly a chance that his approach runs him right into a loss, given Burns’ talent on the mat. At this point, though, Algeo has shown enough to get the benefit of the doubt that—once again—he can escape some early trouble and outlast Burns down the stretch, particularly given the worrying nature of the Brazilian’s last performance. The pick is Algeo via third-round stoppage.
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Soriano vs. Lungiambula
Shore vs. Simon
Algeo vs. Burns
Jacoby vs. Jung
Grant vs. Stoltzfus
Ducote vs. Penne