Preview: UFC on ESPN 12 ‘Poirier vs. Hooker’ Prelims

Heavyweights

Philipe Lins (14-4) vs. Tanner Boser (17-6-1)

ODDS: Lins (-115), Boser (-105)

Lins’ UFC debut was certainly a disappointment. After winning the Professional Fighters League’s heavyweight tournament in 2018 with a string of finishes, there was some hope that the Brazilian could make an impact upon hitting the Octagon. However, he did not do much against Andrei Arlovski. Lins showed he could crack a bit, but Arlovski just did not go away and managed to fight at a faster pace. Lins gets a relatively quick turnaround here in an attempt to get that bad taste out of his mouth, as six and a half weeks later he takes on Boser—a strange fighter for a heavyweight. He is tough, but he has an absolute lack of power, relying on a range striking game to pick apart and frustrate his opponents. It rarely impresses, but it also keeps Boser out of danger enough to wear out flawed foe after flawed foe. Boser looks like the type of fighter who had a bunch of narrow regional wins but can present some problems against the vast swath of the heavyweight division. He was dominated by Ciryl Gane, but Lins does not have anywhere near the level of craft and speed to do so here. Still, in what figures to be a slog, the Brazilian figures to hit the harder shots. The pick is for Lins to take a close and ugly decision.

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