Preview: UFC 253 ‘Adesanya vs. Costa’ Prelims

Light Heavyweights

Aleksa Camur (6-0) vs. William Knight (8-1)

ODDS: Camur (-170), Knight (+150)

This is a fascinating bout. Both men are talented light heavyweight prospects, but they are more interesting for what they could be than what they are right now. A teammate of Stipe Miocic, Camur rode some quick knockouts onto Dana White’s Contender Series, where he had a slightly worrying fight against Fabio Cherant. Faced with his best opponent to date, Camur did not show much until a sudden flying knee turned the tide of the bout and led him to victory. That earned him a contract, and his UFC debut resulted in a solid win over Justin Ledet. Camur managed to show the combination of power and fluidity in his striking that makes him a prospect to watch, but at the same time, he tired late, reminding everyone that he is a raw prospect still working out a consistent approach. That is also true of Knight, a two-time DWCS competitor who finally earned a contract earlier this month. Knight is an obvious physical specimen, but he has yet to truly leverage those gifts into something coherent—understandable, given that the “Knightmare” started his pro career in early 2018. There is a power and danger to everything Knight does, but he struggles to stay aggressive and usually has to rely on his opponent putting himself in danger before he can take advantage. With that said, Knight has been able to blast eight out of his nine opponents, and Camur has not yet shown the type of craft that can keep him from getting hit hard over the course of 15 minutes. This could be a bit of a mess, but the pick is Knight via second-round knockout.

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