Preview: UFC Fight Night 181 Prelims

Welterweights

Jason Witt (17-6) vs. Cole Williams (11-2)

ODDS: Witt (-140), Williams (+120)

These two Midwesterners each stepped up on late notice for their UFC debuts, and one of them will be rewarded with a win. Williams has had an odd career. He put together a solid resume in his native Iowa before a 2013 stint on Bellator MMA’s lone season of “Fight Master,” where he advanced to the tournament’s Final Four. Normally, that would portend bigger and better things, but for some reason, that never happened to Williams, who instead just returned to Iowa and fought about once a year, often running over overmatched competition. In those fights, Williams seemed to have a distaste for when things would turn against him, but to his credit, he seemingly gave it his all in his UFC debut—a 2019 loss to Claudio Silva in which Williams just was not able to get much done. He will take on Missouri’s Witt, who made his late-notice debut in June against Takashi Sato. In what seems to be a first, Witt’s debut was of such a short-notice nature that the UFC had to move his fight up to the main card as it waited for his medical testing to come back. Witt has a clear and simple approach, moving forward with power punches and takedowns, but his lack of defense provided a huge opening for Sato’s precise striking and got him knocked out in just 48 seconds. Witt is the more powerful and aggressive fighter of these two, which may be enough to shock and finish Williams. However, if Williams can mentally adjust and settle into a rhythm, he should be able to pick apart Witt without much issue. Witt’s aggression may make this a strangely entertaining fight, but the pick is Williams via decision.

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