Preview: UFC Fight Night 196 Prelims

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Middleweights

NR | Laureano Staropoli (9-4, 2-3 UFC) vs. NR | Jamie Pickett (11-6, 0-2 UFC)

ODDS: Staropoli (-240), Pickett (+200)

Perhaps the third time will be the charm for Pickett once again. Pickett first got on the Zuffa radar in 2017, when he competed on the very first episode of Dana White’s Contender Series, losing quickly to Charles Byrd via submission. However, Pickett kept coming back, dropping a decision to Punahele Soriano in 2019 before finally earning a UFC contract in his third try, scoring a win over Jhonoven Pati in August 2020. That win over Pati summed up the Pickett experience. He can be frustratingly hesitant to pull the trigger, but the results are typically impressive once he actually decides to burst into action. Tafon Nchukwi, an absolute beast at 185 pounds, was a difficult first assignment for Pickett in the UFC, but “The Nightwolf” did at least come out swinging against Jordan Wright in May, even if the result was a quick knockout loss. Pickett looks for his first UFC win in his third try against Staropoli, who is looking to break a skid of his own. Staropoli was initially signed ahead of a 2018 card in his native Argentina and did not appear ready to make much of an impact at the UFC level. Still, he won a fun war over Hector Aldana in his UFC debut, and a follow-up victory over Thiago Alves provided some hope that “Pepi” could be surprisingly successful in his Octagon career. Reality hit shortly thereafter. Staropoli’s style is built around pace and volume over accuracy, and he was handily outstruck by veterans Muslim Salikhov and Tim Means. His move up to middleweight against Roman Dolidze proved immensely frustrating, as Dolidze was content to grind out an interminable decision victory. The risks in this fight run both ways and mostly come down to how Pickett approaches this bout. If Pickett is his more typical patient self, Staropoli figures to easily take this on the scorecards through sheer activity. However, if Pickett comes out in more aggressive form, he should be able to hit the harder shots and take advantage of Staropoli’s quite suspect wrestling defense, particularly up at 185 pounds. Pickett pressed the action in his most recent fight, so the hope is that he continues that trend here. The pick is Pickett via decision.

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