Middleweights
Jun Yong Park (13-5, 3-2 UFC) vs. Eryk Anders (14-6, 6-6 UFC)There are few talents more frustrating than Anders. He had a solid start to his UFC career in 2017, knocking out Rafael Natal and grinding out a win over Markus Perez, but quickly found himself in over his head. Anders is a former linebacker at the University of Alabama who won a national championship with the Crimson Tide, and the UFC decided to capitalize on his built-in following and rush him into main events against Lyoto Machida and Thiago Santos. His career thus far has been marked by big swings in his level of competition as well as his level of performance, though his potential is obviously there. Even at 35 years old, Anders is still a standout athlete with an impressive level of durability. However, with Anders having to figure things out on the job, he prefers a slow pace that often utilizes his physical tools to neutralize his opponents; yet he still has the occasional bursts of impressive violence that tantalize in terms of what Anders could put together with some more applied aggression. After a quick armbar loss to Andre Muniz to cap 2021, Anders looks to kick off his 2022 campaign with a rebound win against Park. Korea’s Park is a fun fighter who has adapted well at the UFC level. Initially mostly a counter-heavy striker, “The Iron Turtle” quickly realized he would need to develop some other gameplans, eventually mixing in a control-based wrestling game to grind things out against dangerous strikers. However, as his last fight showed, he is still more than willing to throw down if the situation demands it. While it quickly got swept away in the tide of the UFC’s loaded schedule, his October loss to Gregory Rodrigues was a complete war for as long as it lasted. As with most Anders fights, there is a chance that “Ya Boi” can just rely on his physicality to bully Park, particularly if the Korean fighter pursues his wrestling. While Park has been able to get the jump on taking some opponents to the mat, he is not particularly strong in terms of wrestling defense. With that said, if Anders is willing to consent to his usual slow-paced striking match, Park should be able to mildly outpace him in a middling affair. The pick is Park via decision.
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Holm vs. Vieira
Pereira vs. Ponzinibbio
Njokuani vs. Todorovic
Ricci vs. Viana
Park vs. Anders
The Prelims