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

Featherweights

Sean Woodson (7-0) vs. Julian Erosa (22-8)

ODDS: Woodson (-370), Nelson (+305)

Through the first six and a half minutes of his fight on Dana White’s Contender Series, Woodson did not look like a UFC-level fighter. A lanky kickboxer, Woodson found himself getting taken down and controlled on the mat for the majority of his bout against Terrance McKinney, but he eventually got to his feet, uncorked a brutal flying knee for a knockout and suddenly found himself in possession of a UFC contract. With that context, his proper UFC debut was a pleasant surprise. Woodson showed much-improved takedown defense against Kyle Bochniak, and by the end of the fight, “The Sniper” was using his reedy frame to pick apart the tough Bostonian. Woodson looks to follow up that strong effort against a late replacement in Erosa, whose return to the UFC marks his third stint with the promotion. Erosa is well-established as a Quadruple-A fighter at this point, as his style has been quite successful on the regional scene only to see him struggle against UFC-level competition. Erosa is a mobile and active striker, but he relies on his movement to serve as his defense; and against his best opposition, Erosa just is not fast enough to move out of the way and usually winds up getting knocked out in the process. Woodson has the power to make that happen. The pick is Woodson via first-round knockout.

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