Lightweights
Trevor Peek (7-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Erick Gonzalez (14-7, 0-2 UFC)Gonzalez lobbied for a UFC shot before getting the late-notice call in 2021, and thus far, it has not gone exactly as planned for “The Ghost Pepper.” At the regional level, Gonzalez managed to make his hay as a fun scrapper who could mix in some wrestling to control his fights, but even then, he struggled against the better athletes on his resume. In the UFC, Gonzalez has not gotten many favors from the matchmakers. His late-notice debut came against Jim Miller, the craftiest veteran available and someone who wound up knocking out Gonzalez, and then, the UFC put him in position to get run over by an electric athlete in Terrance McKinney. Gonzalez is certainly able to pick up wins on the UFC roster, but it is unclear if he will actually get the chance. He gets his best opportunity yet against a promotional newcomer. Peek is still clearly on the raw side, as he had less than two years as a pro under his belt before winning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in September, but he definitely has some tools with which to work. He ran over most of his regional competition, and his DWCS win over Malik Lewis showed an impressive amount of durability and persistence, as Peek staged a comeback for a victory. There is a solid chance that Gonzalez can either take advantage of Peek’s lack of defense or simply wait for the UFC rookie to burn himself out. Still, Gonzalez does not particularly fight a risk-averse style and seems set to get cracked by some of Peek’s wild offense. The pick is Peek via first-round stoppage.
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Krylov vs. Spann
Muniz vs. Allen
Sakai vs. Mayes
Suarez vs. De La Rosa
Malott vs. Lainesse
Peek vs. Gonzalez
The Prelims