Preview: UFC Fight Night 243 Prelims

Flyweights

Victor Altamirano (12-4, 2-3 UFC) vs. Daniel Barez (16-6, 0-1 UFC)

ODDS: Altamirano (-125), Barez (+105)

Spain’s Barez got his well-earned shot on the Contender Series in 2021, when he lost a nip-tuck decision to Carlos Hernandez. That suggested he would be back on the UFC roster in short order, so it felt quite overdue when he got the UFC call two years later. Barez has mostly run through overmatched competition on the regional scene, but he has managed to put together a game that’s still effective in the aggregate, pressuring with both strikes and takedowns while also having a surprising amount of pop in his hands for a flyweight. However, there are some things on the margins that could limit Barez’s success in the UFC. He can start to fade in the later goings of his fights, and his UFC debut against Jafel Filho suggested he will struggle to withstand stronger athletes, as the Brazilian suddenly turned around an impressive Barez performance to submit him within a round. Altamirano is an interesting next matchup for Barez, since the Mexican-born Texan is better than his UFC record would suggest while also being highly flawed. Altamirano has a lot of sneaky advantages with his cardio and durability, but his game is quite messy. “El Magnifico” doesn’t have a lot of what would be considered technical form to his offense, but he has constantly committed to trying to make things happen. A 2023 loss to Tim Elliott was an affirmation that Altamirano’s approach has a clear ceiling, but there’s a case he should be undefeated in the UFC otherwise, with his other losses coming via split decision in fights that most scored in his favor. Barez’s power makes this interesting, but that mix of durability and cardio does seem to be enough to give Altamirano the benefit of the doubt, even if this figures to be a close fight. The pick is Altamirano via decision.

Jump To »
Cutelaba vs. Erslan
Sy vs. Jung
Klein vs. Roberts
Lapilus vs. Morales
Perez vs. Zheleznyakova
Altamirano vs. Barez
Cavalcanti vs. Cornolle
Oki vs. Duncan