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Featherweights
NR | Ryan Hall (8-2, 4-1 UFC) vs. NR | Darrick Minner (26-12, 2-2 UFC)ODDS: Hall (-200), Minner (+170)
Hall seems to be one of the more polarizing fighters on the roster, as he has adapted his submission game to mixed martial arts in a style all his own. “The Wizard” circles and does the bare minimum of striking needed until he starts rolling for scrambles and leglocks. It is a neutralizing game that looks absolutely bizarre until it works in spectacular fashion, which it did through four UFC appearances, but Hall was eventually matched with top prospect Ilia Topuria and was easily defeated. Topuria fought with just enough caution to pick his spots and absolutely obliterate Hall whenever possible, earning a first-round knockout. The UFC has decided to keep Hall around, and he makes the shortest turnaround of his UFC career to take on Minner. A longtime regional veteran before getting the UFC call in early 2020, Minner also developed an outside-the-box approach, completely selling out his gas tank in the hopes that he could blitz his opponent for a knockout or clamp on a submission shortly thereafter. That was the story through his first two UFC assignments: a second-round loss followed up by a quick win. A decision victory over Charles Rosa in February was reason for hope that Minner had figured out how to be effective over 15 minutes. However, with his July loss to Darren Elkins, it was more of the same as he mostly got handled in a one-sided grind. Hall seems like a particularly rough rebound fight, as Minner does not have the sharp striking that allowed Topuria to balance offensive effectiveness with staying out of danger. If Minner tries to conserve his gas tank, Hall can probably win an interminable striking match by picking him apart from range. Hall should be able to initiate grappling exchanges, and as the more effective submission artist with the better gas tank, that should be enough to win even if Minner survives until the scorecards. The pick is Hall via second-round submission.
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