Given that UFC Fight Night 218 was initially slated to take place in South Korea, it is unsurprising that this seven-fight undercard has a distinct Asian flavor. Driving that point home, the top four prelims serve as the finals of the “Road to UFC” tournament focusing on Asian talent, with South Korea, Japan, China, India and Indonesia all being represented on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Beyond that, there are some interesting fights to open the festivities. Japanese flyweight Tatsuro Taira might be the highest-upside prospect on this entire card, and a middleweight clash between Jun Yong Park and Denis Tiuliulin matches two fighters who always bring the action.
Lightweights
Jeka Asparido Saragih (13-2, 0-0 UFC) vs. Anshul Jubli (6-0, 0-0 UFC)ODDS: Jubli (-110), Saragih (-110)
The lightweight “Road to UFC” final should be a fun one and features fighters from two underrepresented countries. Saragih makes history here as the first Indonesian fighter on a UFC card, and he was one of the breakout performers of the tournament. Saragih brought the violence, landing a spinning backfist to finish his quarterfinal fight and following it up with a sickeningly loud knockout of Won Bin Ki. With the usual caveats of his coming off a thin regional scene, Saragih does have a lot of tools to work with beyond his finishing power, and he gets an interesting test against Jubli. The UFC’s second fighter out of India, Jubli was an afterthought after the quarterfinal round, automatically advancing thanks to his opponent’s weight cut issues. However, the “King of Lions” made his lone performance in the tournament count, putting together an impressive decision win over Kyung Pyo Kim on the back of some stellar pressure striking and durability. Saragih can cede pressure and look to counter his opponent, so Jubli certainly has a path to success in this fight, but the Indonesian should be a much more diverse and willing striker than Kim and find a path to success. Even if Jubli proves durable enough to keep absorbing damage, Saragih should land the more effective offense over the course of three rounds. The pick is Saragih via second-round knockout.
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Saragih vs. Jubli
Lee vs. Yi
Nakamura vs. Kazama
Park vs. Choi
Kim vs. Bohm
Park vs. Tiuliulin
Taira vs. Aguilar