Bantamweights
Davey Grant (14-6, 5-5 UFC) vs. Raphael Assuncao (28-9, 12-6 UFC)It was nice to see Assuncao turn back the clock in his last outing. Perhaps he can keep that up. Assuncao is on the shortlist of the most underrated fighters of all-time, given that he was one of the best bantamweights of the 2010s while never getting much notice. For one thing, Assuncao’s style was only exciting to viewers on a certain wavelength, as the Brazilian built his approach around defensive mindfulness and powerful counters that mostly served to neutralize his opponents. It made Assuncao a decision machine that the UFC was reticent to feature, but by late 2014, he had put together too many wins to be ignored, at which point he suffered a rash of injuries that cost him the most prominent fights of his career, including what figured to be a title shot against then-champion Renan Barao. Assuncao looked rusty upon his return against T.J. Dillashaw—a man who had won and lost the title during Assuncao’s injury layoff—and while he eventually recaptured most of his top-level form, that one result effectively closed the door on his championship hopes. A 2019 loss to Marlon Moraes started a distressing four-fight slide for Assuncao, whose low-margin style had clearly turned against him, so his October win over Victor Henry was a pleasant surprise. Against an opponent who had impressed with pace and volume in his last outing, Assuncao took one more opportunity to shut down and neutralize a rising contender. Now 40, the hope is that Assuncao can continue to find some footing before he rides off into the sunset, and he gets a fun piece of matchmaking here against Grant. There was a point in Grant’s career where he figured to be little more than a footnote at the UFC level. The Brit was a runner-up on “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2013, then spent the better part of five years on the shelf due to a cascade of injuries. Since finally getting healthy enough to keep an active schedule from 2018 on, “Dangerous Davey” has proven himself to be both an entertaining and effective fighter. His striking might not be technically pretty, but he carries enough looping power to catch opponents off-guard and can back it up with some solid skills on the mat. Grant certainly leaves enough defensive openings for Assuncao to land offense at will, but the Englishman enters as the rightful favorite. He is aggressive enough that it is not a guarantee he will be discouraged, and while Assuncao looked closer to his old self against Henry, there is still the concern that his durability may not hold up against heavier hitters at this point. The pick is Grant via second-round knockout.
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Grant vs. Assuncao
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