Lightweights
Steve Garcia (12-4, 1-1 UFC) vs. Maheshate Hayisaer (6-1, 0-0 UFC)ODDS: Garcia (-180), Hayisaer (+155)
This should be an engaging encounter between a high-upside prospect and an underrated veteran each looking to carve out their own niche. The 2021 edition of Dana White’s Contender Series was not particularly kind to the Chinese prospects who were featured, but Hayisaer was a clear bright spot in the final fight of the season. Hayisaer did not come to the show with any sort of strong resume, as his prospect status was mostly thanks to youth and physical talent, but he showed out as a major underdog to Achilles Estremadura, using his size and power to dictate the terms of the bout in a clear decision win. There is still a lot for Hayisaer to work on, particularly on the defensive end, but there is certainly plenty of potential for him going forward; and he gets an interesting matchup here. Garcia had his own impressive performance on DWCS back in 2019 but was essentially disqualified from earning a contract due to missing weight. That bout was at 135 pounds, and looking back, it is unclear exactly how “Mean Machine” managed to make that weight for most of his career. Even now that he is at lightweight, he still has a large frame for his division. When given the opportunity, Garcia has a particularly exciting fight style built around swamping his opponent with pressure and volume, all while being completely open to eat whatever his opponent decides to throw back. It works due to Garcia’s impressive level of durability thus far, but he does still deal with some thin margins. He is not much of an athlete, and his finishing ability is built more around volume and attrition than any sort of one-shot power. Garcia will certainly give Hayisaer the opportunities to end this fight in one blow, which would be an impressive bit of business for the Chinese newcomer. However, this is also a big step up in competition for Hayisaer. While Estremadura is a solid fighter in his own right, Garcia’s size and unchecked aggression is an entirely new challenge compared to what Hayisaer had faced thus far. This might be the best fight of the night up until it is over. The pick is Garcia via second-round stoppage.
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Garcia vs. Hayisaer
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