Preview: UFC 292 Prelims

‘The Ultimate Fighter 31’ Lightweight Final

Austin Hubbard (15-6, 3-4 UFC) vs. Kurt Holobaugh (19-7, 0-4 UFC)

ODDS: Hubbard (-170), Holobaugh (+142)

The veterans-versus-prospects format on “The Ultimate Fighter 31” was a bit of a bust in terms of the season—the prospects earned all of one quarterfinal win—but the end result does mean some interesting fights between fighters ready to compete at a UFC level. It was both surprising and unsurprising when the UFC parted ways with Hubbard back in 2021, as “Thud” had proven himself able to hang in the promotion while also never gaining much momentum. A solidly well-rounded fighter with little in the way of finishing ability, it felt about right that Hubbard managed to alternate wins and losses during the entirety of his seven-fight UFC run. Hubbard has continued his march of unspectacular competence on the regional scene and reality television to work his way back, and he looks to punch his permanent ticket back to the UFC against Holobaugh. This marks Holobaugh’s third stint in the UFC, as the Louisianian is one of the better fighters to find his way to the promotion without actually picking up a win. Holobaugh’s first UFC run only lasted one fight, as he came over in the Strikeforce sale and was cut after losing a barnburner to Steven Siler back in 2013, but he eventually made it back to the organization by earning a contract on the very first episode of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017. Holobaugh continued his reputation for entertainment in his three-fight run but lost every fight against what turned out to be a deceptively strong slate of competition: Raoni Barcelos, Shane Burgos and Thiago Moises have all proven to be better than expected in the time since they defeated him. The book remains the same as ever on Holobaugh, as his offensive potency and constant aggression can lead him into both plenty of success and a ton of trouble. It makes for an intriguing pairing against Hubbard, who does not have much in the way of clear weaknesses but is unlikely to find the kind of finish that has marked most of Holobaugh’s recent losses. Hubbard could just grind this out with his wrestling, but the bet is that Holobaugh’s aggressive grappling is enough to work his way back to his feet as needed and that he can pour on enough volume to take this fight to finally earn his first win in the Octagon. The pick is Holobaugh via decision.

Jump To »
Tavares vs. Weidman
Rodrigues vs. Tiuliulin
Hubbard vs. Holobaugh
Katona vs. Gibson
Petroski vs. Meerschaert
Silva vs. Lee
Silva vs. Moroz