Preview: UFC Fight Night 148 ‘Thompson vs. Pettis’
Makdessi vs. Pineda
Lightweights
John Makdessi (16-6) vs. Jesus Pinedo (16-4-1)Advertisement
He has teased retirement in the last few years, but Makdessi can still crack. He made his much-hyped UFC debut in 2010 and immediately got to showing off his flashy karate-based skills, throwing all manner of spinning strikes that included a memorable spinning backfist knockout of Kyle Watson. Makdessi never quite reached the heights that his early wins suggested -- wrestling in particular proved to be a bugaboo -- but “The Bull” eventually found his niche as a mid-tier action fighter, as the UFC thankfully realized what it had at its disposal and kept putting him in fun fights. A rough 2015-16 run in which Makdessi lost three of four fights started that retirement talk, but after a rebound win over Abel Trujillo and an absolute war against Ross Pearson, Makdessi has given his career some new momentum.
This was initially supposed to be Makdessi serving as a test for Nasrat Haqparast, but with the prospect out of commission, “The Bull” now faces Jesus Pinedo, who also lost his opponent for this card. Pinedo is not particularly interesting himself, but he is emblematic of a burgeoning Peruvian scene. As the UFC has focused more on South America outside of Brazil, it has been Peru that has managed to send the most talent to the Octagon. His countrymen have generally done better than expected upon making it to the big time, and there is some potential that Pinedo can do the same. His pre-UFC fights mostly devolved into trashy brawls, and while beating Devin Powell is no great shakes, Pinedo still showed some measured competence that was not present in his previous outings. Still, this might be a tough ask.
This should be an exciting scrap, but unless Pinedo has improved greatly since November, this is Makdessi’s fight to lose. Pinedo does not offer much wrestling, and in a purely standup fight, Makdessi should be able to win shot for shot. When in trouble, Pinedo tends to start swinging like a madman, which is unlikely to scare off Makdessi and might just get him picked apart. Pinedo should be game, but the pick is Makdessi via second-round knockout.
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