Preview: UFC Fight Night 243 ‘Moicano vs. St. Denis’

Featherweights

Joanderson Brito (17-3-1, 5-1 UFC) vs. William Gomis (13-2, 3-0 UFC)

ODDS: Brito (-270), Gomis (+220)

As expected for a card in France, Gomis gets a big opportunity on home soil. “Jaguar” has put together three wins in the UFC thus far—with two of those coming as part of the UFC’s previous trips to Paris—but he has yet to have what feels like a true breakout, in part thanks to his frustrating style. Blessed with speed and a long reach, Gomis looks to leverage his physical tools into forcing his opponents into a slow-paced fight. He’s content to stay at range and peck away at his opponents, and failing that, he fights behind a grimy clinch and wrestling game. That has worked thus far, even if it hasn’t added much to the Frenchman’s highlight reel. Neutralizing Brito figures to be a tougher proposition.

Brito earned his UFC contract with a win over Diego Lopes that has aged extremely well, and “Tubarao” has also looked excellent since dropping his UFC debut to Bill Algeo, as the Brazilian has now strung together five straight finishes. Brito is an explosive athlete and a wildman by nature, but his last two wins in particular have shown there’s some craft behind that façade. He managed to bust out a ninja choke submission while otherwise getting outwrestled by Jonathan Pearce, and he was content to chop apart Jack Shore’s leg with kicks until a cut stoppage ended the fight. The loss to Algeo and the majority of the Pearce fight suggest the best path to beating Brito is to outwrestle and slow him down, which certainly lines up with parts of Gomis’s approach—at least those the Frenchman prefers to use as a safety valve. However, Brito is physical enough that Gomis might not be able to bank on extended periods of control, and there’s a solid chance that the fight doesn’t get that far. Gomis will probably try to outmaneuver Brito on the feet for most of this fight, and the call is that the Brazilian is explosive enough to track him down and eventually cause a whole lot of damage. The pick is Brito via second-round submission.

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Carneiro vs. St. Denis
Imavov vs. Allen
Brito vs. Gomis
Battle vs. Jousset
Charriere vs. Miranda
Ziam vs. Frevola
The Prelims