Preview: UFC on ESPN 22 ‘Whittaker vs. Gastelum’

Heavyweights

NR | Andrei Arlovski (30-20, 19-14 UFC) vs. NR | Chase Sherman (15-6, 3-5 UFC)

ODDS: Arlovski (-175), Sherman (+150)

Still just 31 years old, it will be interesting to see if Sherman can make his way up the UFC’s heavyweight ladder in his second stint with the promotion. “The Vanilla Gorilla” showed some potential as an athlete upon signing with the UFC in 2016, but he eventually hit a clear plateau. While Sherman is fast and athletic for a heavyweight, he is not much of a power puncher per UFC standards. When combined with his lack of defense, that essentially gave opponents an invitation to tee off on Sherman, even if he did prove to be quite durable in the process. Sherman’s resume in between stints was not particularly amazing, but he found himself back in the fold near the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, looking sharper offensively in his return fight and earning a second-round knockout of Isaac Villanueva. Nearly a year later, he will look to build on that momentum against Arlovski, who steps in as a late replacement. It has now been a decade since Arlovski’s chin seemed to be too much of a liability for him to continue fighting, but the former UFC heavyweight champion fought his way back to contender status and has settled in as a solid gatekeeper over the last few years. Some opponents have still been able to rush Arlovski and crack him, but most fights see “The Pit Bull” engaging his opponents in a slow-paced striking matchup. This fight figures to be the latter, and while that is usually a recipe for Arlovski to slowly outfox a less experienced opponent, Sherman might be just above the level needed to take a decision from him, thanks to his combination of a large frame, above-average athleticism and a willingness to throw volume. It still does not figure to be pretty and should wind up contentious on the scorecards, but the pick is Sherman via decision.

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