Bantamweights
NR | Batgerel Danaa (10-2, 3-1 UFC) vs. NR | Chris Gutierrez (17-4-2, 5-1-1 UFC)It speaks to the depth of the bantamweight division that Gutierrez remains completely under the radar despite a six-fight unbeaten streak. Admittedly, part of that may be due to Gutierrez’s typically neutralizing style. By default, “El Guapo” is content to keep things at a slow pace and chop down foes, typically via his signature powerful leg kicks. Gutierrez can struggle a bit against better athletes who are just willing to bite down and pressure—he lost his UFC debut to Raoni Barcelos in one-sided fashion and dropped an overwhelming first round against Cody Durden in an eventual draw—but he is usually able to find his way back into the thick of the fight. There does seem to be the potential for Gutierrez to turn up the potency whenever he is so inclined; he has held his own in those messier bouts, and his 2020 win over Vince Morales sticks out as a particularly brutal performance in which Gutierrez leveraged those leg kicks into a stoppage victory. Gutierrez looks to keep his momentum going against Mongolia’s Danaa, who is riding his own impressive three-fight winning streak. After dropping a narrow decision in his UFC debut against Heili Alateng back in 2019, “Storm” has shown a much more concerted focus on aggression that has paid a ton of dividends, as he has ended his last three fights via first-round knockout, with his powerful left hook standing out as a particularly effective finishing technique. If Danaa can turn up the pressure even further than what he has done in the past, there is a chance he can find a knockout blow here. With that said, this does seem much likelier to be another fight where Gutierrez can neutralize his opposition. Gutierrez should be able to chop at Danaa’s legs and stay elusive, and without the Mongolian providing much of a wrestling threat, things figure to just get worse for him as the fight goes on. The pick is Gutierrez via decision.
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