Welterweights
Alan Jouban (16-6) vs. Dwight Grant (9-2)Advertisement
It will be interesting to see how Jouban looks after the first long injury layoff of his career. Since debuting in 2014, Jouban has carved out a niche as an elite action fighter; despite his model good looks, Jouban is a special kind of Louisiana crazy, relying on his chin and his recovery ability to see him through war after war. Against his toughest opposition, Jouban has fallen a bit short -- Albert Tumenov ate him alive, while Gunnar Nelson was too quick and precise -- and a surprising flash knockout loss to Niko Price in 2017 had some worried that Jouban was primed for a sudden decline. As it turns out, Price has ridiculous natural power, so the combination of that knowledge and the fact that Jouban went on to win another war over Ben Saunders assuaged some of those concerns. There is the concern that the wheels could fall off for Jouban at any moment, as he has been out of action for over a year due to a neck injury; and having gotten a late start in MMA, he is already 37 years old. For now, Jouban is still able to take on whatever challenge is in front of him, and this time around, it is Grant.
Grant is part of one of the most recent floods of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series alums, but if nothing else, he is making a name for himself through sheer activity, as this marks his third UFC fight since December. Grant fits right into the usual mold of being a dynamic knockout artist, though he is more patient than a lot of his fellow newcomers. In fact, he is often measured to a fault: He gave away his debut against Zak Ottow through sheer inactivity and was probably losing a slow first round against Carlo Pedersoli Jr. before hitting a highlight-reel knockout. Already 34, Grant is old for a prospect, so a big win here over Jouban would do a ton to make up for lost time, though at the pace he is going, the American Kickboxing Academy export will have another shot at a win by June.
This encounter should have its moments, simply because Jouban cannot help but be in fun fights, but this is the type of opportunity where it would be nice if Grant brought more to the table. Jouban can still be lured into a brawl, but against opponents like Mike Perry, he has done a good job of staying patient and staying out of danger, which should serve him well here. Grant has the type of power to put Jouban out, but he just has not shown the aggression against better competition to force that into happening. Grant may score a knockout over the course of the fight thanks to his length and opportunism, but if he could not uncork something against Ottow, it is easy to see Jouban having similar success and then some. The pick is Jouban via decision.
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