Heavyweights
Justin Tafa (5-3, 2-3 UFC) vs. Parker Porter (12-7, 3-2 UFC)It has been an interesting path so far for Tafa. A Mark Hunt protege, Tafa was ridiculously raw upon getting the UFC call in 2019. His three previous fights were all wild affairs, a trend that continued with his first two UFC fights—a knockout loss to Yorgan De Castro and a knockout win over Juan Adams. Then surprisingly, 2021 seemingly saw Tafa overcorrect his issues. It was impressive in a way to see him go from quick knockout artist to consistent three-round fighter, but he badly needed to find a second gear in losses to Carlos Felipe and Jared Vanderaa that “Bad Man” easily could have won with a bit more offense. However, Tafa’s last win did serve as a reminder of the ridiculous power he can bring to the table. He was expected to run over Harry Hunsucker but managed to score a knockout on a kick that his counterpart seemed to have completely blocked. Tafa is still just 29, so he has years left to work things out as a heavyweight. Perhaps he will show some progress here. Porter’s late-notice signing in 2020 was a pleasant surprise, as the Connecticut native had spent nearly 13 years on the regional scene and did not seem poised for a call-up. Porter has a solid approach built around well-rounded pressure but figured to have neither the durability nor physicality to hang for long at the UFC level—a read that was seemingly confirmed by his UFC debut ending in a quick loss to Chris Daukaus. However, Porter has since settled in as a solid gatekeeper, grinding out three wins over the lower reaches of the heavyweight division before running into Jailton Almeida in 2022. There is a chance for Porter to get another ugly win if Tafa puts in another flat performance. With that said, the American historically has not held up against knockout artists at Tafa’s level, and his typical style means he will likely find himself charging into the Aussie’s offense. The pick is Tafa via first-round knockout.
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Makhachev vs. Volkanovski
Rodriguez vs. Emmett
Della Maddalena vs. Brown
Tafa vs. Porter
Crute vs. Menifield
The Prelims