Bantamweights
NR | Timur Valiev (18-2, 2-0 UFC) vs. NR | Jack Shore (15-0, 4-0 UFC)This bantamweight battle stands out as one of the best fights on the card. A top prospect out of Wales, Shore has had a clean rise on the UFC ladder thus far, owing to a poise beyond his 27 years of age. His game is just particularly well put together, with pressure and a powerful striking attack leading into the wrestling and grappling that has found him the greatest success. Once Shore is able to lock horns with his opponents, he has mostly lived up to his “Tank” nickname. The Welshman is a large bantamweight and appears to be an absolute powerhouse, though Hunter Azure—a talented wrestler in his own right—was physical enough to give Shore his closest approximation to a tough win thus far. Shore has firmly set himself up for a long and successful career, but this is where the rubber starts meeting the road in terms of championship upside, as he gets his toughest test yet in Valiev. Russia’s Valiev was considered one of the top prospects outside the UFC when he made his August 2020 debut, which made the result all the more stunning. After Valiev scored a near-knockout in the first round, Trevin Jones was able to catch him in the second round and score the massive upset. However, Valiev rebounded with a strong 2021 campaign, leaning on his wrestling against Martin Day before earning an impressive win over Raoni Barcelos to recapture most of his hype. Valiev has roughly the opposite approach as Shore. “Lucky” is a standout athlete who mostly tries to stay elusive and flow with the fight, picking out single techniques to throw from range. It is an approach that rarely puts Valiev in complete control of a fight, but his combination of speed and power is impressive enough that the Russian is able to make it work. Win or lose, this figures to be a frustrating fight for Shore as the slower fighter, as he will likely spend a lot of time trying to track Valiev down. This also figures to be a close fight, no matter the shape it takes. If Shore is able to lock up with Valiev, the ensuing wrestling exchanges are a coinflip; and Shore’s size and power figure to close the striking gap, even if Valiev controls the shape of the fight on the feet. The bet is that Valiev has strong enough takedown defense to keep this fight standing and throws enough volume to stay ahead on the scorecards, even if this has grimy split verdict written all over it. The pick is Valiev via decision.
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