Preview: UFC on ESPN 49 ‘Holm vs. Bueno Silva’

Lightweights

Francisco Prado (11-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. Ottman Azaitar (13-1, 2-1 UFC)

ODDS: Prado (-120), Azaitar (+100)

It has been a strange few years for Azaitar. Born in Germany and representing Morocco, “Bulldozer” was one of the better prospects in the Middle East when the UFC picked him up in 2019. Azaitar was a bit of an odd case, not reading as an imposing force or technical mastermind, but people dropped like a sack of potatoes when he hit them; and he kept that streak up in the UFC, knocking out Teemu Packalen and Khama Worthy quickly in his first two trips to the Octagon. Then things came screeching to a halt. Azaitar was briefly released from the UFC after he violated COVID-19 protocols ahead of a fight in the United Arab Emirates, and he remained inactive until his November bout against Matt Frevola nearly two years later. The fight was the one-round war everyone expected, but this time, it was Azaitar who found himself suddenly knocked out, ending his undefeated record and putting him in need of a rebound against Prado. Freshly turned 21, Argentina’s Prado is still all unrealized potential at this point. Opponents on the Argentinian regional scene had little answer for Prado’s bruising physicality, and while his UFC debut against Jamie Mullarkey resulted in a one-sided loss, surviving and refusing to fold in a fight where little went right is at least a promising sign that he can make it through some tough times once he gains some more experience. That also makes this fight a total coinflip if it goes past the first round. Azaitar has traditionally carried his power into later rounds the few times he has had to, but Prado surviving early would be a good sign for him late. With that said, the easiest read to make is that Prado has yet to march into someone with Azaitar’s power. The pick is Azaitar via first-round knockout.

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Holm vs. Bueno Silva
Park vs. Duraev
Dumont vs. Chandler
Prado vs. Azaitar
Sadykhov vs. McKinney
The Prelims