Preview: UFC Fight Night 72 ‘Bisping vs. Leites’

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WELTERWEIGHTS

Leon Edwards (9-2, 1-1 UFC) vs. Pawel Pawlak (11-1, 1-1 UFC)

THE MATCHUP: England’s Edwards is a talented prospect on the rise, and he looks to build on an eight-second knockout over Seth Baczynski against Poland’s Pawlak. The Pole has split his two UFC outings, dropping a decision to Peter Sobotta in his debut and winning one against Sheldon Westcott at April’s Krakow Fight Night. If Edwards can win emphatically, he will become a fighter to watch in the welterweight division.

The Englishman is a southpaw striker by trade. He prefers to work off the back foot, using smooth movement and clean angles to lure in opponents before jumping on them with vicious straight left-right hook-left uppercut combinations that he places around and through the guard. The only real problem with his striking repertoire is a lack of volume, as he focuses too much on landing the perfect shot instead of simply scoring. The rest of his game is good enough for the time being, with generally decent takedown defense and solid defensive grappling but little else.

From a skills perspective, Pawlak is solid everywhere but does not really stand out in any particular phase. He works behind a crisp jab and left hook, but he is too content to stand on the outside and throw single punches and kicks, and the lack of volume can lead to him giving away rounds. He is better in the clinch, with grinding control and slick takedowns, and, in general, he is a perfectly competent wrestler offensively and defensively. On the mat, Pawlak is strong from the top, passes well and has some pop in his ground strikes.

THE PICK: Unless Pawlak drags this to the ground, he will be in real trouble against a much more skilled and powerful striker, especially since the Pole does not throw the kind of volume that might trouble Edwards on the feet. The Englishman’s takedown defense is not impenetrable, but it should be good enough, especially if he can stay away from the fence. The pick is Edwards by decision.

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