Preview: UFC on ESPN 47 ‘Vettori vs. Cannonier’

Lightweights

Manuel Torres (13-2, 1-0 UFC) vs. Nikolas Motta (13-4, 1-1 UFC)

ODDS: Torres (-180), Motta (+155)

Expects some violence with this one. Motta was on the fringes of a UFC call-up for years going back to a stint on “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” in 2015 and finally earned a contract via Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020. “Iron” has been worth the wait in terms of the level of entertainment he brings to the cage. Motta is a power puncher who can bring the heat for three rounds, though his approach does come with some clear drawbacks. He often gets locked in trying to counter his opponent, which can leave him open to eat some big moments of offense himself, as was the case in his UFC debut against Jim Miller. However, Motta rebounded with a brutal knockout of Cameron VanCamp in September and looks to pick up where he left off. Torres has only made it past the first round once in his career, win or lose, which about tells the story for Mexico’s “El Loco.” On the regional scene, he had enough of a grappling advantage to mix things up, but he has been a pure knockout hunter in his DWCS win and subsequent UFC debut. This is a clear race to a finish that should be over in short order, with Torres getting the slightest of nods as the more immediately aggressive fighter. The pick is Torres via first-round knockout.

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Vettori vs. Cannonier
Tsarukyan vs. Silva
Duncan vs. Petrosyan
Sabatini vs. Almeida
Torres vs. Motta
Salikhov vs. Dalby
The Prelims