Preview: UFC on ESPN 48 ‘Strickland vs. Magomedov’

Lightweights

Ismael Bonfim (19-3, 1-0 UFC) vs. Benoit St. Denis (10-1, 2-1 UFC)

ODDS: Bonfim (-295), St. Denis (+245)

Bonfim’s UFC debut was one of the highlights of the promotion’s return to Brazil in January. The book on him was that he was the steadier and less flashy of the two Bonfim brothers, which made it a pleasant surprise when he put away Terrance McKinney with a highlight-reel flying knee. Still only 27 years old, Bonfim has over a decade of experience as a pro, which comes through in his game. At this point, he is a rock-solid all-terrain fighter, showing some thudding power to go along with some capable grappling. All else being equal, it appears “Marreta” would like to keep things at a slow pace and pick apart his opponents, so there is the potential for someone to catch him by causing some chaos. McKinney was not able to do so, which leaves it to St. Denis to try. France’s St. Denis has some interesting upside as a powerful athlete with an often-unchecked level of aggression. Historically, St. Denis has put that mindset to good use as a relentless wrestler and grappler, but his September win over Gabriel Miranda in Paris also showed that he is willing to throw down with power and worry about the rest later. To his credit, St. Denis certainly appears to have the durability to get away with that gameplan. He made his late-notice UFC debut up at welterweight for a rough matchup against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and absorbed an inhuman amount of damage in the process. There is a chance that St. Denis can find a spectacular finish early, but Bonfim is both durable and defensively sound, so it seems likelier that the Brazilian can survive a hot start from his counterpart and work his way to a victory from there. The pick is Bonfim via decision.

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Strickland vs. Magomedov
Ismagulov vs. Dawson
Morales vs. Griffin
Gatto vs. Lipski
Bonfim vs. St. Denis
Ferreira vs. Ruziboev
The Prelims