Lightweights
Evan Elder (7-2, 0-2 UFC) vs. Genaro Valdez (10-2, 0-2 UFC)This should be a fun scrap with high stakes for all involved. Both men have improved during their time on the UFC roster, but they continue to look for their first UFC win. If nothing else, Valdez’s UFC campaign promised excitement based on his fight on Dana White’s Contender Series. “Rayadito” was riding a wave of quick finishes in his native Mexico heading into the bout, and he kept up that pace by scoring a second-round knockout of Patrik White in a back-and-forth, all-out brawl. Valdez’s UFC debut was another bit of madness, as he traded high-powered offense with Matt Frevola before getting finished in the first round. He finally tamped things down a bit in his December fight against Natan Levy, and while Valdez walked away with another loss, it was another entertaining bout that at least saw him make it to the final horn. Valdez looks to finally combine violence with positive results against Elder, who looks to rebound from a hard-luck loss in February. Elder showed some raw potential on the regional scene with some solid fundamentals, but he was very much the type of prospect who could have used some seasoning before getting the UFC call. He also was not put in a particularly easy spot in his late-notice debut, moving up to welterweight and getting firmly outwrestled by Preston Parsons. However, he put together a much more complete performance in an excellent scrap against Nazim Sadykhov in February and was seemingly on his way to a decision win until a cut stoppage suddenly ended the fight in Azerbaijani’s favor. Valdez could certainly make some hay here through aggression, but Elder reads as having both the athleticism advantage and more options to mix things up in the form of his wrestling—a skill that has somewhat abandoned the Entram Gym rep with the move up against better competition. This figures to be one of the better fights of the night. The pick is Elder via decision.
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