Lightweights
Scott Holtzman (12-3) vs. Dong Hyun Ma (16-9-3)Advertisement
Holtzman has always been a fascinating prospect, if only because of his unique background. “Hot Sauce” entered MMA after a minor league hockey career, which has made his progression a mixed bag. On the one hand, Holtzman has impressively been able to pick up things and craft a well-rounded game, but on the other, his getting into the sport so late has prevented him from developing one true core competency while capping his upside due to his age. At UFC 229 in October, it looked like Holtzman might finally be turning the corner at age 35. His takedown defense looked on point against Alan Patrick Silva Alves, and Holtzman managed to show off every aspect of his powerful game before finishing with some brutal ground-and-pound. However, any momentum Holtzman had has been subsequently stalled by a grinding February loss to Nik Lentz, so now he looks to rebound against South Korea’s Ma.
Ma made his name with one of the best under-the-radar fights in UFC history -- an absolute war with Marco Polo Reyes that kicked off UFC 199 in style in 2016. Since then, Ma has not really looked to recapture that magic. The UFC has put him against some entertaining opponents, but Ma has instead been willing to slow things down and take a conservative approach to a win, whether it is in the clinch or using a range striking game. That did well against the shell of Takanori Gomi and some non-athlete Australians in Brendan O’Reilly and Damien Brown, but a quick loss to Devonte Smith in February raised some concerns about how Ma’s new style is going to play up a level. A win here would do a ton as a proof of concept.
Holtzman is always going to be hard to rely on, particularly since he himself has no one particular skill to rely on, but he should be able to take this fight. He is the much more willing fighter to take initiative, and if he pressures Ma, it is easy to see the Tennessee native landing the stronger strikes and managing to take over with his physical clinch game. There is a chance this turns into the longer Ma picking his opponent apart from range and forcing “Hot Sauce” to chase, but Holtzman should have enough physical and mental advantages to take a clear decision.
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