Preview: UFC on ESPN 58 Prelims

Featherweights

Jeka Saragih (14-3, 1-1 UFC) vs. Westin Wilson (16-9, 0-2 UFC)

ODDS: Saragih (-345), Wilson (+275)

This one should be quick and violent. Expectations weren’t particularly high for Wilson ahead of his late-notice UFC debut in 2023, but he’s at least an entertaining veteran who earned his shot at the big time the hard way. A Stephen Thompson disciple, Wilson usually starts with that karate-based approach but without the elite athleticism that makes Thompson’s style truly effective. Wilson is usually willing and able to pivot his way into a sloppy brawl as soon as necessary. He can overwhelm some regional opponents and even find some success with an aggressive grappling game, but the UFC has seen fit to pair him with some hard hitters, with Wilson usually getting knocked out quickly once things start to kick into high gear. That’s also the dynamic here, as Saragih is almost exclusively a knockout artist at this level. The UFC’s first fighter out of Indonesia, Saragih failed to win the lightweight bracket of the first “Road to UFC” tournament but showed enough during the series—including a particularly brutal knockout of Won Bin Ki—for the UFC to keep him around. Saragih’s UFC debut went swimmingly, even if the Indonesian had to thread the proverbial needle to find success. Lucas Alexander seemed to be firmly ahead of him in the opponent moments of their fight, only for the Fusion X-Cel rep to slip throwing a kick and give Saragih just enough of an opening to swoop in and score another brutal knockout. A Saragih win isn’t a lock, as he does tend to back himself up, give opponents time and space to work and isn’t much of a wrestler, so there is some chance that Wilson can find some grappling success in the chaos. However, this fight is likely to be over as soon as Saragih finds Wilson’s chin, and that figures to happen first. The pick is Saragih via first-round knockout.

Jump To »
Ulanbekov vs. Van
Maness vs. Flick
Armfield vs. Hiestand
Fernandes vs. Judice
Saragih vs. Wilson
Knutsson vs. Polastri
Costa vs. Shayilan