Bantamweights
Montel Jackson (13-2, 7-2 UFC) vs. Da’Mon Blackshear (14-6-1, 2-2-1 UFC)Given that it’s all too rare, it’s nice to see Jackson back in action as part of a late-notice addition to this card. Jackson came to the UFC in 2018 as a raw but toolsy prospect who just needed more experience to hone his craft, which makes it a bit disappointing that “Quik” has settled into a schedule of about one fight per calendar year. Despite that, Jackson has clearly improved, even though his game has typically added up to less than the sum of its parts. He’s a solid wrestler with the ability to crack his opponents on the feet, but his overly patient approach has typically allowed opponents to make things much tougher for Jackson than they should on paper given his physical gifts. Jackson did at least run through Rani Yahya in his last fight 15 months ago—though that may say more about where the Brazilian is late in his career than anything else—so there is some hope that he might finally be turning a corner, and this matchup against Blackshear should answer a lot of questions. Blackshear returns after an 11-month layoff that was certainly well-earned. Blackshear fought four times in what wound up as a breakout 2023 campaign, including two fights in August on a one-week turnaround. Blackshear put together a solid regional resume heading into his 2022 UFC debut, fighting with an aggressive and grappling-heavy style that tended to result in a lot of big opportunities for both “Da Monster” and his opponents. Given that, it was fitting that his UFC debut against Youssef Zalal ended in a draw, and after a flat loss to Farid Basharat, Blackshear hit the ground running. He outworked Luan Lacerda and scored a finish with some brutal ground and pound, executed a rare twister submission against Jose Johnson and then fought Mario Bautista a week later in a hard-fought loss where his cardio unsurprisingly started to betray him. A lot of Blackshear’s success comes through his ability to pressure and outwrestle his opponents, and this could be a sneakily advantageous matchup given Jackson’s usual approach. Blackshear should have the time and space to put in work, and despite Jackson’s wrestling background, opponents have found a surprising amount of success turning things into a grind. Generally, this looks like a pairing where Jackson will need to fight up to his potential to get the win, and given that he hasn’t done so yet, the pick is Blackshear via hard-fought decision.
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