Welterweights
Zak Ottow (16-6) vs. Dwight Grant (8-1): For being such a nondescript fighter, Ottow has had a surprisingly relevant UFC career. In six fights, he has managed to send Mike Pyle into retirement with a knockout loss and been the B-side of two co-main events. Ottow is perfectly fine inside the cage, but suffers from being a jack of all trades and a master of none. He comes from a Brazilian jiu-jitsu background and that is subsequently the best part of his game, but a lack of power and athleticism prevents him from either being able to take his fights to the ground or maximize a decent striking game. Ottow gets a hometown fight here against newcomer Grant, an American Kickboxing Academy product who earned a contract on the latest season of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. With only nine fights under his belt, Grant’s both older and more experienced than you would think -- he is 34 and over seven years into this -- but as a result, he has a well-put-together game as a power striker who uses some solid defensive wrestling to keep his fights standing. That latter skill should be enough to stop Ottow’s takedowns, and from there, Ottow has proven to be easily overwhelmed if his opponent can keep providing firepower. The pick is Grant via second-round knockout. ODDS: Grant (-300), Ottow (+250)Advertisement
Women’s Flyweights
Jessica-Rose Clark (9-5) vs. Andrea Lee (9-2): Clark seems to have hit the UFC at just the right time to make an impact. Frankly, “Jessy Jess” never impressed much before getting a late-notice callup about a year ago, but after scoring a win over Bec Rawlings in a battle for tattooed Australian supremacy, Clark followed up with a victory over Paige VanZant and emerged as a flyweight contender. A June loss to Jessica Eye showed that Clark’s lack of athleticism gives her a clear ceiling -- Eye constantly beat her to the punch in individual moments -- but the Aussie should have enough success to become a cult favorite as her career goes on. She next takes on Lee, who has had a whirlwind of a UFC career, mostly thanks to outside-the-cage drama that ended with a domestic violence charge for her now-fugitive husband. As far as her fighting is concerned, Lee is a powerhouse striker with a muay Thai background and tends to rely on her physical gifts, as she has never quite rounded out a full MMA skill set. Clark should be quicker on the feet, and even if “KGB” has some success catching her, the Aussie should be able to take advantage of Lee’s dismal takedown defense. The pick is Clark via decision. ODDS: Lee (-280), Clark (+240)Lightweights
Bobby Green (24-8-1) vs. Drakkar Klose (9-1-1): Klose has had an odd UFC career thus far, falling somewhere between prospect and spoiler in a deep lightweight division. He has derailed the hype trains of Devin Powell, Marc Diakiese and Lando Vannata thanks to his strong clinch game, but his one loss was a bafflingly terrible performance against David Teymur, where Klose seemed more concerned with taunting than mounting much in the way of effective offense. He will now be in the position of prospect rather than trying to kill someone else’s buzz, although Green figures to be a tough out. Through his first four UFC fights, Green was becoming an unlikely contender, but he lost all his momentum thanks to a combination of a three-fight losing streak. However, the last year-plus has seen Green turn things around, even if he has not changed much. He is still the same movement-heavy boxer who relies a bit too much on his defensive speed and some oft-unearned swagger. Green can win a pure kickboxing match, but as long as Klose looks to take this to the clinch, he should be able to wade through the former King of the Cage champion’s shots and grind out a win. The pick is Klose via decision. ODDS: Klose (-310), Green (+255)Lightweights
Jared Gordon (14-2) vs. Joaquim Silva (10-1): Gordon has a fascinating life story, as he came back from drug addiction and being legally dead; and he fights like a man who has cheated death. Gordon is somewhat of an ersatz Justin Gaethje, providing constant pressure while relying on his durability to carry him through his opponent’s offense. That figured to get him knocked out sooner rather than later, but it was still surprising when it was Carlos Diego Ferreira who cracked him for a quick finish in February. The Queens native looks to rebound against Silva, who carries on in the same tradition as Vitor Belfort -- a vocal Brazilian jiu-jitsu advocate who actually spends more time trying to knock out his opponent. Silva is more than capable of scoring a brutal knockout on Gordon, as the latter is there to be hit. However, Gordon’s wrestling should help carry him through this one. The one way that Silva’s jiu-jitsu background does manifest itself is a frustrating willingness to hunt for submissions from the bottom. This is either a quick Silva finish or a grinding Gordon win, with the latter seeming more likely. The pick is Gordon via decision. ODDS: Gordon (-210), Silva (+175)Middleweights
Gerald Meerschaert (28-9) vs. Jack Hermansson (17-4): Hermansson has slid into the middle tier at 185 pounds while enjoying a bunch of success, even if his game is fairly disjointed. It combines a janky outside striking game with some surprisingly vicious ground-and-pound. After an impressive comeback win over Thales Leites in Brazil, Hermansson has another road game here against Meerschaert. A Wisconsin native, Meerschaert came into the UFC as a fully formed gatekeeper, racking up over 30 fights before getting the call. He is a dangerous, well-rounded fighter -- his crafty submission game has proven to be his greatest skill -- but has shown in fights against Eric Spicely and Oskar Piechota that he can also crack a bit. Still, Hermansson figures to be quicker on the feet, and for all of Meerschaert’s submission wins, he has often found himself getting out-wrestled, something Hermansson can probably do here. This is a narrow fight, but Meerschaert does not have any clear advantages. The pick is Hermansson via decision. ODDS: Hermansson (-250), Meerschaert (+210)Featherweights
Dan Ige (9-2) vs. Jordan Griffin (17-5): This is a card filled with Roufusport products, and Griffin is the latest to hit the Octagon. The Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series alum is an interesting prospect, as he is a high-level athlete with some striking power and some submission skills. However, there are a few questions about his game. For one thing, he is probably too patient for his own good while looking for the big punch, and for another, there are some concerns about how well his grappling works against more powerful wrestlers. Hawaii’s Ige should not raise many concerns in those areas. Ige is an aggressive wrestler, but he is not much of an athlete. As such, Griffin’s physical advantages should see him through this one, even if it takes him a while to find a groove. The pick is Griffin via second-round submission. ODDS: Ige (-190), Griffin (+165)Last Fights » UFC Fight Pass Prelims
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