The X Factor: Like most dominating grapplers, Sandro hasn’t proven much as a striker and he hasn’t had to. While Denis’ takedown defense remains a wildcard, his striking can level most any featherweight in the field, Sandro included. It won’t take more than a botched takedown or two by Sandro for Denis to suddenly become a live underdog.
The Bottom Line: All told, it’s hard to ignore Sandro’s grappling, especially in a field where wrestling is a weakness across nearly the entire board. Denis is hardly a wrestling invalid, but he hasn’t shown that he can resist a skilled opponent hell-bent on taking him to the mat. That will be the story of this fight, as Sandro throttles Denis by turning in a top-control special and notching an uneventful submission win.