Heavyweights
Andrei Arlovski (27-17) vs. Walt Harris (11-7): It has been a schizophrenic last run in the UFC for Arlovski. The former heavyweight champion’s 2014 return kicked off with a four-fight winning streak that made him a surprise contender, only for a Stipe Miocic knockout to start a run of five straight losses. Even the last year or so has been a mixed bag for Arlovski. On the one hand, he has finally rounded out his game with novel ideas like wrestling or throwing punches with both hands, but the last of his explosiveness seems to have left him with little else than his veteran craft. As a result, Arlovski is now firmly planted in a gatekeeper role, with Harris being the latest rising fighter to step up. Harris was a bottom-tier UFC heavyweight for years, but the Alabama native has finally turned his athleticism into production, becoming a patient striker with some natural speed and knockout power. Harris landing a finishing blow will always be a concern, even if Arlovski’s durability issues seem to mostly be behind him. However, in general, Harris does not seem to have the explosion or aggression to keep up with Arlovski’s more diverse skill set. Heavyweight fights are always a coin flip, but the pick is for Arlovski to stay safe and win a decision. ODDS: Harris (-160), Arlovski (+140)Advertisement
Women’s Featherweights
Cat Zingano (10-3) vs. Megan Anderson (8-3): Zingano has hung around as a title contender, mostly by default, so it was nice to see her get off the schneid with a July win over Marion Reneau to affirm her status. Rather than make another run at the bantamweight title, Zingano is taking a detour up to 145 pounds in a fight that might as well be a No. 1 contender bout. Anderson finally made her UFC debut in June with much hype, given that she is an entertaining knockout artist with a marketable look, but Holly Holm dissected her without much trouble, particularly in the wrestling department. That is Zingano’s obvious path to victory, but she is not the physical powerhouse Holm has shown herself to be, and there is also the concern of her adhering to a smart game plan. Zingano has a fairly structureless game, constantly going on offense, and while that often winds up with her in the clinch, her wildness feels like it is going to get her in trouble before she can start scoring takedowns. This should be a fun, sloppy fight where it is hard to have faith in either woman, but the pick is for Zingano to get overaggressive and leave herself open, leading to an Anderson victory via second-round knockout. ODDS: Zingano (-165), Anderson (+145)Bantamweights
Douglas Silva de Andrade (25-2) vs. Petr Yan (10-1): Yan has more than lived up to the hype so far. Advertised as a top bantamweight prospect and readymade contender, the Russian tore through Teruto Ishihara and won a war with Jin Soo Son, showing every bit the propensity for technical violence as everyone hoped. However, it still feels like he has flown under the radar, likely since he has been limited to overseas events, so hopefully this bout against de Andrade serves as a breakthrough moment. Despite long stretches of inactivity, de Andrade has been quite successful as a 135-pound powerhouse, focusing on throwing heat and little else. He will make a worthy opponent for Yan, but in what figures to be a pure striking match, the latter is the much better fighter in terms of following a process and landing the smarter blows. De Andrade should be game for a war in a potential “Fight of the Night,” but the pick is Yan via decision. ODDS: Yan (-275), de Andrade (+235)Lightweights
B.J. Penn (16-12-2) vs. Ryan Hall (6-1): Let us get weird. Having entered his 40s, Penn is still following through with his latest ill-advised comeback. Things have not gone quite as poorly as his 2014 return, but Penn has little left to offer besides some solid hand speed this time around, and that could not even get him past a 2017 version of Dennis Siver. The situation will get strange with a fight against Hall, who has somehow been the less-active fighter, as this marks only his second fight since winning Season 22 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in late 2015. Hall is a fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu whiz with a penchant for rolling leg locks, and he is the author of one of the more bizarre performances in recent UFC history, as he beat Gray Maynard almost entirely thanks to a range kicking game and a willingness to flop to his back whenever Maynard got close to him. That should work here, as ugly as it will be. Penn will be more willing to grapple with Hall than Maynard was, but he will probably have more difficulty getting close to “The Wizard” in the first place, as Hall can probably keep the Hawaiian at bay with those long kicks. Add in that Penn did not appear to have three rounds of cardio against Siver when he was 18 months younger, and this figures to be another chapter in the slow descent of an all-time great. Hopefully, the bizarre pleasure of watching a Hall fight offsets any potential depression. The pick is Hall via decision. ODDS: Hall (-525), Penn (+415)Last Fights » UFC Fight Pass Prelims
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