Preview: UFC 255 Prelims

Fuuuuck Pyfer dislocates his elbow pic.twitter.com/BQ3SQ3btHl

— ShayMyName (@ImShannonTho) August 12, 2020

Middleweights

Kyle Daukaus (9-1) vs. Dustin Stoltzfus (13-1)

ODDS: Daukaus (-280), Stoltzfus (+240)

Under-the-radar middleweight prospects go at it in this one. Philadelphia’s Daukaus is an odd fighter. A former heavyweight, Daukaus still has relatively slow feet, but he has managed to adapt that into an effective pressure game. Coming down from heavyweight means Daukaus has a large and rangy frame, so he is able to march down his opponents and take them to the clinch, at which point he can either use a damaging muay Thai game or progress to the mat, where he might be at his best. Daukaus impressed on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019 but did not receive a contract, so it was not until June that he made his UFC debut, stepping in against Brendan Allen for what turned into a vicious back-and-forth war. It was a strong performance in defeat, and Daukaus looks for his first UFC win against an Octagon rookie in Stoltzfus. While Stoltzfus is American-born, he started his mixed martial arts career in Germany, only coming stateside for a shot on DWCS in August. Stoltzfus did not get the chance to show much there—he mostly laid back before accidentally dislocating his opponent’s elbow on a slam—but he is a powerfully-built athlete with interesting kickboxing and grappling skills. The main concern for Stoltzfus is his patience. His striking is purely one shot at a time at this point, and he frankly was not doing much in his DWCS bout before suddenly turning around the situation by inducing the injury. The worry for Daukaus is that he gets into the clinch and either Stoltzfus is simply that much stronger or can hold his own in scrambles. While it may not have been against the best competition, Stoltzfus has an array of submission victories on his resume, including one via twister in 2019. Stoltzfus definitely has some interesting potential, but Daukaus’ willingness to take the initiative gives him the advantage. The pick is Daukaus via decision.

Finish Reading » Cosce vs. Palatnikov