Preview: UFC 268 Prelims

Heavyweights

NR | Gian Villante (17-13, 7-10 UFC) vs. NR | Chris Barnett (21-7, 0-1 UFC)

ODDS: Villante (-115), Barnett (-105)

Villante’s move up to heavyweight has not gone well. When Villante was announced for a heavyweight bout in 2020, the logic seemed sound for the Long Islander to move up a weight class. With his athleticism waning, it made sense for Villante to bank on his durability seeing him through against slower and more limited competition; and there is still a universe where a heavyweight Villante could work. However, in this universe, Villante obviously decided to try and eat his way up to heavyweight, showing up in poor shape for a flat loss against Maurice Greene in June 2020. Villante looked a bit trimmer in a December effort against Jake Collier, but that fight also did not go according to plan. Even compared to Collier, Villante looked slow, with the lack of surprise in his striking curbing his natural power. Villante looks to break his skid against Barnett, who provides a unique challenge to say the least. The pandemic forced the UFC to go outside of its usual box for signings, and Barnett may have been the most unexpected signing of all. At 5-foot-9 with a frame that has allowed him to compete at super heavyweight, “Beastboy” has an approach to fighting that certainly leans more on the entertainment side of the equation. Despite his physique, Barnett has a surprising amount of natural athleticism that has allowed him to catch regional opposition off-guard and could find him some success in this pairing. He is a more evasive and quicker fighter than Villante at this point. Villante does not have much in terms of mix-ups to his game and rarely pursues takedowns, so it would not be a shock to see Barnett get out to a hot start. However, with Villante’s durability and Barnett’s tendency to tire, the New Yorker should be able to take over and hit the harder shots in what figures to be an ugly fight. Barnett should survive this, but the pick is Villante via decision.

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