Lightweights
Ignacio Bahamondes (13-4, 2-1 UFC) vs. Trey Ogden (16-5, 1-1 UFC)Chile’s Bahamondes is certainly a prospect to watch, even if he has become a bit of a forgotten man during this year-plus layoff. “La Jaula” cuts an impressive figure as a 6-foot-3 lightweight, though he does not always take full advantage of his size. As an example, Bahamondes’ UFC debut came against one of the shortest lightweights on the roster in John Makdessi, who walked away with a decision win thanks to the Chilean’s tendency to pressure and lack of defense. Still, that fight was a barnburner that helped establish Bahamondes as an action fighter, and his last two wins more than made up for any lost hype. He took care of Roosevelt Roberts and Zhu Rong without much issue, finishing Roberts with a spinning wheel kick that was among the best highlights of 2021. It has now been 13 months since his win over Rong, so while Bahamondes will likely bring enough action to gain notice no matter what, it would be nice if he came back with a statement performance against a late replacement in Ogden. The 33-year-old Ogden came to the UFC about a year ago as essentially a finished product. “Samurai Ghost” can hold his own just about anywhere, but he is at his absolute best once he can get his wrestling and grappling rolling. That has not happened in either of his UFC fights to date, for better or for worse. He fought standout grappler Jordan Leavitt essentially even in a narrow decision loss and basically just coasted to a win over Daniel Zellhuber through the latter’s surprising inactivity. Ogden figures to be a tough out, but turning that into a win might be a bit rough. Bahamondes has a solid amount of grappling in his back pocket, and while the Chilean’s lack of defense may leave him open for some hard shots from Ogden, he figures to take a clear advantage in terms of pace and volume. This has the potential to be a fun one. The pick is Bahamondes via decision.
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Curtis vs. Gastelum
Pinheiro vs. Waterson-Gomez
Pyfer vs. Meerschaert
Williams vs. Sherman
Godinez vs. Calvillo
Bahamondes vs. Ogden
Nuerdanbieke vs. Garcia
Amorim vs. Hughes