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Lightweights
NR | Renato Carneiro (14-4-1, 6-4 UFC) vs. NR | Jai Herbert (10-2, 0-1 UFC)Advertisement
Carneiro looks to re-ignite his run at lightweight in what should be a fun encounter. After struggling with injuries early in his UFC career and being relegated to the undercard when he did fight, it was a surprise when the UFC chose Carneiro to face Jeremy Stephens on a UFC on Fox main card back in 2017. Carneiro made the most of the opportunity, earning a decision victory and establishing the then-featherweight as a top prospect to watch. There is a lot to like about Carneiro’s approach, as he is a technical striker and a surprisingly venomous grappler, but things eventually plateaued at 145 pounds for the Brazilian after Jose Aldo and Chan Sung Jung blasted him on the feet. As a result, Carneiro moved up to 155 pounds and looked phenomenal in his divisional debut with a 44-second win over Damir Hadzovic in 2020. A December fight against Rafael Fiziev brought up the same old issues for Carneiro, who could not match the Kyrgyzstani standout’s technical acumen or power on the feet and ate another knockout as a result. He will try to rebound here against England’s Herbert, who offered a game effort in his UFC debut against Francisco Trinaldo in July, only to have that overshadowed by a horrifically late stoppage after the Brit was knocked out.
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“The Black Country Banger” has some impressive tools with which to work, including a large reach advantage, but he is mostly content to move forward and try to live up to his nickname, choosing pressure and offense over leveraging his frame. He may still cause some trouble for Carneiro standing, but Herbert’s willingness to engage also means that the Brazilian should be able to find a path to his grappling without much trouble. At that point, he figures to outclass Herbert on the mat. The pick is Carneiro via first-round submission.
Continue Reading » Barcelos vs. Valiev
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