Preview: UFC on ESPN 16 Prelims

Lightweights

Luigi Vendramini (8-1) vs. Jessin Ayari (16-5)

ODDS: Vendramini (-120), Ayari (+100)

This is a solid opener between two men who most probably forgot were on the UFC roster. Germany’s Ayari has not gotten much shine to date, and part of that is due to his approach. While “Abacus” has some obvious skills, he is patient to a fault. That lulled him into a middling loss against Darren Till and cost him dearly in his last fight against Steven Ray. Ayari was the much more accurate striker, but Ray provided much better optics—to the point that the Scotsman stole a unanimous decision. Two years later, Ayari hopes to find his groove against Brazil’s Vendramini, who is coming off of his own two-year layoff after a rough UFC debut. “The Italian Stallion” ran through a weak slate of competition on the Brazilian scene, then was signed as a late replacement to face a fringe Top 15 welterweight in Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. It did not go well for Vendramini, but given that he was a raw 22-year-old facing his first real competition, he did manage to look better than expected, mostly on the back of his wrestling game. That should make things interesting. Vendramini is much more aggressive, and Ayari’s wrestling has not been tested much in his three UFC bouts to date. However, based on experience, Ayari via decision is the pick.