Fight Pass Prelims
Welterweights:
Diego Sanchez (27-11) vs. Craig White (14-8): For better or for worse, Sanchez is still at it. Similar to Jake Ellenberger on the last card, Sanchez - the last member of the first “Ultimate Fighter” roster that's still fighting - has made some decent late-career improvements and still has a strong wrestling game to fall back on, but his durability has absolutely failed him; Sanchez has had one of the most legendary chins in the sport, but after never suffering a knockout loss, Sanchez has been put out in three of his last four fights. Sanchez takes on England's White, who's coming off a debut loss in a late-notice spot against Neil Magny this past May. White was in way over his head there, but he's a fun brawler who's willing to take things into the clinch and work a solid submission game. Sanchez has a chance here if White approaches this fight the wrong way; Marcin Held mostly looked to grapple with Sanchez in their 2016 bout, and Sanchez still had enough in the tank to out-wrestle and beat Held in those opportunities. But as long as White looks to strike instead of wrestle, he pours on enough volume that this is his fight to lose; my pick is White via first-round knockout. ODDS: White (-230), Sanchez (+190)Advertisement
Lightweights:
Jim Miller (28-12) vs. Alex White (12-4): Like the fight right above it, this one sees a promotional legend try to stop the bleeding against an opponent named White. New Jersey's Miller never quite got over the hump to a title shot, but between his well-rounded game and willingness to take any fight available, he became a huge fan favorite and ranks near the top of a lot of the UFC's cumulative leaderboards. Miller looked like he was finally slowing down circa 2016 - most notably in a loss to Sanchez, funnily enough - but rebounded a bit after he discovered an undiagnosed case of Lyme disease. That only seemed to have pushed Miller's decline back a year, though; in recent fights he's been visibly slower, resulting in four straight losses, and the last was a blowout finish at the hands (or, in actuality, knee) of Dan Hooker. Miller looks to stop his skid against Missouri's White, a long striker who's been effective, but still seems to have a structureless, one-dimensional game. Like Sanchez, Miller's wrestling chops give him a chance, as White has perennially shown poor takedown defense, but I think White's youth and athleticism is still too much for Miller to handle at this point. Miller's chin isn't quite as gone as Sanchez's, so this is more a case of Miller being constantly beaten to the punch rather than put down with one shot, but my pick is White via second-round stoppage. ODDS: White (-145), Miller (+125)Women’s Bantamweights:
Irene Aldana (8-4) vs. Lucie Pudilova (8-2): Aldana's UFC career has been a bit disappointing, but at least the Mexican prospect earned a win her last time out by beating Talita Bernardo this past January. Aldana has a solid grappling game built around her boxing, but in most of her UFC fights, she's looked slow against better athletes and had trouble dealing with pressure. After her bout against Bethe Correia at UFC 227 got scratched, Aldana was a late add here and will face Czech prospect Pudilova. Pudilova's a long fighter with some interesting skills, mostly taking what her opponent gives her in terms of striking and fighting with a ton of swagger, sometimes unearned. If Pudilova comes out aggressive, she has a shot here to keep Aldana on her toes, but given how the Czech fighter can sometimes be more concerned with mean-mugging than effective offense, I expect Aldana to get into a groove and be able to win rounds based on volume. My pick is Aldana via decision. ODDS: Aldana (-120), Pudilova (+100)Flyweights:
Roberto Sanchez (8-1) vs. Jarred Brooks (13-2): Thanks to a late injury to Ryan Benoit, Brooks steps in to take on Houston native Sanchez in a fun flyweight bout. Brooks is an interesting talent who excels when using an aggressive, wrestling-heavy pressure style, but consistency has been an issue; Brooks often uses a movement-heavy striking style that's not quite as effective and is prone to mistakes like his fight-ending slam against Jose Torres, where Brooks infamously spiked his own head on the mat. Meanwhile, Sanchez has mostly performed as advertised under the UFC banner, focusing on an aggressive grappling game to make up for his lack of athleticism. Brooks’ over-aggressive mistakes will give Sanchez opportunities to find his neck, but Brooks is a strong enough wrestler that the pick is for Brooks to grind out a decision win. ODDS: Brooks (-335), Sanchez (+275)Welterweights:
Geoff Neal (9-2) vs. Frank Camacho (21-6): Camacho's quickly become the most under-the-radar contender for the title of most exciting fighter in the UFC, as Camacho's been three-for-three in having fun, fight-of-the-night brawls. Camacho throws a ton of volume, and actually improves as his fights go on; it takes Camacho a while to find a rhythm, and even though he's visibly exhausted by the later rounds of his fights, he simply fights through it and just keeps throwing punches. Camacho takes on Texas’ Neal, who should make this a fun one; Neal's a strong athlete who's more of an unstructured brawler and has traditionally been able to find a first-round finish via sheer aggression. Neal seems to be a one-round fighter, so between that and Camacho's slow starts, it's up to Neal to find that early finish, or else Camacho should be able to take over the fight; I'll take the latter, so my pick is Camacho via third-round stoppage. ODDS: Neal (-170), Camacho (+150)We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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