Preview: UFC 296 Prelims

Featherweights

Andre Fili (22-10, 10-9 UFC) vs. Lucas Almeida (14-2, 1-1 UFC)

ODDS: Fili (-175), Almeida (+145)

It is always nice to see Fili back in action, though the Californian finds himself in a tricky spot. “Touchy” came to the UFC hyped as the next great Team Alpha Male prospect but had a rocky start with the promotion, though losses to Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez and Calvin Kattar have all aged about as well as possible in the years since. Fili kept finding enough wins to keep his spot on the UFC roster and learn on the job, and he has turned into a well-rounded fighter who seems to be eternally on the fringe of the featherweight rankings. He has developed some surprisingly strong wrestling chops and some crafty striking, usually finding a way to leverage things into a hard-fought loss at the worst and a grimy win at the best. With that said, Fili still is not the best athlete, so every once in a while, he will suffer a loss like a 41-second knockout to Joanderson Brito in 2022; and while he has put on two strong performances in the time since, that worry still lingers against Almeida.

Injuries to both Almeida and his opponents have forced the Brazilian into a relatively inactive schedule during his time in the UFC, but he has proven to be a capable scrapper willing to throw power for three rounds. However, his June loss to Pat Sabatini proved that Almeida can be taken out of his game against a standout wrestler. Sabatini went to takedowns early and often, and Almeida had little answer ahead of a second-round submission. Fili should eventually land on that idea and coast to a win when he does, but there is a high risk that Almeida’s aggression could end this in a knockout before things get to that point. Still, the pick is Fili via decision.

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