Ireland’s Crosbie gets a second chance at a first impression in
this confrontation. Crosbie’s UFC debut came on particularly short
notice in September against Kevin
Jousset, and the dynamic was fairly clear. Crosbie had to use
his typically aggressive style to get the jump on Jousset, the more
well-practiced but slower fighter. That didn’t work, as Jousset
successfully outworked Crosbie and tapped him out within a round.
Now Crosbie attempts to rebound against Patterson, another large
but slow welterweight. Patterson came to the UFC in 2023 as a large
but slow lightweight out of England. It might have worked out in
the long term, but after Patterson’s UFC debut saw him quickly get
knocked out, he decided to stop draining his body and move up to
170 pounds. Once again, the dynamic is fairly clear, with Crosbie
figuring to start aggressive and needing to bank on a quick
knockout to find the win. That could certainly happen, but it has
historically taken surprisingly little resistance to scare Crosbie
off his game, and Patterson is another opponent who figures to have
his wrestling and grappling game as a safety valve. The pick is
Patterson via first-round submission.
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