Preview: UFC Fight Night 178 Prelims

Welterweights

Miguel Baeza (9-0) vs. Jeremiah Wells (8-2-1)

ODDS: N/A

Baeza is an interesting prospect, and “Caramel Thunder” showed a lot in his last bout. Baeza faced a relatively weak slate of competition heading into Dana White’s Contender Series, which has shown up since he made it onto a national stage. While Baeza is a powerful striker with some impressive knockout ability, there still is not much regard for defense or what may happen if an opponent manages to stick around. That made his win over Matt Brown in May all the more impressive. Brown is a tough out even at this stage of his career, and while Baeza got hit a lot early, he was able to overcome adversity and eventually win a firefight in the second round. He will look to keep his momentum going against a UFC newcomer and late replacement in Wells, who should make this entertaining. Wells has a style based entirely around bursts of aggression, so there is certainly a possibility that he can catch Baeza cold, particularly if the UFC veteran does not take his fight seriously coming in. However, unless Wells scores a quick knockout, Baeza should be able to use his long frame to play matador, stay out of danger and take over the fight sooner rather than later. The pick is Baeza via second-round stoppage.