Preview: UFC Fight Night 243 Prelims

Lightweights

Bolaji Oki (9-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Chris Duncan (11-2, 2-1 UFC)

ODDS: Oki (-205), Duncan (+170)

Some solid matchmaking results in a nice benchmarking bout for two lightweights. Scotland’s Duncan has settled in nicely during his time on the UFC roster. He looked like a fairly straight-ahead puncher when he won a contract on the Contender Series in 2022, but he has shown some thoughtful change-ups in his fights since, staying patient and mixing in some wrestling as needed. However, the reality is that Duncan is likely to keep running into a physical ceiling, and his February loss to Manuel Torres, who was able to rush and submit him within two minutes, served as a harsh reminder of that fact. Duncan looks for a rebound against Belgium’s Oki, who is hunting for his first standout performance under the UFC banner. Oki won a UFC contract on the Contender Series in 2023 with a first-round knockout. Prior to that, he was fairly untested, even though he usually got the types of finishes you would hope for from a prospect on a weak regional scene. Oki’s UFC debut was a bit uninspiring. He was able to get the narrow decision victory over late replacement Timothy Cuamba but never picked up the pace and generally got dragged into a middling slog where he didn’t show much in the way of standout skills. Oki’s raw and talented enough for that to likely just wind up as an off night as he figures things out as a fighter, so it wouldn’t be a shock if he turned around and knocked Duncan out, particularly with the Scotsman being the much slower fighter. With that said, Oki left enough gaps in his last performance that it seems worth the flier to think that Duncan can put together a workmanlike performance and walk away with a victory. The pick is Duncan via decision.

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