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Heavyweights
NR | Carlos Felipe (10-1, 2-1 UFC) vs. NR | Jake Collier (12-5, 4-4 UFC)ODDS: Felipe (-170), Collier (+150)
This should provide some entertainment, intentional or not. Felipe’s UFC debut was not particularly impressive—he mostly marched forward and got picked off by Sergey Spivak—but the Brazilian may actually be worth watching as a heavyweight prospect. Felipe has shown off a heavyweight-level chin to date, and he has shown a commitment to activity and pressure, both of which figure to carry him further than most signings in the division. There are still kinks to be worked out. Felipe has not been much of a finisher at the UFC level and does not seem to have three rounds of cardio, but at just 26 years old, he has time to figure out everything. He will take on Collier, who may actually make his move up to heavyweight work. Collier was a fun wildman at middleweight and light heavyweight but dropped off the radar due to injuries after a 2017 win over Marcel Fortuna. “The Prototype” eventually made his return for a heavyweight bout against Tom Aspinall in July, showing off a weight gain that rendered him absolutely unrecognizable, as Collier came in just under the heavyweight limit. A quick knockout loss to Aspinall gave Collier’s career a quite negative outlook, but he rebounded surprisingly well with a December win over Gian Villante. Even with the added weight, Collier is still the same surprisingly fast and typically reckless fighter he was during his earlier days. Collier’s durability is the big question, as otherwise, he might be able to steal a win. Both of these men are come-forward fighters without a lick of defense, but Felipe has previously struggled against a reach advantage and has the much weaker gas tank. Felipe could just spark his counterpart early, but the pick is for Collier to survive any early trouble and take a decision victory.
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