Preview: UFC 286 Prelims

Lightweights

Ludovit Klein (19-4, 3-2 UFC) vs. Jai Herbert (12-4, 2-3 UFC)

ODDS: Klein (-190), Herbert (+160)

This is a fun pairing between two lightweights who are figuring things out. Herbert came to the UFC from England with a decent amount of hype but had a bit of a rough transition moving up a level in competition. At 6-foot-1, “The Black Country Banger” used his height as a defensive tool against regional competition, overwhelming opponents with a pressure-heavy style while not getting hit much in return. That changed as soon as Herbert hit the Octagon, as he had his moments but eventually got finished by Francisco Trinaldo and Renato Carneiro. To his credit, Herbert has attempted to balance his aggression much more in recent fights, rebounding with a win over Khama Worthy before a frustrating loss to Ilia Topuria, where Herbert put in an excellent performance against a top prospect before suddenly getting knocked out. Herbert’s last fight, a decision win over Kyle Nelson, was an impressive evolution. It was not a pretty performance, but Herbert showed off a much more well-rounded game that included a surprising amount of wrestling. Herbert tries to build on that against Klein, who looks to have turned his own corner in his last handful of fights. The UFC’s first fighter out of Slovakia, Klein lived up to his “Mr. Highlight” nickname in his UFC debut, obliterating Shane Young with a head kick for a quick knockout. However, Klein then followed that up with a rough 2021 campaign, as Michael Trizano and Nate Landwehr mostly made him uncomfortable via constant pressure, preventing him from gaining much momentum. A move up to lightweight has seemingly paid dividends as far as making Klein a more confident and effective fighter. Like Herbert, Klein has pivoted to adding a surprising amount of wrestling to his game, and a July win over the typically relentless Mason Jones was a huge proof of concept as far as his becoming a more complete fighter. This does look like Klein’s fight to lose as the stronger wrestler and more durable fighter. He should be able to dictate things over 15 minutes, but that also assumes he will not find something dynamic to finish Herbert outright. The pick is Klein via second-round knockout.

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