Preview: UFC 272 Prelims

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 272 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

The top of UFC 272 may not be as strong as the typical Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view, but the promotion’s return to T-Mobile Arena on Saturday in Las Vegas does come with a sneakily solid undercard slate attached. Lightweights Jalin Turner and Jamie Mullarkey meet in a fun and fascinating featured prelim, but the real gem is the fight right below it: a women’s strawweight battle between Marina Rodriguez and Xiaonan Yan that could earn the victor a title shot. Elsewhere, a women’s flyweight encounter between Maryna Moroz and Marina Agapova may actually have more ill will than the Colby Covington-Jorge Masvidal main event, and the deeper prelims see top prospects Umar Nurmagomedov and Tagir Ulanbekov in action, along with an intriguing opener between Dustin Jacoby and Michal Oleksiejczuk.

Now to the preview for the UFC 272 “Covington vs. Masvidal” prelims:

Lightweights

NR | Jalin Turner (11-5, 4-2 UFC) vs. NR | Jamie Mullarkey (14-4, 2-2 UFC)

ODDS: Turner (-150), Mullarkey (+130)

Turner continues to make a case as one of the lightweight division’s top prospects. A massive lightweight at 6-foot-3, Turner had a slow start to his career on a major stage. He did not earn a contract via Dana White’s Contender Series after his opponent suffered an injury, but the UFC opted to bring him in for a horrifically difficult debut at welterweight against Vicente Luque. Even after earning his first UFC win, a quick knockout over Callan Potter, Turner’s momentum got dulled a bit in a wrestling-heavy loss to Matt Frevola just a few months after. Since a 2020 win over Josh Culibao, it has been off to the races for “The Tarantula.” Surprisingly, Turner has even leaned on his wrestling and grappling at points in his wins over Brok Weaver and Uros Medic, switching things up and finishing both men via rear-naked choke. Between his frame and his skills, Turner is on his way to becoming as offensively potent as any fighter in the lightweight division. This fight against Mullarkey is essentially a perfect test to see how well Turner can continue to put everything together. Australia’s Mullarkey looked well-rounded on the regional scene, but there was a question about how well that all would translate up a level, given that he seemed to neither be a great athlete nor have one clear skill to hang his hat on. His debut against fellow newcomer Brad Riddell was an excellent war that saw Riddell get the nod, but Mullarkey’s subsequent loss to Fares Ziam was a bit worrisome in regards to his UFC future. Mullarkey was able to dictate the fight and outwrestle Ziam but still found himself losing on the scorecards. Mullarkey has since rebounded quite well with a breakout 2021 campaign, in part thanks to surprisingly finding his groove as a knockout artist. Finishing Khama Worthy was a solid bit of business against an admittedly flammable opponent, but October’s come-from-behind finish of Devonte Smith does mark Mullarkey as someone whose power may be a consistent path to victory going forward. Mullarkey’s persistence and toughness could cause Turner a lot of problems, as that has typically been the way to beat the American in the past, but the bet is that Turner can make Mullarkey eat enough offense along the way to separate himself on the scorecards, particularly with his recent improvements on the mat. The pick is Turner via decision.

Continue Reading » Rodriguez vs. Yan