Preview: UFC Fight Night 191 Prelims

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The UFC Fight Night 191 undercard on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas features five bouts that should provide plenty of action. Three of the five fights shape up to be all offense on paper, including the women’s flyweight showcase between Ji Yeon Kim and Molly McCann. Beyond that, Julian Erosa-Charles Jourdain promises fireworks, as does the bantamweight opener between Jonathan Martinez and Marcelo Rojo. Throw in top bantamweight prospect Jack Shore and some weird middleweight stylings between Dalcha Lungiambula and Marc-Andre Barriault, and this figures to be a good time.

Now to the preview for the UFC Fight Night “Brunson vs. Till” prelims:

Women’s Flyweights

NR | Ji Yeon Kim (9-3-2, 3-3 UFC) vs. NR | Molly McCann (10-4, 3-3 UFC)

ODDS: Kim (-115), McCann (-105)

McCann’s UFC debut went about as poorly as possible. “Meatball” was a prominent part of the hype for the UFC’s first event in her native Liverpool, England, but Gillian Robertson exploited her lack of a wrestling and grappling game, choking her out in a mostly one-sided affair. McCann rebounded well, as she rounded out her game enough beyond her boxing to put together an undefeated 2019 campaign, racking up wins over Priscila Cachoeira, Ariane Lipski and Diana Belbita. That made the ensuing comedown of her last two fights all the more disappointing. Taila Santos provided a clear example of how McCann can be athletically outclassed, and Lara Procopio also grounded her without much issue. McCann could badly use a win here to regain her momentum, and wrestling does not figure to be an issue.

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Kim’s approach is relatively straightforward, mostly built around waiting for her opponents to throw something and trying to tag them with something hard in return. That can lead to some uninspiring performances against her more passive opposition, but when she has been thrown against scrappy fighters, Kim matches their energy and is more than willing to engage. Kim may just wind up hitting the harder shots and separating herself, but McCann figures to be the one bringing the volume and aggression; and a straight boxing match has not been the way to beat her yet. The margins are as thin as ever, but the pick is McCann via decision.

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