Preview: UFC on ESPN 30 Prelims

Middleweights take center stage on the six-fight UFC on ESPN 30 undercard this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Late changes and a reshuffling of the deck resulted in two strange bouts, both at 185 pounds, moving into positions of preliminary prominence. The neutralizing stylings of Alessio Di Chirico meet the recklessness of Abdul Razak Alhassan in the featured slot, right after Sam Alvey figures to do the things for which his has become known against Wellington Turman. Beyond those pairings, we find the usual mix for an Ultimate Fighting Championship undercard of this magnitude: some interesting names with some upside and some potential violence but nothing important in terms of immediate stakes.

Now to the preview for the UFC on ESPN “Barboza vs. Chikadze” prelims:

Middleweights

NR | Alessio Di Chirico (13-5, 4-5 UFC) vs. NR | Abdul Razak Alhassan (10-4, 4-4 UFC)

ODDS: Di Chirico (-240), Alhassan (+200)

Alhassan entered the UFC in 2016 having shown an ability to quickly knock out opponents and little else, and that continued to be the name of the game inside of the Octagon. Despite his “Judo Thunder” nickname, Alhassan has always looked to throw bombs without much of a backup plan. Through his first five UFC appearances, that mostly worked. Omari Akhmedov managed to outlast him, but it was legitimately impressive that Alhassan went toe-to-toe with fighters like Niko Price and scored the knockout first. After a near two-year layoff due to some worrying legal charges, Alhassan’s approach has not gotten him much of anywhere. Mounir Lazzez and Jacob Malkoun survived Alhassan’s opening salvo and score clear decision wins, while Kalinn Williams simply knocked out Alhassan in half a minute flat. A move up to middleweight has not helped Alhassan’s cardio issues, and given his recent performances, it is mildly surprising that the UFC is bringing Alhassan back to try and break his three-fight losing streak. After some late changes, Alhassan winds up facing what is likely the toughest opponent of this streak in Di Chirico. Italy’s Di Chirico got his own chance to break a three-fight losing streak in January and made good on the opportunity, scoring a head kick knockout of Joaquin Buckley in big upset. In a way, that makes the bulk of Di Chirico’s UFC resume all the more frustrating. Di Chirico has physical talent, as he is a well-built athlete with a good frame and solid athleticism for the division, but he never really uses those tools to his advantage. Instead, he would usually rather bank on the threat of his physical attributes to try and lure his opponent into a slow-paced fight. Once in a blue moon, he connects with a moment of violence, and he may not even need in this assignment. This should have some early intrigue since Alhassan will bring some fast-paced aggression to Di Chirico for a minute or two, but it takes increasingly little to outlast him nowadays; and Di Chirico seems both durable enough to do so and talented enough to take advantage later. The pick is Di Chirico via third-round stoppage.

Continue Reading » Turman vs. Alvey