In a good and simply world, Calvin Kattar and Arnold Allen can be fighting for a title shot on Saturday.
however here is the realm of MMA — notably the UFC — where words like "earned" and "deserves" don't cling all that much weight, so no matter if it's Kattar or Allen — No. 8 and No. 9 respectively in the MMA fighting international Rankings — who has their hand raised within the UFC Vegas sixty three featherweight leading experience, neither fighter is guaranteed anything.
Reigning 145-pound king Alexander Volkanovski has already set his points of interest on a superfight with newly topped light-weight champion Islam Makhachev for UFC 284 in Australia subsequent February, which capability the featherweight division has to watch for the consequences of that yet-to-be-booked bout before any one can attempt to america Volkanovski.
That's a merciless reality for Kattar, who has been booked towards one ranked contender after yet another, and for Allen, who is 9-0 in the UFC and has yet to sniff a No. 1 contender's battle. Which is what this battle may still be, but isn't. And that sucks for the athletes, in spite of the fact that fans will still be treated to a pay-per-view degree 5-rounder between two of the most appropriate featherweights in the world.
In different main card action, Max Griffin fights Tim ability in what is sure to be a welterweight crowdpleaser, Jared Vanderaa welcomes heavyweight Waldo Cortes-Acosta to the UFC, Josh Fremd appears to keep The finest Fighter 29 middleweight finalist Tresean Gore winless inside the octagon, and Dustin Jacoby and Khalil Rountree fight for a spot in the gentle heavyweight rankings.
What: UFC Vegas sixty three
the place: UFC APEX in Las Vegas
When: Saturday, Oct. 29. The six-fight preliminary card begins at four p.m. ET on ESPN+, followed through a five-combat main card at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
Calvin Kattar vs. Arnold AllenOne component about Arnold Allen: the person are usually not made to hurry.
That's now not just a touch upon the 28-yr-ancient's gradual get up the featherweight charts, but his strategy to the combat in regularly occurring. He keeps his composure and sticks to his online game plan constantly, so if falls on Calvin Kattar to bring the fight to him.
happily for Kattar, he has quite a lot of adventure being on the offensive for 25 minutes. keep in mind that Allen has yet to compete in a 5-rounder whereas Kattar's previous four fights featured championship frames. We recognize that Kattar can keep tempo even in a again-and-forth slugfest, it's Allen's gas tank and resolve that are in query.
one more reason I lean towards Kattar is that he's the extra confirmed standup fighter. Allen has a superb counter game and a robust left mitt, but he's yet to face an opponent who can drive him right into a dirty combat. I are expecting Kattar to be the one to drive Allen out of his comfort zone, and when that happens, we'll discover even if Allen is championship cloth or if he needs simply a dash extra seasoning.
Kattar by means of decision.
choose: Kattar
Tim capacity vs. Max GriffinMax Griffin's herky jerky, in-and-out fashion spells difficulty for "The soiled chicken."
Tim skill is at his foremost when he has a dance companion that he can pin down along with his power game, and while Griffin received't shy faraway from a scrap, he'll be greater inclined to use his move to destroy potential' rhythm. This strategy may still serve him well within the early rounds as he pops capacity with neatly-timed punches.
It's in the latter degrees of the fight that I actually have my doubts about Griffin's means to live longer than skill. Griffin's strategies requires loads of power to work safely and we've considered his composure ebb as a fight drags on. capability will locate openings to do harm, especially if he senses that he's down on the playing cards heading into the third circular.
nonetheless, I see Griffin increase sufficient of an early lead that he'll be capable of comfortably adjust as capability ramps up the aggression. so long as Griffin's protection holds up and he can constantly land counters, this is his decision to take.
opt for: Griffin
Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Jared VanderaaI'm opting for a finish here, if best as a result of I trust that the schedule makers put this on the main card instead of Andrei Arlovski's thirty ninth (!) UFC appearance for a very good motive. That purpose being that they agree with Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Jared Vanderaa will spark fireworks.
There's plenty to love about Vanderaa's excessive-extent strategy to heavyweight battle, however the consequences haven't been promising at the UFC level. He has only 1 win in six UFC appearances and it's his lack of of completion that has held him back. That's not an argument for the debuting Cortes-Acosta. The Dominican fighter receives in there and throws haymakers to the tune of 5 finishes in his first seven fights.
i can see Vanderaa getting out to an early lead before Cortes-Acosta turns it up in round 2 and clobbers him.
select: Cortes-Acosta
Josh Fremd vs. Tresean Gorelook, I get the intrigue of Tresean Gore. He become a vivid spot on the newest lackluster edition of TUF, the place he confirmed flashes of a fighter who is usually a future knockout artist. but he just hasn't put it together yet and that shouldn't be fabulous due to the fact that he simplest has a handful of pro bouts and that's counting his fights in the TUF apartment. In Josh Fremd, Gore has yet another opponent with a considerable adventure expertise over him and i'm no longer sure his talent degree high enough that he can overcome that.
Fremd compliments strong, fundamental kickboxing with an outstanding grappling video game, which could not be a description that jumps off the web page, however is the sort of neatly-rounded skill set one needs to tackle a prospect like Gore. He also stands a towering 6-foot-four and he makes decent use of his size when organising his standup. One foremost potential Gore has is his speed, so Fremd must be wary of an early cost, lest he turn into now not just Gore's first UFC win, but his first highlight-reel knockout.
Gore absolutely has the knowledge to prove me incorrect, however for me, the smart prefer is Fremd picking out up a submission late in the first or early within the second.
pick: Fremd
Dustin Jacoby vs. Khalil RountreeKhalil Rountree feels like a legitimate contender when he's at his optimum, and as our personal Jed Meshew has stated, he's 2-0 towards GLORY kickboxers (Karl Roberson and Gokhan Saki) with both of those wins coming by the use of knockout. now not too shabby! might Dustin Jacoby be the third?
inserting that quirky stat aside (the place's the fun in that?), Jacoby is a more robust, more complete striker than Roberson and he's not as shopworn as Saki, so i like him to strike a blow for his kickboxing brethren. Jacoby has hit a ridiculous stride, going 6-0-1 in his 2d stint with the UFC to path best right title contender Magomed Ankalaev for the longest unbeaten streak within the gentle heavyweight division. The cool aspect about Rountree is that if he's on, he might land that one shot to completely get rid of Jacoby's shine.
This fight became positioned as the main card opener for a reason and i wholly are expecting it to carry from an motion standpoint. in case you see this one ending in a conclude, Rountree may still be your choose, but I suppose it goes the gap and that Jacoby's sustained offense will be the difference within the judges' eyes.
choose: Jacoby
Preliminaries
Phil Hawes def. Roman Dolidze
Andrei Arlovski def. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Jun Yong Park def. Joseph Holmes
Chase Hooper def. Steve Garcia
Carlos Mota def. Cody Durden
Christian Rodriguez def. Joshua Weems
Post a Comment