#6 The Prelims: UFC on ESPN+ card
Although we don't have an official announcement yet, it looks like this weekend's seven prelims will be shown on the ESPN+ streaming service.
At the top of that preliminary card sits a Welterweight bout between veterans Carlos Condit and Court McGee. A few years ago, this would've made the main card for sure, but the truth is that both men have fallen on seriously hard times.
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Incredibly, you've got to go all the way back to 2015 to find the last time Condit won a fight. 'The Natural Born Killer' took over a year off between 2016 and 2017, but since his return, he just hasn't looked like the dangerous fighter he once did. The likely explanation is the fact that he's simply taken too much punishment over the years.
A grinder by nature, McGee last won a fight in 2018, but he's still 1-4 in his last five. For me, this fight should come down to whether Condit can get his offense going. If he can, then McGee is definitely beatable. But if he can't, then 'The Crusher' can grind him down. I feel sad in saying it, but I'm picking McGee via decision.
In the Middleweight division, Jordan Williams faces Nassourdine Imavov. Known as 'The Russian Sniper,' Imavov looks like a dangerous prospect, with wins via KO and submission, and he appears to have a high athletic ceiling. Williams, meanwhile, is a striker fighting out of David Terrell's Nor-Cal Alliance camp.
This one is a tricky fight to pick as both men are somewhat unproven at this level. But I'm leaning towards the slightly more experienced Williams to outwork Imavov for a decision.
At Featherweight, Charles Jourdain takes on Josh Culibao. This, to me, is one of the easiest fights to pick on the card. Australia's Culibao didn't appear to offer a lot in his UFC debut, a one-sided loss to Jalin Turner. Jourdain, on the other hand, has shown tremendous potential at times, even KO'ing Doo Ho Choi, in a wild fight last year. Sure, 'Air' has lost two of his UFC fights, but his experience and punching power should allow him to KO Culibao here.
In a Bantamweight bout, Kyler Phillips takes on newcomer Cameron Else. This is a late-notice UFC debut for Else, an English fighter renowned for his pinpoint striking to the point that he's been nicknamed 'Camchida.' This could be a tricky fight for him, though. Phillips can strike, but he's also a highly dangerous grappler, and Else has been stopped on three occasions before. I'm going with Phillips via submission in this one.
At Strawweight, Loma Lookboonmee faces Jinh Yu Frey. Thailand's Lookboonmee is simply inexperienced in MMA – she's had just six fights, two of which came in the UFC, while Frey is a former Invicta champion. Both women are more used to fighting at 105lbs, so this should be a fair fight in that sense. This one's hard to pick, but I think Lookboonmee will outwork Frey for a decision.
In the Bantamweight division, Casey Kenney takes on Heili Alateng. A Chinese talent, Alateng has looked excellent in the UFC thus far and most recently edged out tricky veteran Ryan Benoit. Kenney, though, is a high-level prospect with plenty of talent. He's 3-1 in the UFC and has wins over Ray Borg, Manny Bermudez, Louis Smolka, and hot newcomer Brandon Royval.
I expect Alateng to make a real fight of this one – he's an excellent athlete who can hit hard – but I think Kenney is slightly too good for him and will edge out a decision.
Finally, Jessin Ayari takes on Luigi Vendramini in a Lightweight clash. Italy's Vendramini hasn't fought in two years and suffered a bad TKO in his UFC debut, while Ayari – more of a grinder – is 1-2 in his UFC career thus far and hasn't fought since 2018 either. This one probably depends on who can return from such a long layoff best, but I think Vendramini is the better athlete, so I'm going with him via decision.