Lightweights
Devonte Smith (10-1, N/A) vs. Khama Worthy (12-6, N/A): Smith’s an interesting up and comer at lightweight, even if there are still a ton of questions about his overall game. “King Cage” has done an impressive job of starching everyone in his path under the UFC and Dana White’s Contender Series banners, but a 2017 loss to John Gunther sticks out on his record as a red flag that suggests Smith may have trouble against more well-rounded competition. John Makdessi figured to be a solid test, albeit not one that would challenge Smith’s defensive wrestling, but with Makdessi getting injured and his short-notice substitution, Clay Collard, also withdrawing, the UFC made the call to bring in Worthy. The 32-year-old Worthy enters his debut on a three-fight winning streak but has fallen short whenever his degree of difficulty has increased, as it did in regional bouts with Paul Felder, Matt Bessette and Kyle Nelson. Faced with the younger, faster and more well-rounded Smith on late notice, the deck appears to be stacked against him. Smith by first-round knockout is the pick.Advertisement
Bantamweights
Cory Sandhagen (11-1, -160) vs. Raphael Assuncao (27-6, +140): Sadly for Assuncao, it looks like the championship window is now closed. Assuncao’s counter-heavy style makes for exactly the type of unremarkable wins the UFC does not reward, but he eventually racked up enough of them to be a clear top contender circa 2014-15, only for injuries to get in the way of a long-awaited title shot. It has not helped that the UFC has taken his best wins away from him. A 2013 victory over T.J. Dillashaw was always in the Brazilian’s back pocket while Dillashaw was champion, but the UFC saw fit to make a rematch at UFC 200 that a rusty Assuncao subsequently lost. It was a similar story for his last fight, a main event against Marlon Moraes in February. Assuncao spoiled Moraes’ UFC debut with a decision victory in 2017 but did not gain much traction as a result and gave back the win via a first-round club and sub. It remains unclear if that says more about Moraes’ dynamism or the possibility that Assuncao might finally be starting to fall off, but Sandhagen makes for a tricky follow-up, especially given the improvement the Colorado native showed in his last fight -- a win over John Lineker. Sandhagen previously showed an all-out aggressive style, but even while he pressed the pace against Lineker, he managed to effectively feint and keep a range in a way that kept “Hands of Stone” on his toes and eventually earned Sandhagen the narrow win. That type of layered striking, along with Sandhagen’s enormous size for the bantamweight division, could cause Assuncao a ton of trouble on the feet, but a major factor here is that Assuncao can test Sandhagen’s grappling more than any of his previous opponents. Sandhagen has shown some talent on the mat with a willingness to scramble, but that is also the exact type of scenario in which Assuncao can grab an arm and finish things where someone like Iuri Alcantara could not. If Sandhagen can keep this standing, this could easily be a huge win for the upstart, but after some trouble early, Assuncao figures to be able to take this to the mat as an escape hatch. The pick is Assuncao via second-round submission.Lightweights
Drakkar Klose (10-1-1, -210) vs. Christos Giagos (17-7, +175): Klose has made a solid UFC career out of playing spoiler. Within five bouts, Klose has beaten the much more hyped Marc Diakiese and Lando Vannata rather handily, owing to a strong clinch game that he is slowly supplementing with some decent striking. There are some concerns, however. David Teymur managed to outbox him without much trouble, and Klose probably did not deserve his last decision win over Bobby Green. Klose was scheduled to face Beneil Dariush in Sacramento, California, in July, but with Dariush suffering an injury days before, Klose was quickly re-booked for another card in the same state, as he steps in against a California native in Giagos. During his first UFC stint and through the beginning of his second, Giagos has fought in well-rounded but relatively aimless fashion, though in recent bouts against Mizuto Hirota and Damir Hadzovic he has shown a willingness to focus things around a strong offensive wrestling game. That will be the key once again, as for all of Klose’s success in the clinch, Green managed to raise some concerns about his ability to stay upright when his opponent just chooses to shoot in on his hips. Add in that Giagos will be the quicker and more mobile striker, and this is a tricky matchup for Klose. None of that may matter if Klose can bully him against the fence early and often, but the pick is Giagos via decision.Bantamweights
Manny Bermudez (14-0, -125) vs. Casey Kenney (12-1-1, +105): Bermudez does not waste a nickname as great as “The Bermudez Triangle,” as the Massachusetts native has continued to show off the venomous grappling game that brought him up the regional ranks, earning three submissions in three UFC bouts. That is basically the entirety of his game, however. He does seem to have some natural knockout power, but Bermudez’s standup is the type of work in progress that will likely get him knocked out at some point in the near future. It is unclear if Kenney is the guy to make that happen, but he should prove to be Bermudez’s toughest test to date. He is a patient striker with some solid wrestling of his own, so if he can survive early, Kenney is exactly the type of opponent who can break down Bermudez in a kickboxing match to keep him at bay. However, in Kenney’s UFC debut, a late-notice win against Ray Borg, he still found himself fighting back from Borg’s attempts to take things into the clinch or onto the mat -- a reality that suggests Bermudez will be able to take things into his comfort zone without much trouble. The pick is Bermudez via first-round submission, but this is getting closer to the point where he could lose in one-sided fashion.Last Fights » UFC Fight Pass Prelims
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