Is it really surprising that the most interesting contest on the televised prelims of UFC Argentina – both visually and in terms of divisional standings – is taking place in the flyweight division? You know, the same division the UFC is eliminating. Perhaps I’m in the minority of fans that actually care about flyweights, but I’d rather take a fast-paced contest chock-full of competitive scrambles over a pair of heavyweights breathing hard as they lean against one another. Am I alone in my thinking here?
What it boils down to is enjoy the flyweights in the UFC while you can. It doesn’t mean you won’t be able to find flyweight action anywhere, but the UFC has been convenient due to their ability to gather more top-notch talent than other organizations. Also, you might want to consider skipping this part of UFC Argentina too. The UFC just isn’t giving the third-most populous South American country much to work with in it’s debut there. Like I said with the Fight Pass preview, I’ve got you covered anyway.
The FS1 prelims begin at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT on Saturday.
Michel Prazeres (25-2) vs. Bartosz Fabinski (14-2), Welterweight
There is a strong possibility you’ll want to avert your eyes from this contest as both competitors have a long history of grindy, lay-and-pray victories. I suppose this could be an attractive contest if you suffer from insomnia...
Prazeres was plying his trade at lightweight before missing weight three times, leaving the brass no choice but to force him up to 170. His first fight in his new home saw him secure a slight upset over Zak Cummings on the back of his improved boxing. He’s always been a top-heavy grappler with decent takedowns. Being able to now supplement his above-average grappling with a standup game that does more than bridge the gap to his takedowns made him a dark horse when he was at lightweight. If Prazeres can continue to defy the odds despite his short stature – he’s only 5’6” with a 67” reach – he could turn himself into a fun underdog story at welterweight.
Fabinski will only make it easier to get behind the Brazilian as the Polish fighter is the quintessential grinder. His wrestling is methodical, technical, and less exciting than watching paint dry. Being boring doesn’t equate with being ineffective though as he’s relentless in his takedowns, often succeeding on the second and third tries. Fabinski doesn’t score much effective offense on the ground, but does such a good job of avoiding his opponents offense that his lack of damage doesn’t matter too much.
Both Prazeres and Fabinski have proven to be difficult to take down, though something has to give. If we end up with a dry kickboxing battle, Prazeres has to be the favorite as Fabinski’s striking only functions to close the gap and keep his opponent at bay. Add Prazeres’ submission skills and there appears to be only one logical pick in this contest. Prazeres via decision
Alexandre Pantoja (19-3) vs. Ulka Sasaki (21-5-2), Flyweight
While both of these formerly hot prospects have developed into solid strikers, fans should be clamoring to see what these two can do on the ground. For example, Sasaki has yet to win a fight in the UFC by any way other than securing an RNC. While that’s indicative of Sasaki being a hell of a back-take specialist and an excellent scrambler, it’s also indicative of someone with a shallow skill set. To be fair, Sasaki has improved his striking to the point that his opponents have to take his power seriously, but he’s still eminently hittable.
Pantoja’s skill set undoubtedly runs deeper, though the same can’t be said of his gas tank. A lot of that can be attributed to the Brazilian more often than not storming out of the gate with hard punches and heavy kicks. However, if he can’t get his opponent out of there early or build up a sizeable lead, he’s in trouble. When fresh, Pantoja’s BJJ is much more basic, but also much more defensively sound as he’s never been submitted in his career. Sasaki can’t say the same thing.
This is one of the contests I’m most looking forward to on the card. Even if the fight doesn’t hit the mat, neither one of these guys are prone to boring fights. Sasaki’s recklessness makes him the more dangerous fighter, but it also makes him more prone to mistakes. Pantoja has been showing progress in his fight IQ in recent contests, showing an excellent strategy against Brandon Moreno. That’s enough to have me leaning his way. Pantoja via submission, RD1
Humberto Bandenay (14-5, 1 NC) vs. Austin Arnett (15-5), Featherweight
At one point, I was high on Arnett. He’s a tall featherweight at 6’0” and possesses a solid jab that’s accentuated by his reach. It turns out that Arnett was feasting on a low level of competition on the regional scene as his aggression hasn’t translated to the big show; his defense being nonexistent, and his punches coming up short. These are all correctable issues and the best way to learn how to beat better opposition is to gain experience against better opposition. In other words, all isn’t lost for Arnett. Regaining his confidence would be a good start…
Bandenay should bring out the aggression in Arnett as Bandenay has never shown any issues letting his fists fly or searching for a sub. Far from a technical master, Bandenay has been making strides to tighten up on the feet. Whether he can – or has – done that on the ground has yet to be seen as the longest of his two UFC contests has gone 39 seconds. Whether on the feet or on the ground, Bandenay lives by the sword and dies by the sword.
I don’t feel comfortable picking either combatant in a fight, which is why it makes sense to square them off against one another. If Arnett can resemble the aggressive fighter who went to war against Brandon Davis on the Contender Series, he’s the easy pick in this one as Bandenay doesn’t have the technical skill set to take advantage of him the way Arnett’s recent opponents have. It’s a risk, but I’ll lean towards the American for that reason. Arnett via decision
Laureano Staropoli (7-1) vs. Hector Aldana (4-1), Welterweight
The most important thing to note about this contest is this shouldn’t be taking place in the UFC. I can understand why they brought in CM Punk as he had name recognition, meaning a lot of people were interested to see what the former WWE champion could do. But nobody has heard of or cares about Staropoli or Aldana. This contest shouldn’t be happening in this organization.
Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, Aldana did show far more in his repertoire than anyone expected in his UFC debut this past summer. The Mexican fighter put together some decent punching combinations and even secured a pair of well-timed takedowns in the process. Most of Aldana’s offense came from low kicks, though he does have some power in his fists. However, his defense is still terrible and he has a long way to go before he’s a finished product.
There is no doubt the only reason Staropoli is on the card is his Argentine blood. There appears to be a bit more raw talent to work with than Aldana, but he’s also faced a very low level of competition…like as low as you can get. It isn’t completely his fault as there isn’t much to choose from in Argentina, but a combined 19 fights total out of his opposition when he faced them? Yikes. Staropoli has some kickboxing experience and plenty of power, but he’s also terrible defensively.
I’d rather not pay any attention to this contest as Aldana appears to be too deep into his career to become worthwhile at this juncture and it’s far too early to tell with Staropoli. There isn’t much to analyze either. Given how often Staropoli was pieced up in the limited footage I did see, I can’t trust him in the slightest…though I hardly care. Aldana via TKO, RD2