Preview: UFC Seattle Prelims

Middleweights

Mansur Abdul-Malik (7-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Nick Klein (6-1, 0-0 UFC)

ODDS: Abdul-Malik (-950), Klein (+575)

It will be interesting to see exactly how much Abdul-Malik can turn his potential into production. A solid collegiate wrestler and obvious standout athlete, Abdul-Malik’s game is mostly held together by horsepower at the moment. The good news? He has plenty of that to spare. He hits like a truck, with some particularly brutal ground-and-pound standing out at Abdul-Malik’s most effective weapon. That should get him through the lower reaches of the UFC’s middleweight roster as Abdul-Malik learns on the job, though a fellow 2024 Contender Series alum in Klein could wind up as a tricky next test. Klein has mostly been a quick finisher on the back of a slick submission game—a trend that kept up in his contract-earning victory—but he does seem to have some decent ideas, complementing his ground game with a kicking attack that has at least served to keep a lot of competition at bay. However, none of that looks particularly ready to stand up in the face of a standout athlete like Abdul-Malik. Klein might have a chance at finding a submission whenever Abdul-Malik chooses to wrestle. Still, even that phase provides ample opportunity for Abdul-Malik to simply put Klein’s lights out. The pick is Abdul-Malik via first-round knockout.

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