Preview: UFC Fight Night 214 ‘Rodriguez vs. Lemos’

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Flyweights

#15 FLW | Tagir Ulanbekov (13-2, 2-1 UFC) vs. Nathan Maness (14-2, 3-1 UFC)

ODDS: Ulanbekov (-210), Maness (+180)

It will be interesting to see how this cut down to flyweight goes for Maness, as he has been a bit of an odd fighter already in the UFC. Already a large bantamweight, “Mayhem” has been willing to cede ground to his opponents with the faith that he could find some moments to outlast them and turn things around. It is a risky gambit, but it worked to a shockingly well degree in second-round knockouts of Luke Sanders and Tony Gravely. Then Maness ran into Umar Nurmagomedov, who managed to control him for 15 minutes without much issue. Now, Maness moves down to 125 pounds, which could pay huge dividends if he can actually make it happen, as he will be absolutely massive for the division. At any rate, this bout against Ulanbekov should be an excellent proof-of-concept test for Maness. Ulanbekov fits right into the typical Dagestani approach of looking to test his opponents on the mat often. In Ulanbekov’s case, he is not quite as much of a lockdown grappler as his countrymen and teammates. Beyond smaller opponents being harder to control, Ulanbekov is not the standout athlete who can stay ahead of things every step of the way. As a result, each of his UFC wins has seen him walking a bit of a tightrope to outwork Bruno Silva and Allan Nascimento; Tim Elliott eked out a decision win against him in March on sheer activity. There is a chance that Maness could turn that into something if he is simply too big to control, but the worry involves him getting over the hump to an actual victory. Ulanbekov can get hit hard but has been difficult to outright finish, and Maness does not tend to throw the type of volume that clearly wins rounds—a concern only made worse with this cut down in weight. In a well-matched fight, the pick is Ulanbekov via decision.

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Rodriguez vs. Lemos
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The Prelims