Preview: UFC Fight Night 237 ‘Moreno vs. Royval 2’

Bantamweights

Raul Rosas Jr. (8-1, 2-1 UFC) vs. Ricky Turcios (12-3, 2-1 UFC)

ODDS: Rosas (-265), Turcios (+215)

After a clear tune-up, the time has come for Rosas to try and pass another big test. Signed by the UFC at just 17 years old after his win on Dana White’s Contender Series—he made his UFC debut at age 18—Rosas immediately got the promotional push as someone to watch. Unsurprisingly, “El Nino Problema” had some questions to answer as a fighter so young, particularly as a somewhat one-dimensional wrestling and grappling specialist. Things went well enough in a one-sided debut against Jay Perrin to cap off 2022, but Rosas’ next fight was a rude awakening, as he looked absolutely gassed after Christian Rodriguez was able to stave off an early finish, dragging him into a decision loss that got quite disheartening by the end. Rosas’ September win over Terrence Mitchell was an absolute layup, and somewhat surprisingly, he immediately draws another tough veteran matchup here. Turcios has his own questions, however, particularly after a UFC career that has been quite inconsistent. Turcios was the standout personality on “The Ultimate Fighter” revival in 2021, winning the bantamweight bracket with an approach that was quite technically messy but could usually outwork opponents through sheer pace and willingness to cause chaos. That made Turcios’ first post-reality series performance extremely baffling. It remains unclear what Turcios was trying to accomplish, but he took a patient and feint-heavy approach that did little to create effective offense, losing a clear decision to Aiemann Zahabi in the process. Turcios’ subsequent win over Kevin Natividad was more of a return to form, but that Zahabi fight still lingers enough that it is hard to trust Turcios going forward. This should get to the mat quickly, and Turcios’ status as a defensive void could give Rosas a lot to work with in terms of hunting for an early finish. With that said, Turcios is a well-practiced grappler who has proven quite difficult to submit, and at this point, it is almost impossible to bank on Rosas coasting out a win if he cannot find that quick victory. The pick is Turcios via decision.

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Moreno vs. Royval
Rodriguez vs. Ortega
Zellhuber vs. Prado
Rosas Jr. vs. Turcios
Jauregui vs. Hughes
Torres vs. Duncan
The Prelims