Preview: UFC 251 ‘Usman vs. Masvidal’ Prelims

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Featherweights

Makwan Amirkhani (15-4) vs. Danny Henry (12-3)

ODDS: Amirkhani (-210), Henry (+175)

Amirkhani’s UFC debut was a bit of false advertising in retrospect. “Mr. Finland” blasted Andy Ogle for a knockout in just eight seconds, but he has traditionally been more of an aggressive grappler than anything else. At any rate, it did rightfully show that Amirkhani was a prospect to watch, even if his development has not gone as planned over the last five-plus years. Amirkhani has certainly been a more willing striker but not to particularly great effect. He is still at his best when he takes things to the mat, even if he has worn himself out in scrambles when faced with better competition. With that said, Amirkhani is still a physical talent who can cause some problems, which should come through against Scotland’s Henry, who has had a surprisingly successful UFC career. Henry’s pre-UFC resume was not particularly impressive, as he eschewed the European scene to fight on the much weaker South African circuit. However, he managed to outlast Daniel Teymur in his UFC debut before scoring a sudden knockout of Hakeem Dawodu. Dan Ige blasted Henry to put an end to the Scot’s impressive winning streak, but he could rebound with a win here. It is difficult to pin down any particular standout skill for Henry, but he gets by on outlasting and overwhelming his more talented opponents. That could mean a ton of trouble for Amirkhani in the third round, but it first has to get to that point. The Finn should be able to take over the fight before things start to go south. The pick is Amirkhani via first-round submission.

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