Preview: UFC 312 Prelims

Bantamweights

Aleksandre Topuria (5-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Colby Thicknesse (7-0, 0-0 UFC)

ODDS: Topuria (-410), Thicknesse (+320)

UFC newcomers go at it here. The older brother of the current UFC featherweight champion, much has been made of Topuria getting this shot because of his family ties. However, “El Cazador” is just as solid of a flier as a lot of recent Contender Series signees. With that said, Topuria is a bit of a mystery man, with only three fights since 2015, all ending via first-round knockout. Those fights show that Topuria certainly isn’t his brother but that he does possess some thudding power and a decent ability to pick his spots. They also provide no insight into his ground game, which seems sure to come into play in this fight against Thicknesse. Already regarded as a top prospect out of Australia, Thicknesse has in fact been at his best as a wrestler and a grappler. That’s not always a skill set that translates well from the Oceanic regional scene onto a global stage, but the hope is that “Slickness” can make a similar transition to teammate Alexander Volkanovski. Topuria is such a question mark that this is essentially a toss-up, but Thicknesse’s ground game is the most proven commodity in this matchup. The pick is Thicknesse via decision.

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