Preview: UFC 313 Prelims

Featherweights

Mairon Santos (14-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Francis Marshall (8-2, 2-2 UFC)

ODDS: Santos (-355), Marshall (+280)

Santos is the latest winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” to try and make a name for himself inside the UFC, and this fight should go a long way towards showing the Brazilian’s readiness. Santos was on the verge of a UFC call-up before instead winding up on Season 32 of the reality series, where he mostly lived up to the scouting report as a sharp striker who could struggle against a dedicated wrestler. When it was time for the final fight of the season again Kaan Ofli, Santos picked an excellent time to have the best performance of his career. He kept Ofli at bay while landing some electric counters, the last of which knocked him out cold in the second round. Young but experienced, Santos is at the point where he should be set for the best run of his career, and Marshall is a strong next test to affirm the improvements that he showed in his last fight. Marshall is an athletic but raw prospect in his own right, taking the approach that a lot of young talents take nowadays. Marshall is dedicated to pressure and pace, with defense serving as an optional concern at this point. Marshall looked excellent in his 2022 UFC debut against Marcelo Rojo, but two subsequent losses showed some of his issues in his current state. William Gomis was able to frustrate Marshall and outmaneuver him from range for most of their fight, while Isaac Dulgarian just proved to be the better wrestler. On the plus side, Marshall got a win against Dennis Buzukja over the finish line in August—a solid result even in an understandably flat performance given that he stepped in on a few days’ notice. At any rate, Marshall figures to consistently press the issue and could wind up swamping Santos with his wrestling. It’s up Santos to prove his takedown defense is now up to snuff enough to keep this fight standing, at which point he should be able to land some hard counters at will. It’s an open question, but the call is that the Brazilian has improved enough to get this done. The pick is Santos via decision.

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