Preview: UFC 319 ‘Du Plessis vs. Chimaev’

Flyweights

Kai Asakura (21-5, 0-1 UFC) vs. Tim Elliott (20-13-1, 9-11 UFC)

BETTING ODDS: Asakura (-310), Elliott (+250)

A recent UFC title challenger, Asakura looks for his first win inside the Octagon here. It was a bit surprising to see Asakura get a title shot immediately upon his UFC debut, but he certainly put in the sweat equity to get there, essentially going from street fighter to one of the best mixed martial artists in Japan. The UFC needed a fresh challenger for Alexandre Pantoja and Asakura was available, so he was brought into the fold for the biggest opportunity possible, even if it didn’t go particularly well for the UFC newcomer. At his best, Asakura is a tall and powerful striker who can pick the right moments to absolutely obliterate his opponent, but he didn’t get many opportunities to do so against Pantoja. The champion quickly embraced the grind and found Asakura’s takedown and grappling defense lacking, eventually working his way to a second-round submission. Elliott figures to test many of the same areas while still being a softer challenge for Asakura, though he figures to be a tough assignment if he keeps up his form prior to this 20-month layoff.

Elliott slid out of the UFC in 2015 before quickly earning his way back to the promotion through “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2016, which earned him an immediate title shot against Demetrious Johnson. Since falling short against the great “Mighty Mouse,” Elliott has essentially served as the line between flyweight contention and the rest of the division. Awkward by choice, Elliott looks to chain his motion-heavy but inefficient striking game into the grappling game where he’s at his best. When everything was fully clicking for Elliott a few years ago, he was able to get by opponents as a consistent three-round fighter. However, after some personal turmoil necessitated some camp changes, some of his previous issues pacing himself have resurfaced, with Elliott tiring out late even in fights where he’s doing well. That’s the main concern here, even before considering Elliott’s long layoff in his late 30s. Elliott figures to get off to a hot start, but if he’s unable to get a quick submission, this firmly looks like a matchup where his own success could just wind up tiring him out. That’s a dangerous spot to be in against Asakura. The pick is Asakura via third-round knockout.

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Du Plessis vs. Chimaev
Pico vs. Murphy
Prates vs. Neal
Page vs. Cannonier
Asakura vs. Elliott
The Prelims