Preview: UFC on ESPN 49 ‘Holm vs. Bueno Silva’

Lightweights

Nazim Sadykhov (8-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Terrance McKinney (13-5, 3-2 UFC)

ODDS: Sadykhov (-150), McKinney (+130)

McKinney has always taken a clear but flawed approach to his fights, bringing enough talent to the table that it just might work. A former collegiate wrestler and a standout athlete, “T. Wrecks” dumps out his gas tank in pursuit of a quick finish with the knowledge that he will be a sitting duck within a few minutes. That is normally the type of game to get exposed against better competition, but McKinney’s speed and accuracy were enough to keep racking up wins. His Octagon debut saw him knock Matt Frevola out in just seven seconds, and the biggest fight of his UFC career saw him nearly knock out the typically uncrackable Drew Dober before burning himself out. McKinney rebounded from the Dober loss by snapping back to form with a win over Erick Gonzalez, but his January loss to Ismael Bonfim was a bit concerning. McKinney seemed to have a more patient approach, which is fine in a vacuum, but in practice, it looked to give him the worst of both worlds, not getting much done before falling victim to another second-round finish. It would be nice for McKinney to course correct here, though Sadykhov is a tough assignment for a rebound. Representing Azerbaijan, Sadykhov’s style is mostly based on winning a war of attrition. “Black Wolf” looks to have a lot of tools that should let him run over opponents, but in practice, his fights turn out relatively even up until the point that something winds up working out for him. In the case of his UFC debut, that was a third-round cut stoppage that earned him a sudden win over Evan Elder in February—Sadykhov's fourth third-round victory in his last five fights. Even a peak McKinney is a coinflip against a fighter who looks as tough as Sadykhov, and he is even harder to trust after the Bonfim performance. The pick is Sadykhov via second-round stoppage.

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Holm vs. Bueno Silva
Park vs. Duraev
Dumont vs. Chandler
Prado vs. Azaitar
Sadykhov vs. McKinney
The Prelims