Preview: UFC Fight Night 241 ‘Barboza vs. Murphy’

Welterweights

Kalinn Williams (14-3, 5-2 UFC) vs. Carlston Harris (19-5, 4-1 UFC)

ODDS: Williams (-130), Harris (+110)

This is a fascinating pairing of two flawed fighters that could go any number of ways. Williams is still trying to live up to the hot start of his UFC career, but what a start it was. An afterthought as a late replacement ahead of his UFC debut in 2020, Williams knocked out Alex Morono in just 27 seconds, then followed it up with a brutal 30-second knockout of Abdul Razak Alhassan later that year. Once opponents learned to maneuver around Williams’ knockout power, results have been a bit more mixed. Williams can still absolutely obliterate a reckless opponent but tends to get overly patient and wait for his opportunity against opponents willing to stay cautious and stay at range. Throw in Williams’ proclivity to mix in an ugly clinch game, and it’s unclear how that whole package of skills will work against Harris, who’s done surprisingly well for himself since his UFC debut in 2021.

The UFC’s first Guyanese fighter, Harris can be messy at points, but he’s focused and effective. If he’s not trying to overwhelm his opponent with wild strikes, Harris is latched onto his opponents in an attempt to drag them to the ground and score a submission. However, “Mocambique” is coming off two performances that weren’t the most inspiring, even if both were wins. A decision victory over Jared Gooden was low on aggression and never got into another gear, while Harris got outwrestled and dominated by Jeremiah Wells up until the point that he scored a come-from-behind submission in the third round. This could make for a strange fight where the two essentially keep trying to hand each other the win if they fight behind their usual style. Williams is likely to consent to either a slow-paced striking match or a clinch-fest where Harris could grab a submission. However, it also seems unlikely that Harris will fight safe enough to keep himself out of danger. This could be an absolute mess, but the safest bet seems to be Williams’ knockout power. The pick is Williams via second-round knockout.

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Barboza vs. Murphy
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The Prelims