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Heavyweights
NR | Parker Porter (11-6, 2-1 UFC) vs. NR | Alan Baudot (8-2, 0-1 UFC)ODDS: Porter (-250), Baudot (+200)
Porter’s current two-fight winning streak has been a pleasant surprise, since his signing came out of left field to begin with. A professional since 2007—long enough that he was a pre-UFC victim of Jon Jones—Porter has been a sturdy regional veteran but did not appear to be the type of prospect that the UFC would pick up. Porter has a well-put-together approach, but his UFC debut opposite Chris Daukaus certainly made it seem like his tenure would be a short one. Porter is not particularly athletic, and suffering a quick knockout to Daukaus suggested he did not have the requisite chin for a UFC heavyweight. As it turns out, Daukaus was much better than anyone expected, and Porter has been completely reliable. Josh Parisian and Chase Sherman were unable to knock out Porter, and as a result, the Connecticut native managed to plug forward and grind out ugly wins. For his next challenge, Porter looks to make it three straight victories against France’s Baudot, who is looking for his first UFC win. A training partner of Ciryl Gane, Baudot does have some power, but that is been about all “The Black Samourai” has brought to the table. His proclivity for wild, spinning strikes makes his game inefficient, so even after a hot start against Rodrigo Nascimento in his most recent assignment, Baudot quickly got tired and was finished as a result. That is also the dynamic in play here. Porter can certainly be knocked out and does get tired himself, but he figures to outlast Baudot and take over this fight if it gets out of the first round. Baudot is not a reliable finisher at this point, so the pick is Porter via decision.
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