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

Welterweights

Themba Gorimbo (12-4, 2-1 UFC) vs. Ramiz Brahimaj (10-4, 2-2 UFC)

ODDS: Gorimbo (-135), Brahimaj (+114)

Gorimbo was easy to write off ahead of his UFC debut, as the Zimbabwean had some decent ideas in terms of pace and aggression but didn’t show much of the requisite skill to succeed in a major promotion. After a rough debut, “The Answer” has overachieved impressively by winning his two fights since. His performances can still be a bit messy, but a move stateside and all the ensuing changes seems to have paid off greatly, as he’s shown some more effective power and physicality, handily outwrestling Takashi Sato before brutally knocking out Pete Rodriguez in February.

Brahimaj serves as the right next step for both men, as he offers a clearly tough test while also being a winnable fight. A signing early on in the coronavirus pandemic, Brahimaj has put together a solid four-fight run almost solely on the back of his wrestling and grappling. He’s not an outright liability on the feet, but Brahimaj knows where he’s most effective and looks to get things to the mat quickly. If Brahimaj has a clear wrestling and grappling advantage, he can usually find a quick submission, but when he’s gotten stranded on the feet, he’s been able to do little but survive. After some inactivity early on in his UFC career, Brahimaj beat Micheal Gillmore on a six-week turnaround that seemingly announced his attention to pick up the pace of his career. Unfortunately, a string of injuries has now left Brahimaj out of action for nearly two and a half years, which makes it interesting to see how he turns up here. If he shows up anything like his previous form, he should have the chops to win a grappling-heavy affair. The pick is Brahimaj via second-round submission.

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Barboza vs. Murphy
Williams vs. Harris
Gorimbo vs. Brahimaj
Yanez vs. Salvador
Hill vs. Pinheiro
The Prelims