Preview: UFC on ESPN 18 Main Card

Heavyweights

NR | Josh Parisian (13-3, 0-0 UFC) vs. NR | Parker Porter (9-6, 0-1 UFC)

ODDS: Parisian (-230), Porter (+190)

If nothing else, these two heavyweights have certainly put in the work for their spot on the UFC roster. Back in 2018, Parisian stepped in on late notice and scored a spinning backfist knockout of Greg Rebello on Dana White’s Contender Series. Given historical precedent, most—including Parisian—expected that performance would punch his ticket to the UFC, but he was instead given a slot on an upcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” After failing to win his season, Parisian returned to the regional scene for a bit before finally earning his UFC contract via another DWCS win in August. He will make his long-awaited promotional debut against Porter, who also took the long road to the Octagon. Porter has been around long enough that he was one of Jon Jones’ early-career opponents, and it seemed like the UFC window had shut for the regional stalwart after more than a decade on the New England scene. However, Porter got the call for a late-notice fight in August, and while he did not get to show much in a quick loss to Chris Daukaus, he could rebound here. Parisian does have some solid movement for a man his size and can certainly crack, but he has traditionally struggled against more powerful wrestlers. While Porter is not much of an athlete, his typical approach of applying constant pressure in the hope of grinding out and outlasting his opponent could pay some dividends. Of course, that relies on Porter being able to survive Parisian’s early offense, and while he has traditionally seemed to be durable, the fact that Daukaus took care of him easily is not particularly promising. This is the type of unranked heavyweight fight that does not breed much confidence in a pick either way, but the call is for Parisian to find a first-round knockout.

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