Preview: UFC 259 Prelims

Flyweights

#8 | Kai Kara France (21-9, 4-2 UFC) vs. #8 | Rogerio Bontorin (16-2, 2-1 UFC)

ODDS: France (-140), Bontorin (+120)

France came to the UFC just as the promotion seemed to be shuttering the flyweight division, but the situation has worked out thus far for the Kiwi. The 125-pound division lives on, and “Don’t Blink” has been a consistently exciting part of it. France had a memorable 30-second knockout of Terrence Mitchell on Season 24 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” and while he typically is not an overwhelming finishing threat, it did show the damage that France can do with his hands. France is a sharp and smart boxer, but he has had some trouble against the faster and more aggressive athletes of the division. Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval were each able to keep a pace on France and leave him struggling to catch up. Brazil’s Bontorin should be an interesting next challenge, as he is one of the more underrated talents in the UFC’s flyweight division. Bontorin announced himself immediately with a decision victory over Magomed Bibulatov in his UFC debut, which served as one of the biggest upsets of 2019. Bontorin is a wildman on the feet, but the best part of his game is his grappling, which is where he was able to turn around and control his fight against Bibulatov. After a follow-up win over Raulian Paiva, Bontorin got outwrestled by Ray Borg in a bit of a disheartening loss. Now having missed over a year due to injury, Bontorin looks to recapture some of his lost momentum with a victory. Bontorin’s ability on the mat makes this interesting, as France can be lured into sloppy fights that do not suit him nearly as well. However, Bontorin does not look to have the type of range striking or technical depth on the feet that typically forces France to mix things up. The pick is France via decision.

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