Preview: UFC 283 Prelims

Tom FeelyJan 18, 2023

Welterweights

Gabriel Bonfim (13-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Mounir Lazzez (11-2, 2-1 UFC)

ODDS: Bonfim (-190), Lazzez (+160)

This should be one of two entertaining sprints involving the Bonfim brothers. The more dynamic of the siblings goes in this one, as he is a bouncy striker with a surprising amount of grappling skill. While he reads as someone who is more focused on a flashy knockout, the vast majority of the Brazilian’s wins have come via submission. He essentially fell into one of those submission wins on Dana White’s Contender Series in September, as Trey Waters went for an ill-advised guillotine and fell victim to a shoulder choke. The overall package is something to watch, though Bonfim gets a tough test in his first UFC fight against Lazzez. Tunisia’s Lazzez came to the UFC in 2020 as an obvious talent but also looked to be the type of overconfident striker who would be in for a rude awakening against more dangerous competition. Lazzez survived some early trouble and won an impressive UFC debut against Abdul Razak Alhassan, but those defensive issues reared their head in his sophomore effort: a quick knockout loss against Warlley Alves. Lazzez does seem to have learned from the defeat, as he looked like a more mindful fighter against Ange Loosa. Still, this should be a race to a finish between two dangerous fighters who put offense first, and it is essentially a coinflip. It would not be a shock to see Bonfim quickly score a takedown and a submission, but Lazzez gets the nod thanks to his more diverse offense and some better wrestling than you would think. The pick is Lazzez via first-round knockout.



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Potieria vs. Rua
Rodrigues vs. Ferreira
Moises vs. Costa
Bonfim vs. Lazzez
Almeida vs. Abdurakhimov
Stamann vs. Lacerda
McKinney vs. Bonfim
Alves vs. Dalby
Nunes vs. Dos Santos
Oliveira vs. Marcos