Preview: UFC on ESPN 17 ‘Santos vs. Teixeira’

THE HURRICANE TOUCHES DOWN!! @IanHeinischMMA with a MAJOR performance #UFC250 pic.twitter.com/uqQIkSI1ns

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) June 7, 2020

Middleweights

Ian Heinisch (14-3) vs. Brendan Allen (15-3)

ODDS: Allen (-110), Heinisch (-110)

This fight should be a whirlwind of entertainment. Heinisch has a crazy life story—the 10,000-foot view involves drug dealing, honing his wrestling skills in prison in the Canary Islands and a stint at Rikers Island—that resulted in Colorado’s “Hurricane” becoming an overnight success upon hitting the UFC. It took Heinisch all of two wins to get a number next to his name, and he did so with a relatively simple approach. Heinisch would consistently pressure forward in an attempt to force his opponent into shooting, at which point he would rely on his wrestling chops to win the ensuing scrambles and come out the better man. Cezar Ferreira and Antonio Carlos Jr. were all too willing to take that bait, but things quickly fell apart in his next two fights, as Derek Brunson and Omari Akhmedov exposed Heinisch’s complete lack of weapons when forced to lead the dance. That made his June knockout of Gerald Meerschaert a pleasant surprise. Heinisch is an absolute tank of an athlete, so if he can develop a more consistent approach when it comes to initiating offense, the sky is the limit. He probably will not need to lead against Allen, as he is more than willing to take the fight to his opponent early and often. Allen’s whole approach feels like it should have been blown apart by now, but the Louisianan has been surprisingly successful, seemingly through sheer force of will. Even his three pre-UFC losses came to opponents who eventually found their way onto the UFC roster. Allen is an absolute maniac, looking to rush in on his opponent and initiate chaos in the form of scramble after scramble; and while Allen does not bank on being successful every time out, the gamble that he will either tire out his opponents or eventually find their neck keeps cashing in. Both men are going to get exactly the fight that they want: Heinisch is at his best when opponents charge right into him, and charging forward is how Allen finds his success. Heinisch’s 2017 loss to Markus Perez shows that Allen can certainly find a win here, as Perez offers little except a submission threat. Still, it is difficult not to favor Heinisch as the much stronger athlete if this is going to be a fight determined by grappling exchanges. The pick is Heinisch via decision.

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