Preview: Dream 7

Takafumi Otsuka vs. Bibiano Fernandes

The evening's most bittersweet bout is a pairing of two fighters who are criminally underrated and overlooked, making it all the more unfortunate that one of them must lose.

The 22-year-old Otsuka was an unheralded unknown with a sub-.500 record when he started showing up in Brazilian promotion Fury FC. Then, over the course of two years, he showed marked improvement through a seven-bout unbeaten streak that saw him challenge Rafael dos Anjos for the promotion's lightweight crown. Otsuka, who should be campaigning as a bantamweight, arguably defeated the UFC employee. Not too shabby at all.

Much more was expected from Fernandes, who boasts five BJJ world titles and was one of the grappling world's great talents, and despite racking up a 1-2 record (like Otsuka) in his first three bouts, he showed it. Of course, bouts two and three came against Urijah Faber, whom he was besting until he was stopped on a cut, and tournament favorite Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, whom he went nip-and-tuck with for 15 minutes. You won't fight a more sensational 3-2 fighter on the planet, believe me.

While Otsuka continues to show fight-to-fight improvement, he still lacks any great skills beyond toughness and physicality, or anything resembling a conscientious game plan. Worse yet, while Fernandes isn't a hulking featherweight, he'll still likely be the stronger of the two fighters. Unless Otsuka has miraculously matured into a diligent sprawl-and-brawl stylist in the last three months, he's going to spend the bout glued to the bottom of the mat against Fernandes, and it will be a simple case of whether he can avoid a submission and make it to the final bell. That said, there's little shame in losing to Fernandes, who will emerge as this tournament's breakout talent.