Preview: UFC Fight Night 208 Prelims

The UFC's second trip to London in 2022 has a tough act to follow, but a strong eight-fight prelim card suggests this event may just be up to the task. The featured prelim is a late addition between all-action lightweights, as Mason Jones looks to continue his streak of exciting fights against what should be a game Ludovit Klein. Further down, there's the expected mix of European talent with a British focus, with elite flyweight prospect Muhammad Mokaev leading the way against his toughest test yet in UFC newcomer Charles Johnson. Past that, the UFC's done well to give some local fighters opportunities at some impressive wins; add in what figures to be an electric atmosphere, and this is all worth watching.

Lightweights

Mason Jones (11-1, 1 NC | 1-1, 1 NC UFC) vs. Ludovit Klein (18-4 | 2-2 UFC)

Odds: Jones (-320), Klein (+265)

This should be a banger of a bout between promising lightweights. Mason Jones earned his hype ahead of his 2021 UFC debut, becoming a two-division champion in Cage Warriors beforehand, and the Welshman made a strong first impression. He lost that debut bout against Mike Davis, but the fight was an all-out war, allowing "The Dragon" to show off both his durability and aggression in going toe-to-toe with Davis over the course of fifteen minutes. It took a bit longer than expected for Jones to actually get his first UFC win - a subsequent fight against Alan Patrick was clearly headed that way until an accidental eye poke rendered the fight a no contest - but Jones has looked like an absolutely relentless force thus far, even if he's eating a lot of offense from his opponents in the process. Provided his chin holds up, Jones looks like he'll find contender status by honing his craft through repeated hard-fought battles, the latest of which figures to be against Ludovit Klein. The UFC's first Slovakian fighter, Klein's debut went as well as possible excepting his weight miss on the scale, as he quickly obliterated Shane Young with his signature kick to the head. But follow-up losses to Mike Trizano and Nate Landwehr were clear disappointments; faced with opponents who were able to eat Klein's offense and continue meeting him head-on, Klein quickly became uncomfortable and seemed to run out of ideas. Klein rebounded with a March win over Devonte Smith in which he looked better, but he's still a fighter who seems to depend on huge single strikes to instill some fear in his opponents and give him some space to work. Klein should be able to land some big moments of offense, but Jones looks perfectly able to tank damage here and wear the Slovakian out over time; the pick is Jones via third-round stoppage.

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