Preview: UFC Fight Night 201 ‘Walker vs. Hill’

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Middleweights

NR | Kyle Daukaus (10-2, 1-2 UFC) vs. NR | Jamie Pickett (13-6, 2-2 UFC)

ODDS: Daukaus (-260), Pickett (+210)

Daukaus is in a weird spot. He is much better than his UFC record would suggest, but it is unclear if he can make a run towards true contention. The brother of heavyweight prospect Chris Daukaus, he is a former heavyweight himself, which shows in that he is large but slow-footed for a middleweight. Daukaus’ process is rock-solid and he is quite skilled, but that lack of dynamic athleticism seems to be what might hold him back from making a charge up the divisional ladder. Daukaus’ fight against Phil Hawes in May seems to be emblematic of that dynamic at play. In theory, Daukaus’ ability to pressure and wrestle his opponents figured to take advantage of Hawes’ historical tendency to gas. Despite Daukaus taking the right approach, he instead tired himself out trying to outmaneuver a much stronger opponent. Despite that, Daukaus has done well to be a tough out at worst and gained a bit of momentum with his October fight against Kevin Holland—initially a big win that turned into a no contest due to an accidental headbutt. However, it has been an exercise in frustration for Daukaus to get back in the cage. A Holland injury scratched a short-notice rematch, and multiple fights have fallen through for the Philadelphian until this catchweight co-main event with Pickett at 195 pounds. Pickett has the opposite problem as Daukaus, as “Nightwolf” is an obvious high-level athlete with plenty of physical potential who struggles to pull the trigger. Pickett looks excellent when he actually decides to spring into action, but those moments are all too rare, particularly after his May loss to Jordan Wright. Naturally, the one time that Pickett started a fight with aggression from the jump, he quickly wound up losing a firefight and getting knocked out. Pickett has since righted the ship with the first two wins of his UFC career, but both were ugly affairs that saw him grind out wins over Laureano Staropoli and Joseph Holmes. Nevertheless, a win is a win. This is a rough stylistic matchup for both men, which makes it interesting on paper. Daukaus’ approach of trying everything with constant activity and pressure is the superior round-winning style, but there is a chance he once again finds himself neutralized trying to wrestle with a much stronger opponent. Given that Pickett struggles to actually turn his positional dominance into any sort of effective offense, it is difficult to side with him, but he should at least succeed in making this an ugly exercise. The pick is Daukaus via decision.

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