Preview: UFC Seattle Prelims

Featherweights

Melquizael Costa (21-7, 2-2 UFC) vs. Andre Fili (24-11, 12-10 UFC)

ODDS: Costa (-120), Fili (+100)

This is a fun bit of matchmaking, which is true of most Fili fights, as “Touchy” has developed into the type of versatile fighter that can put on an entertaining scrap with just about any featherweight. Fili had a decent amount of hype ahead of his UFC debut in 2013, but he alternated wins and losses for his first nine trips to the Octagon, which felt just about right. Fili would occasionally put it all together, but he was consistently inconsistent in his decision making—an issue heightened by his lack of top-shelf athleticism. Fili eventually found his comfort level, and he’s about the ideal utility player for the UFC at this point. He can flow and put together a sharp enough performance to hang tough with anyone at 145 pounds but is prone to eating some hard shots, allowing him to function as anywhere from prospect-tester to someone who can just put on an engaging fight with a fellow veteran, as he did against Cub Swanson in June. This fight against Costa is somewhere in the middle. Costa has struggled a bit to find consistent success in the UFC while still establishing himself as a reliable source of entertainment. Costa is willing to march forward and throw out a lot of ideas but never really tends to land on a consistent approach, which has made for some entertaining comebacks in both directions. He got finished by Steve Garcia after putting together a strong first round, but his last fight saw him stage a late rally to finish Nuerdanbieke Shayilan in the third round. That means Costa will certainly be potent enough to be dangerous as long as this fight lasts, which means Fili will be at constant risk. With that said, Fili seems to have figured out the mental side of things enough that he should be able to coast to an entertaining win. The pick is Fili via decision.

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