Preview: UFC Fight Night 237 ‘Moreno vs. Royval 2’

Lightweights

Daniel Zellhuber (14-1, 2-1 UFC) vs. Francisco Prado (12-1, 1-1 UFC)

ODDS: Zellhuber (-278), Prado (+225)

Young guns square off in this 155-pound showcase. Zellhuber’s UFC career has been promising but inconsistent thus far. After earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series at just 22 years old with a fun win over Lucas Almeida, Zellhuber followed that up with a dud of a debut a year later against Trey Ogden. A tall and rangy lightweight, “Golden Boy” has historically been able to pick apart his opponents at will, but between Ogden’s size and willingness to stay patient, Zellhuber seemed lost when being forced to lead. His last two fights have gone much better. First came a clear win over Lando Vannata, followed by an impressive comeback against Christos Giagos, which saw Zellhuber struggle early with his opponent’s pressure, only to adapt and finish the fight in the second round. Zellhuber returns to Mexican soil against Prado, who is riding high after his first UFC victory. Just 21 years old, Prado made it to the UFC via the Argentinian regional scene, which has churned out some high-level talent but does not have much depth. Indeed, most of Prado’s regional film has seen him run through athletically overmatched opposition. There is still a sense that Prado doesn’t know what he doesn’t know yet, but early returns are strong that he can at least survive at the UFC level while he figures things out. He went three rounds with Jamie Mullarkey in a late-notice debut, then marched down and finished Ottman Azaitar in July. If Prado commits to pressure in this outing, he could cause some massive damage, as Zellhuber has a good feel for range but can still sometimes struggle to dictate it. However, the read is that Zellhuber can stay focused enough to keep the Argentinian at bay for the better part of three rounds. The pick is Zellhuber via decision.

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Moreno vs. Royval
Rodriguez vs. Ortega
Zellhuber vs. Prado
Rosas Jr. vs. Turcios
Jauregui vs. Hughes
Torres vs. Duncan
The Prelims