Preview: UFC Vegas 102 Prelims

Welterweights

Gabriel Bonfim (16-1, 3-1 UFC) vs. Kalinn Williams (15-3, 6-2 UFC)

ODDS: Bonfim (-225), Williams (+185)

This is a fascinating pairing and one of the best-matched fights on this card. Bonfim quickly got identified by the UFC as a prospect worth featuring. After kicking off his UFC career with two first-round submissions, Bonfim found himself opposite Nicolas Dalby in a co-main event in his native Brazil. Up until that point, “Marretinha” had established himself as a finishing machine capable of overwhelming his opponents on either the feet or the mat. However, Dalby was finally the man that the Brazilian couldn’t stop, resulting in the Bonfim losing steam until the Dane was able to turn things around and end the fight late in the second round. Some of those issues persisted in Bonfim’s rebound win over Ange Loosa, but while the fight tired both men out, it was still an immense sign of progress that he was able to lay a beating on an opponent for the better part of three rounds and see the final horn for the first time in his career. It’s unclear how Bonfim’s bag of skills will fare against Williams, a fighter who has had much more success than he should have on paper.

Williams’ game has some clear flaws, as he’s willing to commit to long stretches of inactivity on the feet while occasionally pivoting to a clinch-heavy approach that isn’t particularly dominating or impressive. With all that said, Williams picks his shots well and might be the hardest one-punch hitter on the UFC’s welterweight roster, as he has absolutely obliterated every opponent who starts to get overconfident. Bonfim is going to get an opportunity to start off hot here and might just wind up overwhelming Williams and finding another first-round submission. However, things figure to get dicey if Bonfim can’t find that early finish and starts to tire, particularly since Williams’ power leaves no margin for error down the stretch. The pick is Williams via second-round knockout.

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Hill vs. Souza
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Bonfim vs. Williams
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