Preview: UFC on ESPN 46 ‘Kara-France vs. Albazi’

Flyweights

#11 FLW | Tim Elliott (18-12-1, 7-10 UFC) vs. Victor Altamirano (12-2, 2-1 UFC)

ODDS: Elliott (-175), Altamirano (+150)

It will be interesting to see how Elliott looks for a number of reasons. Elliott is a fighter clearly better than his UFC record, as he has been the litmus test for contender status in a flyweight division without much in the way of easy outs. He slid out of the promotion in 2015 despite still being ranked, yet his return via “The Ultimate Fighter” shortly thereafter saw him take a round off then-unbeatable champ Demetrious Johnson. Elliott’s style has always revolved around a combination of awkward striking and relentless scrambling that has typically tired him out as his fights have gone on. However, he seemed to be finding a career-best form in his last few fights, getting his coaching situation and personal life in order and becoming a much more mentally locked-in and consistent fighter over three rounds. A March 2022 win over Tagir Ulanbekov was one of Elliott’s best showings yet, but unfortunately, everything has gone south in spectacular fashion over the ensuing year-plus. As Elliott has recovered from injuries that have put him out of action, he has been forced to change camps along with dealing with a very messy and public divorce. Given that Elliott has been a fighter whose life outside the cage clearly bleeds into the quality of his performances, that raises some questions as far as how he will look against. The 32-year-old Altamirano is a messy fighter, but he has proven surprisingly effective at the UFC level, taking an approach that is not all that dissimilar to Elliott’s. “El Magnifico” has a striking game that is active but not particularly pretty, and he usually banks on his ability to outlast opponents on the mat in order to earn a win on the scorecards. The most recent version of Elliott is a much more finely tuned fighter who should be able to beat Altamirano at his own game, so this fight mostly comes down to outside-the-cage factors regarding what form the American will turn up in. He still gets the benefit of the doubt. The pick is Elliott via decision.

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Kara-France vs. Albazi
Caceres vs. Pineda
Gordon vs. Miller
Elliott vs. Altamirano
Silva vs. Souza
Nurmagomedov vs. Zaleski dos Santos
The Prelims