Preview: UFC Fight Night ‘Magny vs. Gastelum’

‘The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 2’ Lightweight Final

Horacio Gutierrez (2-1) vs Enrique Barzola (10-2-1): Primarily a counterpuncher, Gutierrez’s bread and butter is his left hook, which fires on a hair trigger the moment his opponent attempts to land a right hand. Gutierrez is prone to slow starts while he gets his timing and can be taken down early, as well, but as the fight progresses, he turns into a deadly accurate boxer. Gutierrez’s ground game is somewhat undeveloped, but he seems to be learning to fight back to his feet, a valuable tactic for a potent striker. Barzola is similar, though I would perhaps call him an out-fighter rather than a pure counterstriker. Barzola’s one key attribute is his sheer awkwardness. He fights with a tense, unpredictable rhythm, stringing together odd combinations and mixing in bizarre, improvised spinning techniques and reactive takedowns. Like Gutierrez, Barzola’s ground game is a little strange and disjointed, but he is a dogged grappler, happy to take strikes or submissions -- whatever the opponent gives him. Gutierrez’s speed and timing could be a nightmare in the early going, but I like Barzola’s experience and just plain weirdness to win late. The pick is Barzola by submission in round three.

‘The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 2’ Welterweight Final

Erick Montano (6-3) vs Enrique Marin (8-2): Montano is a counter puncher by necessity, which is to say that he lets his opponents take the initiative simply because he is not comfortable leading himself. As a result, he spends a lot of time with his back to the fence and does not seem to know how to set up his shots. Said shots consist almost entirely of two punches, the left hook and the right hand. Montano times his counters fairly well, but his lack of variety makes him predictable in anything other than a first-round finish. Marin is not much better in terms of strategic thinking, but he has the added advantage of an aggressive, dangerous submission game and an excellent chin, to boot. Marin does tend to grapple as if his opponent is obligated to grapple with him, leaving far too much space and attacking somewhat recklessly, but his gung-ho attitude should carry him through. Marin wins by second-round submission.

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