Women’s Flyweights
Maycee Barber (8-0, -900) vs. Roxanne Modafferi (23-16, +600): Barber is the latest sickeningly young talent to get a push from the UFC, and the Colorado native would be a prospect to watch even without the promotional hype. Still somehow just 21 years old, Barber is a physical talent with a strong killer instinct, and thus far, that has been enough to get by against some solid opposition in J.J. Aldrich and Gillian Robertson. Now, things move up a level, as “The Future” gets her toughest test yet. Modafferi is an inspiration for any fighter going through a rough patch. A talented grappler in the pioneering days of women’s MMA, Modafferi’s career looked left for dead after six straight losses from 2010-13. However, “The Happy Warrior” developed an unorthodox but effective striking game, which, when combined with some more physical parity down at 125 pounds, has allowed her to keep going as a tough veteran out. Barber still seems up for success in this one, though. While this is a well-made matchup, the top prospect has consistently been put against opponents that she can overwhelm athletically, and Modafferi is no exception. Modafferi’s crafty grappling game could cause some issues— both women like their fights in the clinch, and Modafferi’s extra 14 years of experience could make up for any physical disadvantages—but once Barber gets things rolling on the feet, there is not much that Modafferi can throw back to dissuade her. The pick is Barber via second-round stoppage.Featherweights
Sodiq Yusuff (10-1, -130) vs. Andre Fili (20-6, +110): This showdown between surging featherweights is one of the highlights of the card. After six years on the UFC roster, California’s Fili has finally rounded into form. The Team Alpha Male rep has always been an interesting personality and a fun fighter, but wildness and inconsistency have plagued his fights until recent years. However, Fili has finally fallen back on fundamentals, which rewarded him with a breakout 2019 campaign. He used his reach to break down Myles Jury before laying a beating on Sheymon Moraes in Sacramento in July. Fili gets another challenging opponent here in Maryland’s Yusuff, who has been a revelation since coming off Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018. Yusuff is a natural-born striker, and the Nigerian-born fighter enjoyed a breakout 2019 run of his own, also netting a clear win over Moraes before knocking out Gabriel Benitez in August. Fili’s sudden willingness to take advantage of his reach should make this an interesting striking match, but it is hard not to favor Yusuff’s power and athleticism. Fili is still not much of a defensive wizard, so as long as Yusuff is willing to stay aggressive and committed to combination striking, he should be able to hit the harder shots, if not put Fili out entirely. The pick is Yusuff via decision in one of the best fights on the card.Lightweights
Nasrat Haqparast (11-2, -330) vs. Drew Dober (21-9, +270): The UFC still has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to interesting prospects, and Germany’s Haqparast might be at the top of that list. Haqparast got a tough draw in his UFC debut, stepping in on short notice to take on Marcin Held, but he showed enough in a loss to get people excited; and he has done nothing but live up to that hype ever since. A lot of the headlines about Haqparast note his frighteningly similar resemblance to Kelvin Gastelum, which also serves as a solid comparison inside the cage. For most of his UFC career, Haqparast has gotten by as a relentless pressure striker who also relies a bit too much on his chin and his athleticism for his own good. He looked much more measured his last time out against Joaquim Silva and now gets another interesting test in Dober. It took a while for Dober to show off any UFC-level skills, but he has slowly revealed a strong striking game, first via a high-volume, low-power approach and recently via sitting down on his punches and scoring some knockouts. That makes him particularly dangerous here, since Haqparast has a history of ignoring his arsenal of weapons in favor of trying to start a brawl. Even a year ago, Dober might have been the pick, but Haqparast showed a much smarter approach in his last fight, and given the improvements that he has shown from bout to bout, he might look even better now. The pick is Haqparast by increasingly clear decision.Finish Reading » ESPN+ Prelims
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