Preview: UFC 314 Prelims

Middleweights

Marco Tulio (13-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Tresean Gore (5-2, 2-2 UFC)

ODDS: Tulio (-355), Gore (+280)

After getting passed over for a contract despite a win on the Contender Series in 2023, Tulio lived up to his scouting report much more in a 2024 performance, earning a knockout win to finally get his foot in the door. Tulio is a rock-solid middleweight, marching down his opponents and pursuing whatever openings present themselves, even though his willingness to get hit hard in return can be a bit of a worry. After a knockout win over Ihor Potieria in his UFC debut in January, Tulio makes up for lost time with a quick booking against Tresean Gore, who remains an interesting talent despite a clear lack of momentum at the moment.

Gore looked like the highest-upside prospect on “The Ultimate Fighter” revival in 2021, owing to his horsepower and ability to score a knockout. However, an injury took him out of the tournament, and it looked like Gore might wind up sliding out of the promotion upon his return, as he struggled to keep up against opponents who didn’t afford him a level of respect. Instead, Gore has managed to rebound with wins in his last two fights, both surprisingly via guillotine choke, as he has made the pivot to include some more wrestling in his offense, even if he’s still mostly reliant on his horsepower to get things done. Gore missed about two years in between wins, so it’s nice to see him get a relatively quick turnaround here, and this should essentially be a coinflip and a race to the finish. Gore’s willingness to take things to the mat makes this a much more even fight than it would have been a few years ago. Either man could eat a knockout, but with Tulio running a better-honed version of an all-offense approach, the Brazilian gets the nod. The pick is Tulio via first-round knockout.

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