Preview: UFC on ESPN 47 Prelims

Bantamweights

Ronnie Lawrence (8-2, 2-1 UFC) vs. Dan Argueta (9-1, 1-1 UFC)

ODDS: Lawrence (-190), Argueta (+160)

The nature of his last fight dulled his hype a bit, but Lawrence is still an interesting talent to track, even in a deep bantamweight division. “The Heat” was one of UFC President Dana White’s obvious favorites coming off the 2020 edition of the Contender Series. It was a bit surprising, given that Lawrence is not the type of talent the UFC boss typically pays much mind, as he finds his most success with aggressive wrestling. Lawrence takes an unorthodox inside-outside approach to his attack, using a movement-heavy striking game to flit about at range before charging in full-speed for a takedown, but while that may not look like the most efficient way to go about one’s business, it worked to great effect for some dominant performances. That remained true until July, when Lawrence ran into Saidyokub Kakhramonov. The 27-year-old Kakhramonov outwrestled Lawrence for three rounds and neutralized him with little difficulty, making the American look as unimpressive in a loss as he was electric in his victories, raising the worry that Lawrence’s sheer effort may not be able to make up the gaps in athleticism and technique that he will face at higher levels. Argueta is an interesting bounce-back test, as the “The Ultimate Fighter” alum drops to bantamweight after a brief sojourn to 145 pounds. “The Determined” is a fighter much more than the sum of his parts, as it is hard to pick out one standout skill that Argueta possesses. With that said, he is solid everywhere, has some unrelenting cardio and constantly tries to fight for an advantage, making him a consistently tough out even when he is clearly overmatched. That trend should continue here, but this is still Lawrence’s fight to lose. Argueta’s often aimless approach and lack of defense should allow Lawrence to get his game rolling and beat Argueta to a takedown. Still, Argueta figures to be hard to control and should force Lawrence to consistently restart his process. Argueta may wear out the American Top Team rep through sheer persistence by the end of 15 minutes, but the pick is Lawrence via decision.

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