Preview: UFC 311 Prelims

Bantamweights

Bernardo Sopai (11-3, 0-1 UFC) vs. Ricky Turcios (12-4, 2-2 UFC)

ODDS: Sopai (-355), Turcios (+280)

Sopai looked like a solid pickup for the UFC ahead of his late-notice debut in March. One of Sweden’s top prospects, Sopai showed a high level of poise—unsurprising given that he started fighting at 15 years old—and an ability to do a little bit of everything while implementing the right skills as needed. Sopai’s UFC debut wound up being memorable but not for any positive reasons from his standpoint. Sopai outwrestled Vinicius Oliveira and generally had a solid performance until he tired late in the second round. Round 3 saw Oliveira score the knockout with a flying knee that remains among the most purely vicious finishes in recent UFC history. Sopai nevertheless persists, and 10 months later, he’s back and looking for his first UFC win against Turcios, winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 29.

Turcios didn’t figure to have a high ceiling coming out of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2021, but his UFC career has been a bit of a disappointment. Nothing about his game has ever been particularly pretty, but Turcios has usually at least been content to throw out a lot of messy volume in the hopes of wearing out his opponents. However, Turcios has been inconsistent in terms of fighting behind that game plan, with a 2022 loss to Aiemann Zahabi standing out as a particularly strange affair in which he threw out a lot of feints from range while actually accomplishing little. Turcios has moved back in a more effective direction in his last two bouts, even if that does include a submission loss to Raul Rosas Jr. in a grappling-heavy affair in June. He should at least be able to test Sopai’s ability to keep up a pace in this fight. It wouldn’t be a shock if Sopai’s gas tank betrayed him once again, but the hope is that he will have more staying power in a fight that wasn’t made on late notice. If he does, his punching power and wrestling ability should be able to keep him ahead of Turcios. The pick is Sopai via decision.

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