Preview: UFC Fight Night 232 Prelims

Flyweights

Rafael Estevam (11-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Charles Johnson (13-5, 2-3 UFC)

ODDS: Estevam (-125), Johnson (+105)

After a January win over Jimmy Flick, Johnson seemed fairly well-established in the UFC as an active and successful fighter, but he suddenly finds himself in a must-win situation coming off two straight losses. Johnson was an odd fighter to track on the regional scene. A former track star, “InnerG” was certainly a UFC-level athlete with a highly successful resume, but he tended to turn in a lot of slow-paced and frustrating performances up until the point that he was suddenly able to find a finish. Johnson seemed to be shedding that patient approach after winning two of his first three UFC fights—the third being the Flick win—but the issue resurfaced in losses to Ode Osbourne and Cody Durden, especially as those two took the initiative to bank control with a wrestling-heavy approach. Johnson faces a similar test here against a UFC newcomer in Estevam, who finally makes his debut after earning a contract on Dan White’s Contender Series over a year ago. A large flyweight who can match Johnson’s size, Estevam fights with effective and focused aggression, with the Brazilian’s typical endgame winding up as some particularly vicious ground-and-pound. That combination of pace and pressure figures to be effective, even if the end result is an ugly fight where Estevam spends a lot of time banking control rather than pouring on offense. The pick is Estevam via decision.

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