UFC Fight Island 6: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie - Predictions and Picks

#4 UFC Light Heavyweight Division: Jimmy Crute vs. Modestas Bukauskas

Jimmy Crute is one of the UFC's best prospects at 205lbs.

Over the past handful of years, the UFC’s Light Heavyweight division has garnered a reputation for being full of aging fighters past their prime or coming towards the end of their career. It’s maybe a fair point when you consider the likes of Glover Teixeira, Anthony Smith, Mauricio Rua, and Ovince St. Preux are still near the top of the tree. Even new champ Jan Blachowicz is no spring chicken at the age of 37.

However, there are a handful of younger prospects worth watching at 205lbs, and these are two of the brighter ones in the UFC. Of the two, Australia’s Crute has more UFC experience despite being two years younger.

After winning his fight on Dana White’s Contender Series by knockout, The Brute debuted in a wild fight against Paul Craig, eventually submitting the Scotsman with a kimura. The win was especially impressive given Craig’s considerable grappling skills.

Since then, Crute has gone 2-1. He knocked out Sam Alvey at UFC 234 and most recently submitted kickboxer Michal Oleksiejczuk. And even his lone loss – a submission to Misha Cirkunov – was nothing to be ashamed of.

That fight saw Crute put up a tremendous fight, putting the dangerous grappler in some bad positions before succumbing to what was a low-percentage move in the form of a Peruvian necktie.

Overall, Crute hits extremely hard, carrying KO power in his hands, but he’s also a sneakily dangerous grappler, particularly from the top position, and is willing to scramble hard. As he’s 11-1 and has only been fighting since 2016, it shouldn’t be a surprise that we haven’t really seen his chin tested. So can Bukauskas change that?

A native of Lithuania, The Baltic Gladiator, impressed in his UFC debut, a TKO win over Andreas Michailidis. He used some heavy elbows from top position to finish that fight – the eighth TKO of his career. Bukauskas is a striker by trade, tending to use long, hard punches to his advantage.

However, it’s worth noting that the Lithuanian doesn’t have great defense. He’s been KO’d earlier in his career prior to joining the UFC, and Michailidis also gave him plenty of trouble with his counterpunches despite not being the cleanest striker in his own right.

Given The Baltic Gladiator only has an inch of reach and height on Crute, it seems tricky to imagine him picking The Brute off from the outside. And if he can’t do that, then I suspect the Australian will have the upper hand. Not only does he hit hard, but if he can get Bukauskas to the ground, then the Lithuanian is likely to be in deep trouble.

Overall, I just can’t see enough ways for Bukauskas to win this fight, whereas Crute has plenty of ways to find a victory – even if he’s still a little raw and rough around the edges. I’m taking Crute to pick up another stoppage win here.

The Pick: Crute via first-round submission