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#6 UFC Featherweight Division: Youssef Zalal vs. Ilia Topuria
This one is another somewhat strange choice for a main card fight given that Spain's Topuria is making his UFC debut, while Zalal hasn't exactly turned heads in his two UFC wins thus far. However, the UFC clearly expects fireworks between the two, so hopefully that's what we'll get.
Both of Zalal's UFC fights – against Peter Barrett and Jordan Griffin – have shown him to be a dangerous fighter in all areas. His striking is relatively pinpoint, and he's got clear power in his hands and legs, and against Barrett, he was also able to do a lot of damage on the ground.
Topuria's main attribute, on the other hand, appears to be sheer aggression. The Spaniard looks to assault his opponents with brutally fast and heavy strikes, but he's also comfortable diving for a double leg on a retreating opponent.
He appears to be equally aggressive on the ground, too, hunting for submissions from the minute the fight hits the ground. In fact, the Spaniard has seven tap outs to his name, with his most recent win coming by knockout.
The big question surrounding Topuria is how he'll do against UFC-level opposition. Sure, he's crushed everyone in his path thus far, but none of his opponents have ever been in the UFC, and none have come close to the levels of athleticism that the Spaniard brings to the table.
So, can he simply run through Zalal as he's done everyone else in his path? Or – faced with adversity for the first time – will he crumble? In all honesty, it's almost impossible to say. Zalal is clearly a UFC-level fighter, but he isn't a contender or anything like that, and so there is a chance Topuria does smash him quickly as he's done to his prior opponents.
The smart pick here is probably Zalal. He's got the UFC experience – going the distance twice – and has largely looked solid – but I'm actually going with Topuria here. His athleticism is simply off the charts, and given Zalal hasn't looked like a great finisher yet, I think Topuria will take him by surprise to pick up a win in his UFC debut.
The Pick: Topuria via first-round submission
