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#8 The Prelims: Fight Pass card
Lightweights Darrell Horcher and newcomer Roosevelt Roberts headline the Fight Pass portion of Friday’s card. Roberts is another product of Dana White’s Contender Series, and at 6’1” he’s a tall and rangy Lightweight who uses that length to good effect primarily on the ground. Horcher is more of a classic grinder, and after his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2016 he’s settled into a solid role as a gatekeeper. The two likely outcomes here are Roberts putting Horcher away swiftly with a submission, or Horcher grinding out a decision – and I’m leaning towards experience and going with Horcher.
At Welterweight, Tim Means takes on Ricky Rainey in a fight that to me sounds tailor-made for ‘The Dirty Bird’. Means hasn’t looked at his best for a while now but when he is on form, he’s essentially a taller version of Matt Brown; a gritty brawler who fights best from the clinch. Rainey meanwhile is a slow starter who didn’t appear to take a punch well in his UFC debut, a loss to Muslim Salikhov. I’m betting Means can get him into a clinch, and from there a knee or an elbow should end Rainey’s night. Means by TKO in the first round is my pick.
Finally, Raoni Barcelos faces newcomer Chris Gutierrez in a Bantamweight fight. Barcelos came into the UFC in July with the reputation of a stellar grappler, but actually used a very effective striking game to take out the tough Kurt Holobaugh, finishing him in the 3rd for good measure. Gutierrez has a solid record but I’m not sure if he can compete with Barcelos in any areas really, and so the Brazilian via a finish – either knockout or submission – is my guess.
