Preview: UFC on ESPN 13 ‘Kattar vs. Ige’

Flyweights

Tim Elliott (15-11-1) vs. Ryan Benoit (10-6)

ODDS: Elliott (-120), Benoit (+100)

It certainly feels like Elliott is one of the best fighters to lose over two-thirds of his fights inside of the UFC. Even during his first UFC stint, the book on Elliott was that he was a talented fighter who suffered from tough matchmaking. He got cut off of a three-fight losing streak in 2015, but two of those losses came to perennial elite flyweight Joseph Benavidez and future title contender Ali Bagautinov. Elliott was back in the UFC in short order after winning the all-flyweight season of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2016, but it was the same story upon his return. Elliott gave Demetrious Johnson one of his toughest title defenses, but it was once again a case of his looking good in a loss. Since then, Elliott has chugged along the same as ever—awkward but effective striking and aggressive scrambling on the mat—but a May defeat to newcomer Brandon Royval has put him firmly back in the danger zone after three straight losses. He should rebound here against Benoit, who is a dangerous power striker and little else. Benoit’s knockout win over Sergio Pettis in 2015 remains the clear highlight of the Texan’s career, but otherwise, he has been a Quadruple-A fighter who has done just enough to remain on the right side of the cut line. Elliott should be able to stay out of trouble on the feet, and this should be all one-way traffic on the ground. the pick is Elliott via first-round submission.

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