Preview: UFC Fight Night 203 Prelims

Bantamweights

NR | Trevin Jones (13-7, 1 NC) vs. NR | Javid Basharat (11-0)
Odds: Basharat (-150), Jones (+130)

The pandemic made the UFC's matchmaking particularly chaotic in 2020, and Trevin Jones was one of many veteran fighters that was able to step in and take advantage of a short-notice opportunity. A well-traveled vet out of Guam, Jones made his UFC debut on days’ notice against fellow newcomer Timur Valiev in what figured to be a one-sided matchup, given that Valiev was regarded as one of the best fighters outside of the UFC leading into the bout. And through a round, that idea held true, with Valiev pouring on damage and scoring what would've been a knockout in most other situations. But Jones lucked out that the fight wasn't stopped and changed the fight in a moment, stunning Valiev in the second round and earning the finish for one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. Jones then scored an upset of Mario Bautista in similar fashion; he's not a particularly high-output fighter, but given his long career, he has the veteran craft to score a knockout blow when the moment presents itself. An August bout against Saidyokub Kakhramonov is when the well finally ran dry for Jones, but he looks to turn back another UFC newcomer here in Javid Basharat. Born in Afghanistan and fighting out of London, Basharat's contract-earning win on the Contender Series in October was marred by the pre-fight proceedings, where his opponent hurled some racist insults Basharat's way. That made it a bit cathartic when Basharat then took over the fight in a one-sided beating, during which "The Snow Leopard" was able to show the dynamic and well-rounded nature of his game. Basharat's a prospect to watch in the long term, but he does seem like the type of fighter that could fall right into one of Jones's traps; he's not particularly defensively-minded with his striking, and while he's talented on the ground, he doesn't apply the type of pressure that Kakhramonov used to such great effect in Jones's only UFC loss to date. A loss here for Basharat is probably just a speed bump towards bigger things, but in a bit of a flier, the pick is Jones via second-round knockout.

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