Preview: UFC 257 ‘Poirier vs. McGregor 2’

Lightweights

NR | Ottman Azaitar (13-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. NR | Matt Frevola (8-1-1, 2-1-1 UFC)

ODDS: Azaitar (-155), Frevola (+135)

Azaitar has looked good in his two UFC bouts to date, and it will be interesting to see just where the Moroccan’s prospect ceiling winds up. It is a pretty simple approach for the “Bulldozer,” who mostly looks to hit his opponent as hard as possible as soon as possible and then figure out the rest later. It is the type of approach that raises some questions as to what happens when an opponent can stick around, but those have not been answered thus far. Teemu Packalen and Khama Worthy each got sparked before their fights with Azaitar truly developed. Frevola is the next man up to try, and he certainly has the skills to make this tough sledding for Azaitar over a 15-minute fight. The “Steamrolla” applies consistent pressure while trying to swarm his opponents and has shown a willingness to rely on a solid wrestling game when needed. However, that aggression also makes Frevola a complete defensive liability. His UFC debut saw him eat an immediate knockout from Marco Polo Reyes, and even Frevola’s best performances have seen him have to overcome a slow start. If this goes past a round, Frevola should be able to take over and coast to a win, but he is going to give Azaitar all the opportunities in the world to end the fight before it gets to that point. The pick is Azaitar via first-round knockout.

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