Preview: UFC 264 Prelims

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Middleweights

NR | Trevin Giles (14-2, 5-2 UFC) vs. NR | Dricus Du Plessis (15-2, 1-0 UFC)

ODDS: Giles (-110), Du Plessis (-110)

It has gone somewhat under the radar, but Giles has turned around his UFC career and is currently riding three straight wins. Giles impressed early on in his UFC tenure, particularly for someone signed as a late-notice flier. UFC 213 was falling apart and the promotion needed to fill out a card, so Giles got the call for a bout against fellow newcomer James Bochnovic. Giles impressed both there and in a subsequent win over Antonio Braga Neto, but after taking off all of 2018, he came back for a rough 2019 campaign. Giles is a talented prospect, but his fights are marked by either a lack of defensive awareness or an inability to take his opponents seriously, which came back to bite him in both of his 2019 bouts, as he suffered third-round submission losses against Zak Cummings and Gerald Meerschaert. However, Giles has since put things together for a winning streak that has not contained any memorably amazing performances but also has not seen him fall victim to another defensive lapse. He will look to make it four straight against South Africa’s Du Plessis, who came into the UFC with a bit of hype upon his promotional debut in October.

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The former welterweight champion of KSW in Poland, Du Plessis’ game seems awkward on the surface, but it works. He may not have the best technique, but Du Plessis commits to enough activity and power that he can usually find a finish if he is not completely outclassed. That was true of said UFC debut, where an ill-advised attempt at a spinning attack from Markus Perez just saw the Brazilian eat a quick knockout at the hands of the South African. Du Plessis’ defensive wrestling is not particularly strong, so Giles could just grind this out. With that said, it seems just as likely that Giles will charge right into a guillotine, which has typically been Du Plessis’ submission of choice. Add in Giles’ suspect striking defense and Du Plessis’ ability to find unorthodox finishes on the feet, and this leans towards a fight where the South African can find something to end the fight within 15 minutes. The pick is Du Plessis via second-round knockout.

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