Preview: UFC 252 ‘Miocic vs. Cormier 3’ Prelims

Heavyweights

Parker Porter (9-5) vs. Chris Daukaus (8-3)

ODDS: Porter (-125), Daukaus (+105)

Porter has certainly taken the long road to the UFC. The veteran heavyweight has been around long enough that he has a 2008 loss to a nascent Jon Jones on his resume. Since returning from a two and a half-year hiatus in 2018, Porter has been a perfectly fine regional heavyweight, which earned him the call here. The ceiling may not be particularly high for the Connecticut-based hopeful, but he has some gatekeeper potential for fights like this one against a fellow newcomer in Daukaus. The brother of current UFC middleweight Kyle Daukaus, he has the requisite power to be a heavyweight prospect worth watching and does some solid clinch work for a man his size. However, his 2019 loss to Azunna Anyanwu did raise some concerns, namely about Daukaus’ ability to fight back and withstand a beating when things are not going his way. Daukaus is the better fighter by most measures, but there is not a ton of separation here; and heavyweight fights usually come down to durability, which may actually favor Porter. Daukaus could score a quick win, but the pick is Porter via second-round knockout.