Preview: UFC Fight Night 199 Prelims

Heavyweights

NR | Justin Tafa (4-3, 1-3 UFC) vs. NR | Harry Hunsucker (7-4, 0-1 UFC)

ODDS: Tafa (-330), Hunsucker (+270)

Having just turned 28, Tafa is a prospect to watch in the heavyweight division, even if he needs to get back into the win column. A Mark Hunt protege, Tafa was about as inexperienced as a prospect gets before being signed by the UFC. He had all of three pro fights to his name, which were wild affairs until the “Bad Man” found a knockout. That trend continued through his first two UFC bouts, a quick knockout loss to Yorgan De Castro and a quick knockout win over Juan Adams, but Tafa’s last two fights were decisions in which he showed an impressive amount of poise. Now, if anything, Tafa needs to find the ability to effectively put things into a second gear. Those bouts against Carlos Felipe and Jared Vanderaa each saw Tafa have his moments, but when the chips were down, the opponents were able to pick up the pace and win the necessary rounds. With three losses in his four UFC bouts to date, Tafa is in danger of sliding out of the UFC if he loses again. Hunsucker was a late-notice replacement for his UFC debut in March, which resulted in a quick knockout loss to Tai Tuivasa. Hunsucker does have some impressive hand speed—he used it to cause some early damage in a Dana White’s Contender Series appearance against Vanderaa in 2020—but there is a clear delineation in his results based on the level of competition. He just does not seem to have the requisite level of heavyweight durability to survive against the average level of UFC competition. Hunsucker could catch Tafa for an early knockout, but the Kiwi seems poised enough to survive whatever comes his way and quickly turn things in his favor. The pick is Tafa via first-round knockout.

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