Preview: UFC 271 Prelims

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 271 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to Houston carries a strong slate of 10 prelims on Saturday at the Toyota Center. Andrei Arlovski and Jared Vanderaa are technically in the featured slot, but the most memorable pairing comes in the form of a retirement bout, as women’s MMA pioneer Roxanne Modafferi looks to go out with a win over surging prospect Casey O’Neill. Beyond that, the Alex Perez-Matt Schnell flyweight showdown offers the most immediate relevance in its division; and as usual, matchmakers have pieced together several fun, well-made fights up and down the card, with a lightweight affair between Alexander Hernandez and Renato Carneiro serving as a clear point of interest.

Now to the preview for the UFC 271 prelims:

Heavyweights

NR | Andrei Arlovski (32-20, 21-14 UFC) vs. NR | Jared Vanderaa (12-6, 1-2 UFC)

ODDS: Arlovski (-145), Vanderaa (+125)

Arlovski, 43, is somehow still an effective UFC heavyweight. It has now been over 15 years since “The Pitbull” last reigned as UFC heavyweight champion and over a decade since it seemed like Arlovski was officially done as a relevant fighter, owing to a string of three brutal knockouts among four straight losses. Arlovski eventually did earn his way back to the UFC in 2014 after a solid regional run, but it figured to be little more than a victory lap for a well-regarded veteran seemingly long past his prime. Instead, Arlovski rattled off four straight wins to get one fight away from a title shot, and despite some rough patches, he has evolved just enough to stay ahead of most competition. He still has a clear ceiling against the top prospects and contenders, but Arlovski can hold his own against the UFC’s bog-standard heavyweights, putting together four wins in his last five bouts. Arlovski looks to continue his momentum in a bit of an odd pairing against Vanderaa, who has not found much footing to date during his UFC career. A large man who lives up to his “Mountain” nickname, Vanderaa did not look particularly impressive on Dana White’s Contender Series, overcoming some rough early going to eventually overwhelm the much smaller Harry Hunsucker. That figured to be Vanderaa’s path to any success inside the UFC. His main advantages appeared to be an ability to smother and outlast an opponent through his sheer size. Instead, things have turned out much the opposite. Sergey Spivak and Alexander Romanov outwrestled Vanderaa in what quickly became one-sided affairs, and his lone UFC win came against Justin Tafa in a messy stand-up battle. Vanderaa’s size and willingness to throw volume could theoretically cause some issues for Arlovski, but this looks like another bout in which the former champion can use his veteran craft to outmaneuver and outstrike an opponent without much defense or technical depth. The pick is Arlovski via decision.

Continue Reading » O’Neill vs. Modafferi