Preview: UFC 270 Prelims

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first pay-per-view of 2022 provides an intriguing undercard, even if some late changes leave UFC 270 nowhere near as deep as the usual numbered event. The featured prelim on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, pits top featherweight prospect Ilia Topuria against the reliably exciting Charles Jourdain and represents the clear highlight of the bunch in terms of both stakes and excitement. Beyond that, this figures to be a banger of a show since nearly every match offers a high potential for entertainment. The lineup centers on Dana White’s Contender Series graduates and prospects looking to carve out a niche in their respective divisions rather than any sort of immediate relevance.

Now to the preview for the UFC 270 “Ngannou vs. Gane” prelims:

Featherweights

NR | Ilia Topuria (11-0, 3-0 UFC) vs. NR | Charles Jourdain (12-4-1, 3-3-1 UFC)

ODDS: Topuria (-510), Jourdain (+375)

Topuria in just three UFC appearances has established himself as one of the top prospects in the promotion regardless of weight class. “El Matador” came to the UFC in 2020 with some powerful but straightforward striking to back up an impressive ground game—a package that worked to great effect to win his late-notice debut over Youssef Zalal. Less than two months later, Topuria stepped in for a fight against Damon Jackson and showed that he might be much more ready for contention than anyone figured, taking apart a tough veteran with some varied striking, as he worked in some brutal shots to the body on his way to a sub-three-minute knockout. In Topuria’s lone bout of 2021, he passed the tough IQ test that is Ryan Hall, balancing offensive effectiveness with staying out of trouble and scoring another first-round finish. Turning 25 years old just days before the event, Topuria looks poised for a run up the ladder in a deep featherweight division. Initially paired with Movsar Evloev in a matchup of uber-prospects, Topuria still gets a tough test against Jourdain. Still young in his own right, “Air” Jourdain came to the UFC in 2019 after establishing himself as one of the top prospects in his native Canada. Very much an unstructured fighter who got by on big moments of offense, Jourdain has had to adjust his approach to become a more consistent fighter against better competition, and while there have been some rough patches, things are coming together quite nicely. While his moment was slowed a bit with a September loss to Julian Erosa, Jourdain’s victory over Andre Ewell in December showed a lot of the positives of his evolution. He is a slow starter, but by the end of the fight, he was dominating every phase and doing everything short of scoring a finish. Jourdain’s combination of well-roundedness and durability serves as a strong benchmark for Topuria. While the Canadian could make things tricky down the stretch, Topuria’s combination of focus and offensive potency against Jourdain’s slow starts should lead the Spaniard to an early lead. Jourdain has yet to be finished, but the bet is that Topuria can pour on enough damage to convince the referee to step in at some point. The pick is Topuria via second-round stoppage.

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