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The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to the UFC Apex on Saturday in Las Vegas opens with a solid seven-fight slate. The featured UFC Fight Night 188 prelim between featherweights Ricardo Ramos and Bill Algeo provides the most guaranteed action, but there are other fights worth watching. In a pleasant surprise, Chris Barnett makes his organizational debut at heavyweight against Ben Rothwell. Meanwhile, there are other familiar names dotting the lineup, including “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 11 winner Court McGee, who meets Claudio Silva.
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Featherweights
NR | Bill Algeo (14-5, 1-1 UFC) vs. NR | Ricardo Ramos (14-3, 5-2 UFC)ODDS: Algeo (-120), Ramos (+100)
When Ramos signed with the UFC at just 21 years old, he seemed to have all the promise in the world as a bantamweight prospect. He was tall and rangy for the division and showed the ability to find a finish, both on the feet and the mat. However, Ramos has not quite been able to turn the corner in the ensuing four years. There have been some spectacular moments, like his spinning elbow knockout of Aiemann Zahabi in 2017, but Ramos has not found the ability to consistently control a fight unless he is scoring a finish. “Carcacinha” moved up to featherweight in 2019 with a quick win over Luiz Eduardo Garagorri, but his July loss to Lerone Murphy was a bit concerning regarding Ramos’ ability to physically hold up at 145 pounds. Once Murphy turned the fight around, the stoppage came in shockingly sudden fashion. Ramos is still young enough that he could develop into a contender, but a win here against Algeo is badly needed in terms of momentum. Algeo is also a lanky featherweight, but he does not really leverage that frame, instead choosing to pressure and attempt to overwhelm his opponents. That approach tends to tire him out and get him hit hard, but it has fared surprisingly well thus far in Algeo’s UFC career. He took Ricardo Lamas to a tough decision and managed to outlast Spike Carlyle. Ramos could take this fight over late, but Algeo’s combination of size and aggression figure to take the Brazilian out of his groove early on. That could lead to a finish before Ramos gets back on track. The pick is Algeo via second-round stoppage.
Continue Reading » Rothwell vs. Barnett
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