Preview: UFC Fight Night 200 Prelims

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday will return to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with a compelling undercard. In the featured spot, bantamweights Miles Johns and John Castaneda each look to build on their momentum in what figures to be a closely matched and entertaining bout. They follow a featherweight battle between Hakeem Dawodu and Michael Trizano that appears to be the most relevant of the batch, with Dawodu looking to pick up some steam and Trizano trying to continue a quietly successful run in the organization. Beyond that, two standouts from the most recent season of Dana White’s Contender Series make their respective Octagon debuts: Former Bellator MMA headliner Chidi Njokuani steps in against Marc-Andre Barriault, and Jailton Almeida attempts to stake his claim as a light heavyweight prospect to watch against Danil Marques.

Now to the preview for the UFC Fight Night 200 prelims:

Bantamweights

NR | Miles Johns (12-1, 3-1 UFC) vs. NR | John Castaneda (18-5, 1-1 UFC)

ODDS: Johns (-200), Castaneda (+170)

After failing to earn a contract despite a win during the 2017 season of Dana White’s Contender Series, Castaneda eventually earned his way onto the UFC roster as a late-notice replacement some three years later. “Sexi Mexi” is a solid but unspectacular fighter, so the question becomes whether or not there was one particular skill he could hang his hat on at the UFC level. He has never been much of a knockout artist, and it was unclear if his wrestling and grappling success could translate against better competition. His debut was a tough spot against Nathaniel Wood in which Castaneda put together a game effort in defeat. It was nice to see Castaneda channel some aggression to find a knockout against Eddie Wineland for his first UFC win in February 2021. Castaneda needs more moments like that if he hopes to find a consistent path up the ladder in a deep bantamweight division, and Johns represents a solid next test. Johns is an interesting prospect who came to the UFC with a solid record, including a win over Adrian Yanez that continues to age well. Despite possessing some obvious tools, “Chapo” had not yet had a signature performance through his first handful of UFC bouts, flashing some strong wrestling and knockout power but never putting together a consistently inspiring victory. Everything finally coalesced in his most recent assignment—a win over Anderson dos Santos that was absolutely dominant. Johns essentially took out dos Santos’ leg before closing the show with a third-round knockout. If Johns has turned the corner, he is yet another exciting fighter in what is quickly becoming the UFC’s best division; and Castaneda is an excellent benchmark to re-affirm that those gains are real. Castaneda’s ability to set a consistent pace and survive should make this a challenging fight for Johns, and it could get him the win if the Fortis MMA rep comes back to earth a bit. With that said, Johns’ physical advantages should see him through this with any type of consistent performance, particularly as the stronger wrestler. The pick is Johns via decision.

Continue Reading » Dawodu vs. Trizano