Preview: UFC Fight Night 210 Prelims

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday will return to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with a surprisingly deep UFC Fight Night 210 undercard featuring some entertaining matchups and relevant competitors dotting an eight-bout slate. In the top slot, top featherweight prospect Pat Sabatini draws another difficult veteran test in Damon Jackson. Directly below, Aspen Ladd and Sara McMann clash in a showdown that could put the winner in the women’s bantamweight title picture. From there, attention shifts to two particularly interesting prospect battles: Gillian Robertson and Mariya Agapova meet in a confrontation between two hyped women’s flyweight talents, and Tony Gravely looks to gain some momentum against Javid Basharat at 135 pounds.

Now to the preview for the UFC Fight Night “Sandhagen vs. Song” prelims:

Featherweights

Pat Sabatini (17-3, 4-0 UFC) vs. Damon Jackson (21-4-1, 4-2-1 UFC)

ODDS: Sabatini (-180), Jackson (+155)

Sabatini continues to fly under the radar as one of the more interesting talents at 145 pounds. The Philadelphian got the late-notice UFC call in 2021 and was ready to hit the ground running after a battle-tested career on the tough Northeast regional scene. While it has not been surprising that Sabatini has found success inside of the Octagon, it has been impressive just how easy he has made it look. Matched with a steady diet of fellow wrestlers and grapplers, Sabatini has established himself as the superior grinder in each fight, even scoring a heel hook of Jamall Emmers in one of those bouts. Add in that Sabatini has some knockout power, even if striking remains a secondary part of his game, and he figures to be in some big spots soon as he continues to make a dent in a tough division. While Sabatini is the clear A-side in this matchup from a prospect standpoint, Jackson should once again be a tough out in the latest fight of his impressive return to the UFC. Jackson’s first UFC stint, which spanned three appearances from 2014 to 2016, was easily forgettable. “The Leech” managed to pull the trifecta of winless results—a loss, a no contest and a draw—before getting released. Nevertheless, he continued to chug along on the regional scene until his services were needed during the coronavirus pandemic in what seemed like an almost impossible assignment against Mirsad Bektic. Indeed, Bektic dominated the fight for the better part of two rounds, until Jackson suddenly turned things around in the third with a fight-ending guillotine choke. After a subsequent loss to Ilia Topuria—it has aged well, with Topuria having proven himself as an elite prospect—Jackson has put together a three-fight winning streak of scrappy affairs, and his combination of aggression and grappling ability could find him a win in this outing. Still, Sabatini does appear to have the level of wrestling that should serve as a safety valve and allow him to control this fight should things suddenly turn south, even as Jackson continues to hunt for fight-ending submissions. The pick is Sabatini via decision.

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