Preview: UFC Fight Night 138 ‘Oezdemir vs. Smith’

Bantamweights

Andre Soukhamthath (12-6) vs. Jonathan Martinez (9-1)

ODDS: Soukhamthath (-210), Martinez (+175)

I am not sure Soukhamthath is a UFC-level fighter, whatever that means in 2018, but I hope he finds a way to stick around, as he has been a reliable bet for action every time out. The Rhode Islander is a pure striker who is willing to hunt for the knockout -- a trait that allowed “The Asian Sensation” to put together a strong highlight reel on the regional scene. However, with the step up in competition, his flaws have been exposed. Soukhamthath is a slow starter, but it is also hard to say he improves as the fight goes on. Since Soukhamthath is a dedicated counterstriker, he does get into a rhythm as far as timing his opponent in the later rounds goes, but given his propensity for throwing so much power, he is often left too exhausted to take advantage in the later stretches of the bout. He managed to starch Luke Sanders in December -- it probably kept him in the UFC -- but Soukhamthath’s flawed game has mostly led to a bunch of narrow split decision losses in the Octagon, putting him in the position of needing a win here.

Soukhamthath was initially slated to face Nova Scotia’s Gavin Tucker, but with Tucker out, the UFC surprisingly did not go local, instead picking up Texas’ Martinez. He was a bit of an off-the-radar choice, as he has fought only once in the last two and a half years, but there are things to like about the 24-year old. Martinez is an active striker and has some solid submission skills to back that up, winning each of his last two fights via first-round armbar.

This seems like a fight Soukhamthath should win. Martinez has some talent, but he also looks supremely hittable, which should give Soukhamthath some opportunities to counter with some sort of big shot. If it goes to the ground, Martinez has a lot of tools to get the nod, but watching tape, it appears that his grappling game is mostly in response to his opponents rather than something he initiates on his own. While Soukhamthath is no stranger to ill-advised takedowns, he should hopefully keep the fight standing here. If he does, it should be a fun scrap, with Soukhamthath blasting the newcomer with something as soon as he can find his rhythm. The pick is Soukhamthath by second-round knockout.

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