Preview: UFC Fight Night 173 ‘Brunson vs. Shahbazyan’ Prelims

Middleweights

Markus Perez (12-3) vs. Eric Spicely (12-5)

ODDS: Perez (-200), Spicely (+170)

It is difficult to tell what goes through Perez’s head during his fights. The Brazilian has had a successful career, but it almost seems as if that has happened by accident. Perez generally favors a flashy but ineffective striking game, until his opponents wind up diving into the best part of his attack: his fight-ending submission skills. Without any real way to set up his finishes, none of this should work on paper, but that is how it plays out in the middleweight division. Perez faces Spicely, who is looking for his first win of his second stint inside the UFC. Spicely got by as an unathletic but tough grappling specialist during his first UFC run, which included a shocking win over Thiago Santos, but “Zebrinha” has apparently decided to focus on his striking since he got cut in 2018. Spicely scored knockout victories in both of his regional fights, and in his return bout against Deron Winn, both men essentially decided to throw down for a 15-minute war. It is hard to break down this fight, outside of the reality that Perez will surely be losing the balance of it until or unless he scores a big moment that leads to a victory. Spicely is not the most explosive or durable fighter, so there is a chance that Perez can hurt him with some wild strike and jump on a finish. However, Spicely looks to have at least evolved into the type of fighter who can avoid dumb mistakes and at least see everything coming from Perez. The pick is Spicely via decision.

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