Preview: UFC Fight Night 215 Prelims

Bantamweights

Ricky Turcios (11-3, 1-1 UFC) vs. Kevin Natividad (9-3, 0-2 UFC)

ODDS: Turcios (-155), Natividad (+135)

Turcios suddenly has a lot to prove. He was the standout personality on the 2021 season of “The Ultimate Fighter” and wound up winning the bantamweight tournament. While his unorthodox style did not portend much championship-level success, his pace and scrappiness figured to make him an entertaining addition to any card for years going forward. Then his last fight happened. Turcios took on Aiemann Zahabi in July and put on one of the more baffling performances in recent history. Turcios threw plenty of volume and kept a fast pace but forgot to actually make contact with Zahabi, landing roughly 11% of his strikes; Zahabi just sat back and took advantage of moments to counter. Turcios is an odd duck, so it is difficult to know exactly what that showing mean going forward, but perhaps he can get back to his old ways against Natividad. This marks Natividad’s third trip to the Octagon, and he has not gotten much going thus far in his UFC career. Given the opportunity, Natividad is a powerful and willing striker, but his lack of speed and defensive awareness has made it a difficult proposition. Miles Johns outmaneuvered him before a late finish, while Batgerel Danaa quickly took him apart in a sprint. Turcios is certainly a mobile and diverse-enough fighter to get something done against Natividad, but after his last performance, there is no telling how this looks. Turcios probably does not deserve the benefit of the doubt, but he gets it anyway. The pick is Turcios via decision.

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