Preview: UFC Fight Night 220 Prelims

Wasting NO TIME!! @JoeSolecki with an impressive first round sub #UFCVegas7 pic.twitter.com/ULOLl1dM9C

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) August 23, 2020

Lightweights

Joe Solecki (12-3, 4-1 UFC) vs. Carl Deaton (17-5, 0-0 UFC)

ODDS: Solecki (-520), Deaton (+410)

Some late reshuffling winds up with Solecki looking to hold serve here. A solid lightweight prospect on the back of a sound wrestling and grappling game, Solecki rose through the ranks before dropping a decision to Jared Gordon late in 2021. That performance, plus a previous win over Jim Miller that was dicey at times, showed that while Solecki has put together some capable striking, his game mostly centers around his ability to lock down an opponent on the mat and cycle through some ideas. After rebounding from the Gordon loss with a win over Alex da Silva Coelho in June, Solecki was expected to face Benoit Saint-Denis on Feb. 18 in some fun grappler-on-grappler action; with Saint-Denis out, he now faces a promotional newcomer in Deaton a week later. Deaton could make some hay, as the Michigan native clearly has some pop in his hands. Still, he is a fairly low-output striker who also does not read as much of a quick-twitch athlete. Deaton might find some wins on the UFC roster, but Solecki should have little trouble getting to what he does best. The pick is Solecki via first-round submission.

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