Preview: UFC Fight Night 222 Prelims

Heavyweights

Junior Tafa (4-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Mohammed Usman (8-2, 1-0 UFC)

ODDS: Tafa (-115), Usman (-105)

When Usman knocked out Zac Pauga to win Season 30 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” it was a nice bit of glory for “The Motor,” who has had a frustrating career in the shadow of his older brother. The younger Usman came to mixed martial arts with big expectations thanks to both his bloodlines and his athletic gifts, but things never quite came together to the level of success that was seemingly assured. Usman has never been a particularly comfortable or fast-paced striker, making him less of a potent finisher than expected and generally leading to some surprising losses and flat victories. That mostly held true even as he made his way through his season on “The Ultimate Fighter.” However, he eventually came through when it counted, blasting Pauga for a brutal knockout and raising some hope that he could carve out a niche in a wide-open heavyweight division. Next up for Usman: another younger brother of a UFC veteran in Tafa, who makes his slightly-delayed promotional debut. Tafa had a much shorter path to his UFC debut. A former kickboxer, Tafa only made his pro mixed martial arts debut in July, racking up four knockouts in six months before getting signed. As expected, Tafa is purely a knockout artist at this point and still in the phase where he is attempting to channel wild aggression into something more consistent for as long as his fights last. Tafa figures to blitz Usman early, which sets up a clear dynamic: Either he finds another early finish or things figure to go quickly off the rails, particularly since Usman is a solid wrestler who should be able to dominate this matchup on the mat. Given Tafa’s quickness and Usman’s discomfort and preference for a slow pace, it seems worth the flier that the UFC newcomer can find the win, even if this is essentially a coinflip. The pick is Tafa via first-round knockout.

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