Preview: UFC on ESPN 33 ‘Blaydes vs. Daukaus’

Flyweights

#2 FLW | Askar Askarov (14-0-1, 3-0-1 UFC) vs. #6 FLW | Kai Kara France (23-9, 6-2 UFC)

ODDS: Askarov (-335), France (+260)

As Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno continue to swap the flyweight championship, there is a wave of interesting contenders coming up the ranks, with these two near the front of the line. If it was not for injuries, Askarov may have already found his way to a title shot. One of the UFC’s first signings when it revitalized the division, “Bullet” made it clear immediately upon his promotional debut that he belonged among the divisional elite, taking Moreno to a hotly contested draw in 2019. Askarov can hold his own on the feet—he has outpaced his three opponents since the Moreno fight—but the Russian’s game is focused mostly on his relentless grappling game, which he has impressively used to wear out Alexandre Pantoja and Joseph Benavidez in his last two bouts. Opponents like Pantoja may find some early success, but Askarov’s commitment to activity and consistency is something to behold. He is constantly forcing his opponents to react and keep up, and thus far, nobody has been able to shake him off the tracks. It says a lot that the main worry about Askarov’s contender status is outside of the cage. He would have been the obvious top contender had he made weight against Benavidez, but a tough cut and a one-pound miss put that status into question even after the most impressive victory of his career. After a yearlong injury layoff, Askarov looks to defend his ranking against France, who had a bit of a breakout in 2021. Long a favorite in his native New Zealand, France’s 2018 signing was highly anticipated, if only for the action potential. “Don’t Blink” historically lived up to his nickname, showing some impressive knockout power for a man of his size. For the first few years of his UFC career, France was successful, even if his rise on the ladder was not all that clean. France is not particularly overwhelming in terms of size, athleticism or pace, so the speedier and more aggressive athletes at flyweight could often force him to gut out a messy fight. Losses to Moreno and Brandon Royval seemed to put a clear ceiling on the Kiwi’s title upside, but France rebounded quite well, in part thanks to finally rediscovering his knockout power. There were still some rough moments against the wrestling of Rogerio Bontorin, but France scored brutal first-round knockouts of both the Brazilian and Cody Garbrandt to show that he can bring fight-changing power to this level of competition. That dynamic adds a ton of intrigue to this fight, as prior to 2021, this would have been an easy Askarov call. Even if the Russian is not the elite level of athlete that France typically struggles with, it is usually not too difficult to get the Kiwi to the mat—something that France has improved enough to get away with most of the time but probably not here. Askarov putting France through the ringer is still the likeliest scenario, but at least the puncher’s chance makes things more interesting than they are for most flyweight fights. The pick is Askarov via decision.

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