Preview: UFC 297 Prelims

Welterweights

Yohan Lainesse (9-2, 1-2 UFC) vs. Sam Patterson (10-2-1, 0-1 UFC)

ODDS: Lainesse (-155), Patterson (+130)

Two welterweights each look to answer some questions in this match. Lainesse is at an interesting spot in his UFC career. Quebec’s “White Lion” came to the promotion as a fairly straightforward slugger after a brutal knockout win on Dana White’s Contender Series, but he has struggled to make that work since his debut with the promotion. That UFC debut saw him unable to knock out Gabriel Green in a fun fight, which, in turn, led to Lainesse attempting to adapt his tools into a more patient style that is not quite as reliant on finding the finish. While Lainesse has shown some flashes in his last few fights, he is still obviously in the middle of some growing pains that have taken the edge off his effectiveness and allowed opponents to work their way into fights. Perhaps he turns a corner against England’s Patterson, who moves up to welterweight in an attempt at a fresh start. Patterson was a fascinating prospect as a 6-foot-3 lightweight heading into his UFC debut, even if it was unclear exactly how well things would go for the Brit once he made it to the Octagon. He was able to overwhelm a lot of his regional competition with his size and pressure but tended to eat a lot of offense in the process. With that background, the fact that he got knocked out by Yanal Ashmouz in just 75 seconds was a worrying sign, and the hope here is that Patterson can maintain some of his size advantage as a welterweight without being caught so unaware by faster opponents. That could work, especially against this recent version of Lainesse. This really does feel like a fight where the Canadian would be much better off reverting to his old form and hunting for a quick knockout against Patterson. While this might be more ponderous than it needs to be, the bet is that Lainesse can still find Patterson’s chin. The pick is Lainesse via first-round knockout.

Jump To »
Katona vs. Armfield
Jourdain vs. Woodson
Sidey vs. Taveras
Robertson vs. Viana
Lainesse vs. Patterson
Jasudavicius vs. Cachoeira
Gordon vs. Flick