Preview: UFC Paris ‘Imavov vs. Borralho’

Welterweights

Rhys McKee (14-6-1) vs. Axel Sola (10-0-1)

Odds: Sola (-130); McKee (+110)

Ulster second-chancer McKee welcomes undefeated French standout Sola to the Octagon in this welterweight scrap. After five tries across two separate stints in the promotion, McKee finally picked up his first UFC win, busting up the debuting Daniel Frunza for a doctor stoppage between rounds in April. He will try to duplicate that feat against a frankly more promising newcomer in Sola.

McKee’s win over Frunza was the real deal. “Doctor stoppage” can mean a lot of things, but beyond merely cutting Frunza, McKee thrashed him, scoring three knockdowns and mangling his face with elbows and knees inside. It showed some of the promise in the lanky Irishman’s game, and considering he doesn’t even turn 30 until next week, there’s still room to improve.

At his best, as he showed against Frunza, “Skeletor” is a long, lean kickboxer who can do good work inside or outside. His power is average at best, but his accuracy and workrate are such that he has 11 TKOs in 14 career fights, mostly through accumulation of damage. His weaknesses are glaring, however. His takedown defense remains ultra-poor and his get-up game is not great either; his first UFC ended with getting soundly outwrestled by Alex Morono, who is not generally known as a takedown machine.

Even when he gets to work on the feet, however, McKee is hittable, and susceptible to being neutralized or outgunned by bigger, sharper strikers. Sola, as the outgoing Ares FC lightweight champion, might not be bigger, but he could well be sharper.

It is unclear whether this welterweight matchup is a one-off for Sola before returning to 155 pounds, but he is physically suited for either division, and a matchup against a fellow former lightweight in McKee is a good way to test the waters. Sola isn’t quite as tall or rangy as McKee, but he favors a similar kind of striking battle. He does his best work in close quarters, moving in behind feints and then unloading in the pocket.

If either fighter brings this to the ground, it is more likely to be Sola, who is at least open to keeping things there after a scramble or knockdown. The pick here is for Sola’s speed and power to be too much for McKee. Expect a Round 2 KO for the Frenchman that begins with a knockdown, then ends with a brutal series of ground strikes.



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Imavov vs. Borralho
St. Denis vs. Ruffy
Bukauskas vs. Craig
Oki vs. Jones
McKee vs. Sola
Freire vs. Keita
The Prelims