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Lightweights

Manuel Torres (13-2, 1-0 UFC) vs. Trey Ogden (16-5, 1-1 UFC)

ODDS: Torres (-150), Ogden (+130)

This is a well-made fight, and it will be interesting to see which of these lightweights can keep up their recent momentum. A seven-year vet prior to his UFC debut, Ogden came to the promotion as essentially a finished product who figured to slot into the middle of the lightweight division. Ogden stands out when he can get his wrestling and grappling rolling, but he is generally a tough and well-rounded fighter who can hold his own just about anywhere. That has been on display in his two UFC fights thus far. He took Jordan Leavitt to a split decision loss and held his own against a standout grappler on the mat, then took advantage of a surprisingly passive Daniel Zellhuber for a clear victory in September. Ogden looks to make it two straight against Mexico here, this time taking on a knockout artist in Torres. A look at Torres’ record essentially tells the tale for “El Loco,” as all but one of his fights have ended within a round. On the regional scene, he had enough of a grappling advantage to mix things up, but at the UFC level, it has been entirely about hunting for the knockout. That certainly could work here. Win or lose, Torres figures to get off to a hot start, but Ogden is the more trustworthy fighter, especially with the advantage he figures to have on the mat if things go any length of time. The pick is Ogden via second-round submission.

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