Preview: UFC on ESPN 50 Prelims

Featherweights

Sean Woodson (9-1-1, 3-1-1 UFC) vs. Dennis Buzukja (11-2, 0-0 UFC)

ODDS: Woodson (-175), Buzukja (+145)

It is good to see Woodson back in action after nearly a year on the shelf, as “The Sniper” remains a fascinating featherweight talent. Even with a few years in the UFC under his belt, it is still a bit difficult to make heads or tails of Woodson as a 6-foot-2 featherweight, given the trade-off of physical strength in the name of an immense size advantage. Primarily a striker, Woodson can use his length to great effect from range at times but would rather walk in and trade, which makes for another interesting set of propositions. His frame allows him to land from some awkward angles and confuse most opponents, but on the flipside, there is a lot of him to hit. Woodson has been linked to multiple opponents in this slot, including a few changes during fight week, but the arrow seems to have landed on what might be the most difficult opponent of the bunch in Buzukja. The Staten Islander has been on the fringes of a callup for a while, as he is a two-time competitor on Dana White’s Contender Series and was ready for the shot even before his second appearance on the show. The extra year of seasoning may have served the Albanian-American well, as he has come into his own in terms of finishing ability to go along with what was already a rock-solid game. Buzukja is a dedicated and durable pressure striker with enough wrestling to serve as an effective change-up. There is still some work to be done around the margins, as Buzukja can be controlled by a stronger wrestler or outpaced on the feet, but he is a consistently tough out who will keep marching his opponents down in order to land some hard shots. That makes for a relatively even matchup here, as volume figures to be on Woodson’s side. Even so, the UFC vet may find himself eating the more effective offense and will likely get taken down at least once during this fight if it goes any length of time. In general, Buzukja seems worth the flier in a coinflip of a fight. The pick is Buzukja via decision.

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