Preview: UFC on ESPN 16 Prelims

GIVE. ME. MY. CONTRACT.

Jordan Williams left no doubt with this knockout #DWCS pic.twitter.com/L4lq3SRw4F

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 16, 2020

Middleweights

Jordan Williams (9-3) vs. Nassourdine Imavov (8-2)

ODDS: Williams (-150), Imavov (+130)

The third time was the charm for Williams, who finally earned a UFC contract in his third attempt on Dana White’s Contender Series. Williams’ story is well-documented—he is a Type 1 diabetic who at one point had to buy insulin meant for dogs—and despite some strong performances in the past, it was a first-round finish of Gregory Rodrigues that finally got him over the hump and into the Octagon. Williams is certainly making up for lost time, as he makes his UFC debut less than three weeks after that win. There is an interesting wrinkle, to boot: Williams actually stepped in on late notice for that fight against Rodrigues, and he will now fight the man he replaced in Imavov. Born in Dagestan but raised in and fighting out of France, Imavov certainly lives up to his “Russian Sniper” nickname. Based on the available tape, he likes to stay at a distance and dive in to attack his opponents. In his last fight, a one-sided win over UFC veteran Jonathan Meunier, Imavov also showed some solid wrestling that could serve him well. Given that the Meunier fight provides basically all the relevant footage on Imavov, this is a hard fight to parse. Neither man seems to have much regard for defense, but while Williams is the much more hittable fighter, he has also shown a willingness to keep walking through damage. If Williams can keep closing the distance and refocus on his wrestling game, there is a chance he can break the fight open. However, given that Williams figures to wade into Imavov’s line of fire either way, the bet is that whatever success the American enjoys will be outweighed by the amount of damage he absorbs. The pick is Imavov via decision.

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