UFC Fight Night 25 Preview: The Main Card

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Featherweights
Erik Koch (12-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Jonathan Brookins (12-3, 1-0 UFC)

The Matchup: An interesting battle with various subplots here, as the red-hot Koch looks to extend his three-fight winning streak with a victory over Brookins. Koch’s training with former world kickboxing champion Duke Roufus and time spent with Roufusport stablemate Anthony Pettis have delivered obvious results, as his standup improves with every bout. Equal parts dynamic and aggressive, he comes to finish, which makes for exciting and often highlight reel-worthy results.

Brookins is the superior wrestler and has decent takedowns, especially from the clinch. He gave a credible effort in a brutal three-round technical knockout loss to Jose Aldo in November 2008 and showed his tactical smarts in winding his way through Season 12 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” He is a workmanlike fighter, with the expectable discipline to use wrestling as his base; Brookins avoids being reckless outside it or too constrained within it to keep him from using other weapons. It is Koch’s job to make this fight memorable and Brookins’ to turn it into a nuts-and-bolts takedown affair with little to feed the highlight reels.

Defensive wrestling and getting up if taken down will be keys for Koch. The first round and opening minutes will be pivotal for both men as they feel out one another, Koch looking to get the range for an explosive strike and Brookins hoping to close the gap and wrench it down to the floor. Koch could plausibly be held down and outworked here given the style matchup, but he also has an “it” factor that cannot be denied. He makes things happen, whether it is in the striking department or through submission attempts that materialize from nowhere.

The Pick: Koch went the distance in his sole defeat, a decision to the world-ranked and undefeated Chad Mendes, and Brookins is not that caliber of wrestler. Koch should be able to land enough on the feet in fast-paced exchanges to take a close decision win.

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