Preview: UFC Fight Night 223 ‘Dern vs. Hill’

Lightweights

Viacheslav Borshchev (6-3, 1-2 UFC) vs. Maheshate Hayisaer (9-2, 1-1 UFC)

ODDS: Borshchev (-165), Maheshate (+140)

Hayisaer was one of the more interesting contract winners on the 2021 edition of Dana White’s Contender Series. The Chinese fighter was essentially a man of mystery upon landing in the Octagon but impressed as a physical talent with some good timing in a decision win over Achilles Estremadura. Hayisaer rightfully gained some more hype after an impressive UFC debut saw him blast Steve Garcia for a knockout in just 74 seconds, but a follow-up effort against Rafa Garcia showed the holes in his game, mostly centered around his questionable defensive wrestling and grappling. That does not figure to be a concern against Borshchev, as both men figure to be content banging things out on the feet. Like Hayisaer, Borshchev impressed on both DWCS and in his UFC debut thanks to his striking ability. “Slava Claus” knocked out Chris Duncan and Dakota Bush with some impressive accuracy, the latter via a shot to the liver. While Borshchev has some passable takedown defense, his last two fights have seen opponents take him out of his game by embracing the grind, leaving him without enough time to get any impressive work done. With both men getting the fight they want and also being quite raw, this really is a bout that could go either way. Borshchev looks to be the more developed striker, but his willingness to trade figures to leave him open for some big Hayisaer counters, even if he is not dissuaded by his large frame. The lean is that Hayisaer lands enough big moments of offense to take this on the scorecards if it goes 15 minutes, but everything short of a submission victory for either man is on the table. The pick is Hayisaer via decision.

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Dern vs. Hill
Hernandez vs. Shahbazyan
Godinez vs. Ducote
Buckley vs. Fialho
Ferreira vs. Johnson
Borshchev vs. Hayisaer
The Prelims