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Lightweights

NR | Matt Frevola (8-3-1, 2-3-1 UFC) vs. NR | Genaro Valdez (10-0, 0-0 UFC)

ODDS: Frevola (-190), Valdez (+160)

Frevola has been a consistently entertaining fighter during his time on the UFC roster, but he badly needs to recover from what has essentially been a lost two years. Frevola has consistently lived up to his “Steamrolla” nickname, as his fights are an absolute blast once they get going. Frevola’s constant willingness to charge through offense and return fire, whether through strikes of his own or takedowns, makes for non-stop action amid constant momentum changes. The issue for Frevola can be getting out of the gates: The Long Islander is a slow starter, and two of his three UFC losses have seen him get sparked within a minute. Frevola had some momentum following two straight wins in 2019, but 2020 was a lost cause, with injuries and illness scrapping every scheduled fight he had for the entire year. Frevola was served some hard luck in terms of late opponent changes in 2021. He wound up facing Arman Tsarukyan on roughly a day’s notice and got outwrestled as a result, and he suffered a seven-second knockout at the hands of late replacement Terrance McKinney in June. Frevola looks to stop his skid against Mexico’s Valdez, who makes his UFC debut after earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in October. Valdez can be an absolutely electric fighter, showing some sharp striking and knockout power to supplement a grappling game that has been solid for his level of regional competition. However, his DWCS bout against Patrik White did raise some concerns. Most of Valdez’s regional success came via early finishes, and while he managed to score a second-round knockout against White, he looked absolutely exhausted while doing so. If Frevola can drag Valdez into deeper waters, this figures to be the first loss of the Mexican’s career. Still, Valdez’s being such a hot starter with crisp striking and finishing power means he looks to have the exact right matchup here and should be able to catch Frevola early. The pick is Valdez via first-round knockout.

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