Preview: UFC Fight Night 189 Prelims

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Featherweights

NR | Sean Woodson (7-1, 1-1 UFC) vs. NR | Youssef Zalal (10-4, 3-2 UFC)

ODDS: Woodson (-190), Zalal (+165)

This is an under-the-radar banger between two intriguing featherweight prospects. Woodson certainly catches the eye, as few 145-pound fighters are stretched out over a 6-foot-2 frame. His Dana White’s Contender Series win to earn a UFC contract did not portend much success—Woodson was mostly outwrestled and grounded before a flying knee scored him a sudden comeback victory—but “The Sniper” had an impressive proper UFC debut, handling perennial tough out Kyle Bochniak over three rounds without much issue. Woodson’s lone bout of 2020 cooled his momentum, however. While his fight against Julian Erosa was an excellent back-and-forth war, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 22 semifinalist managed to drag Woodson into a pace the newcomer could not sustain, which eventually led to an Erosa victory in the third round. After nearly a year off, Woodson returns to take on Zalal, who looks to recapture some of his own lost momentum.

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A rangy featherweight in his own right, albeit one who will be dwarfed by Woodson, Zalal managed to mix a range striking game with some surprisingly effective clinch offense to kick off his UFC run with three straight wins. However, Zalal has now lost two straight, mostly owing to his inability to overpower Ilia Topuria or Seung Woo Choi in said clinch. Zalal should have that advantage against Woodson, but the latter’s immense length makes the dynamics of this a bit odd; and Woodson has shown enough of a first layer of wrestling defense that he should be able to keep this fight standing for a decent amount of time. As a striker, Zalal has not yet seemed to set the type of pace or output to totally exhaust Woodson, so this looks to be a fun back-and-forth fight that should see the Glory MMA rep hitting the best offense. The pick is Woodson via decision.

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