Preview: UFC Fight Night 210 Prelims

Bantamweights

Javid Basharat (12-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Tony Gravely (23-7, 4-2 UFC)

ODDS: Basharat (-165), Gravely (+140)

This bantamweight battle is sneakily one of the more interesting fights on the card. Gravely looked set to hit the ground running after earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019. He entered the Octagon with a well-rounded game and was already quite battle-tested, packing over 20 fights into less than four years against a strong level of regional competition. When everything clicks, Gravely looks as good as any prospect on the roster thanks to his combination of strong wrestling and knockout power. However, as situations start to get rougher—particularly if Gravely cannot clearly establish himself as a better wrestler—his fights tend to get quite messy. Brett Johns and Nathan Maness were able to score late victories just by forcing Gravely into an even battle and then taking advantage of his defensive lapses. Even so, Gravely has rebounded with a strong 2022 campaign. He constantly avoided submissions in a decision win over Saimon Oliveira in January, then quickly knocked out Johnny Munoz Jr. in June. He will look to keep that momentum going against Basharat, whose last year has been a rousing success. Born in Afghanistan and fighting out of London, Basharat earned his contract on DWCS under less-than-ideal circumstances in 2021, becoming victim to some racist insults from his opponent before he laid down a one-sided win. “The Snow Leopard” impressed in his UFC debut against Trevin Jones in March. Basharat’s relatively low level of competition made it unclear if his confidence bordered on arrogance, but he handled the toughest test of his career in more or less every aspect of the fight. Basharat still is not particularly mindful of what his opponent can throw back at him, so he seems likely to suffer a speed bump or two along the way as he adjusts to better competition. However, he has shown enough that, assuming he survives, he should be able to take advantage of Gravely’s tendency to flag and take over this fight late, if not score an outright finish of his own. The pick is Basharat via decision.

Finish Reading » Motta vs. VanCamp