Preview: UFC Vegas 104 Prelims

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday will return to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with a preliminary slate that should at least answer some questions about some of the participants. Ryan Spann leads the way on the UFC Fight Night 254 undercard, as he moves up to heavyweight against Waldo Cortes-Acosta in a showdown that should provide some immediate clarity as to whether or not “Superman” can hang in his new division. Meanwhile, a flyweight tilt pitting Daniel Barez against Andre Lima looks like the best bet for action. Keeping with recent trends for this time of year, several interesting Dana White’s Contender Series signees—Diyar Nurgozhay, Josias Musasa and Yuneisy Duben—look to make statements in their promotional debuts.

Now to the preview for the UFC Fight Night 254 prelims:

Heavyweights

Waldo Cortes-Acosta (12-1, 5-1 UFC) vs. Ryan Spann (22-10, 8-5 UFC)

ODDS: Cortes-Acosta (-166), Spann (+140)

Spann moves up to heavyweight, which is an interesting gambit. He had a frustrating career as a light heavyweight, combining a ton of athletic talent with very little consistency. “Superman” showed some patience at times, but his fights would often follow the same formula. He would hunt for a quick finish, and if that failed, he would keep pressing the issue until either him or his opponent couldn’t pick up the increased pace. That wound up at about an even split. Spann stopped a three-fight skid with a win over Ovince St. Preux in October, which does make the timing of this move up to heavyweight a bit surprising, but it does have some clear positive potential. Spann has the requisite heavyweight size, along with the dynamism to cause plenty of damage. However, surviving at heavyweight usually requires a level of durability that Spann doesn’t appear to possess, which makes this fight against Cortes-Acosta a strong matchup in terms of proof of concept. Cortes-Acosta is a clear example of how far heavyweight-level durability and some athleticism can carry a fighter, as he has put together a strong UFC career while still feeling a bit undercooked. A converted baseball player, “Salsa Boy” got a late start in mixed martial arts that has left him behind on the development curve. Cortes-Acosta also doesn’t fight to his maximum effectiveness, often wasting time to taunt his opponents while fighting at a slow pace. Even so, he can absorb the requisite amount of damage, land with a decent amount of power and throw in some decent enough takedowns as needed, which is enough to put him in the top half of the UFC’s heavyweight roster. Spann should start hot and has a decent chance at a victory through his underrated grappling game, but his potential at heavyweight feels like a mixed bag, so it seems like a decent enough flier that he will just run himself into trouble, much as he did at 205 pounds. The pick is Cortes-Acosta via second-round knockout.

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Cortes-Acosta vs. Spann
Luciano vs. Hughes
Nurgozhay vs. Ribeiro
Musasa vs. Vera
Lima vs. Barez
Nunes vs. Cachoeira
Judice vs. Duben