Preview: UFC Fight Night ‘Poirier vs. Johnson’

Featherweights

Chas Skelly (15-2) vs. Maximo Blanco (12-7-1)

THE MATCHUP: Blanco is far and away the most disappointing fighter in the UFC, not because his results have been altogether bad -- Sam Sicilia, Andy Ogle, and Dan Hooker are all credible wins -- but because he seems capable of so much more. Yet the Venezuelan has a knack for strange fights. Whether losing a three-round staring contest to Marcus Brimage, illegally kneeing Akira Corassani or walking repeatedly into the left hand of Luke Sanders, weirdness has been the theme of Blanco’s entire career.

At this point, there is no reason to expect anything different. Blanco is 32, with eight years of experience under his belt. His very first fight ended in a no-contest due to a head butt, and his last fight will probably end when the stadium roof collapses. That is just how Blanco works. In the meantime, however, he remains a dangerous opponent, due in part to the same frustrating unpredictability that keeps him sequestered from the ranks of the elite.

Blanco does have a wrestling background, and he is rarely worried about the takedown. Skelly’s game is built totally on the notion of getting the takedown. If he cannot drag Blanco to the ground, he will be forced to strike with him. Neither Blanco nor Skelly are great defensive fighters, and both possess power. Blanco, however, is much, much faster. With that being said, Skelly has proven his ability to trade with fighters who by all rights should be more dangerous on the feet, men like Mirsad Bektic and Jim Alers; and he is strong and committed enough to his grappling game that he has overcome the ones who outpace him, like Edimilson Souza.

THE ODDS: Skelly (-185), Blanco (+160)

THE PICK: Blanco strikes me as a fighter with focus problems. He loses focus on the fight as a whole and throws himself utterly into a single goal, whether that goal is pressuring, winning exchanges or waiting to counter. He becomes so absorbed in the heat of the moment that his opponents are able to think circles around him. Based solely on his skill set, Blanco could win this fight in an instant, but his mindset puts him a step behind Skelly. Whatever Blanco does well, expect it to be offset by some grave error. The pick is Skelly by second-round submission.

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