Preview: UFC on ESPN 15 ‘Munhoz vs. Edgar’ Prelims

Light Heavyweights

Isaac Villanueva (16-10) vs. Jordan Wright (10-0)

ODDS: N/A

After stepping in for a late-notice UFC debut at heavyweight, Villanueva gets the chance to ply his trade back down at his usual weight of 205 pounds. A former middleweight, Villanueva does not seem to have bulked up in the most ideal way, but he was surprisingly effective on the regional scene; he is not a particularly active striker and nothing stands out, but he seems to be blessed with some natural power, as he has been able to score knockouts as soon as he springs into action. He was simply physically and athletically overwhelmed against Chase Sherman, but this fight against a late-notice replacement in Wright should hopefully be more his speed. Typically a middleweight, Wright is probably best known for his showing on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018, which went about as poorly as possible. Wright goes by the moniker of “The Beverly Hills Ninja” and has all the trappings that entails, essentially coming off as a rich kid who took his karate classes much too seriously. He got absolutely annihilated by Anthony Hernandez—the result was later changed to a no contest after a positive test for marijuana—in that fight, but to his credit, he did eventually recover and earn the best win of his career in the Legacy Fighting Alliance in January. That showed that he can frustrate a slower opponent who does not look to force the action, which certainly describes Villanueva. However, Wright also reacted so poorly to getting hit by Hernandez that as long as Villanueva can survive, it is not hard to see him eventually finding the Jackson-Wink MMA rep’s chin and sending things speeding towards a finish. The pick is Villanueva via second-round knockout.

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