Preview: UFC Fight Night ‘Machida vs. Romero’

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FEATHERWEIGHTS

Hacran Dias (22-3-1, 2-2 UFC) vs. Levan Makashvili (7-1, 1-0 UFC)

THE MATCHUP: Rising featherweights clash, as Nova Uniao’s Dias takes on Makashvili in a potentially intriguing bout. Dias’ talent is undeniable, but he has fought only four times in the last three years, most recently taking a decision from Darren Elkins in December. Makashvili, a Long Island, N.Y., resident who originally hails from Georgia, entered the UFC with a bit of hype and defeated Mark Eddiva on May 16. He comes in here on short notice, replacing the injured Chas Skelly.

Dias is big, strong, athletic and highly skilled in each phase. He owns a crisp striking game, with slick angles, pivots and combinations that he punctuates with powerful low kicks. Counters in the pocket are a specialty, as he excels at pulling his head offline and firing back with two or three punches. Like all Nova Uniao fighters, he is a surprisingly strong wrestler, with outstanding takedown defense and a nice mixture of shot takedowns and trips from the clinch that he chains beautifully. On the mat, he passes nicely, is difficult to shake off and can find the arm-triangle or get to the back for the rear-naked choke with great aplomb.

Makashvili is a talented and athletic wrestle-boxer. He has big power in his hands, gets great weight transfer into his forward-moving sequences of winging hooks and likes to stick a sharp low kick at the end of his combinations. Volume can be a problem, however, and he often gets bogged down looking for the perfect shot instead of simply taking what is available. The clinch and wrestling phases are the real meat of Makashvili’s game. He is brutally strong and works smooth turns in the tie-ups, snaps down his opponent effortlessly and excels at cracking down on the whizzer for defense. Despite a nice arsenal of trips, throws and lower-body takedowns, he mostly uses them as a change of pace rather than an opportunity to do much from top position.

BETTING ODDS: Dias (-185), Makashvili (+160)

THE PICK: This matchup favors Dias. It should be a relatively slow-paced fight -- neither fighter will be confused for Carlos Condit or Max Holloway anytime soon -- and both prefer to engage in the same ranges. However, I think Dias owns technical edges in every meaningful category, and he is every bit the athlete Makashvili has proven to be. The pick is Dias by close decision.

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