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Orion Cosce (7-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. Mike Mathetha (3-1, 0-1 UFC)Advertisement
Mathetha's second UFC fight should hopefully go better than the first. The latest kickboxing convert to come to the UFC via City Kickboxing in Auckland, "Blood Diamond" got a bit of hype despite being completely raw as a mixed martial artist; at 33 years old, Mathetha had all of three professional MMA fights before getting the UFC call. But with Mathetha coming from a camp that's had similar talents show some massive improvements in short order, the hope was that he could impress in a February debut against Jeremiah Wells after a two-year layoff. Wells may have been the complete wrong opponent for Mathetha to show anything against - Wells is a powerful athlete with impressive grappling and some extreme aggression - and indeed, Wells quickly took Mathetha to the mat and found a submission in roughly four and a half minutes. Thankfully for Mathetha, he gets a softer test here against Cosce. The 28-year-old Cosce's UFC tenure thus far has mostly been marked by long injury layoffs, as this is only the second fight for "Galaxy" after earning a contract in August of 2020. As a fighter, Cosce is solid but unspectacular, backing up a decent wrestling game with an ability to pressure with some grimy offense; and in earning that contract on the Contender Series, Cosce showed some impressive heart in staging a comeback against the much more hyped Matt Dixon and earning a late finish. But Phil Rowe was able to knock Cosce out in Cosce's lone UFC fight to date, so there is the chance that Mathetha could stop him with some dynamic offense; in Mathetha's regional film, there is some impressive flash and creativity, albeit against overmatched opposition. The bet is that Cosce's persistence pressure is enough to stifle Mathetha and win a grind by dragging him into some deep waters, but this could go either way; the pick is Cosce via decision.
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