Preview: UFC Paris Prelims

Light Heavyweights

Oumar Sy (11-1) vs. Brendson Ribeiro (17-8)

Odds: Sy (-425); Ribeiro (+325)

Like his countryman William Gomis in the top prelim, Sy will endeavor to get back into the win column after his first Octagon loss, and like Gomis, he faces an opponent who favors the same kind of fight he prefers. The 29-year-old Sy is a big, strong, fast light heavyweight who presents as a kickboxer but has just as many wins by submission as by knockout. They are not all club-and-sub specials, either: Sy has excellent instincts in transition and is capable of lightning-quick back takes, as he showed in his UFC debut against George Tokkos.

In his last outing in June, Sy came up short against Alonzo Menifield, who beat the Frenchman at his own game. Menifield, who gave up significant height and reach, largely controlled the fight, keeping Sy uncomfortable on the feet, countering his big kicks to the head and body with crisp, hard punches until he stopped trying them. Menifield also defused Sy’s sneaky offensive ground game, easily shucking off his takedown attempts. The result was a tepid outing whose only rewatch value would be for Sy and his coaches.

Having said that, Ribeiro is very unlikely to replicate the path to victory over Sy that Menifield demonstrated. Like Sy, Ribeiro is a huge light heavyweight with big power, but despite having over twice as much professional experience, he feels like a much less polished product. The 29-year-old “Gorilla” possesses a diverse striking arsenal but a brawler’s mindset. When it works, it works spectacularly, as he showed in his first-round destruction of Bruno Lopes on Dana White's Contender Series, but his tendency to overswing leaves him open to counters as well as sapping his gas tank.

Ribeiro is more skilled and has greater upside than his 2-3 UFC mark implies, but he has also shown a clear ceiling. Azamat Murzakanov and Mingyang Zhang both knocked him out in the first round, demonstrating the limitations of his hyperaggressive approach in a division where plenty of fighters hit hard, but few defend themselves well. Sy is well equipped to follow suit, and short of getting caught early by a big haymaker, he should outclass the Brazilian anywhere this fight goes. The pick is Sy by first-round knockout, with one of the aforementioned club-and-subs a distinct possibility as well.



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