Preview: UFC 301 Prelims

Featherweights

Jean Silva (12-2, 1-0 UFC) vs. William Gomis (13-2, 3-0 UFC)

ODDS: Silva (-162), Gomis (+136)

This should at least be an intellectually interesting fight, as Gomis continues to try and reach his ceiling. “Jaguar” is one of the standouts among the UFC’s recent wave of French signees, even if his style can be a bit frustrating. Gomis has an impressive combination of size and speed but mostly leverages those skills to try and neutralize his opponents. Gomis is most comfortable staying at range and picking away at opponents by default, but if things head into close quarters, he’s more than content to grind out a win with an ugly clinch game. Gomis has stayed ahead of all three of his UFC opponents to date, but it will be interesting to see how he handles things when someone can take away one of his safety valves. That someone might be Brazil’s Silva. A stocky ball of muscle, Silva’s also an interesting talent, particularly as a knockout artist. But Silva can be frustrating in his own right, mostly owing to the fact that he takes a while to get going and doesn’t throw out a particularly high level of volume. Between Silva’s patience and the Frenchman’s massive size advantage, the likeliest result seems to be Gomis staying at range to coast out an ugly decision win, though there is the chance that the Brazilian can turn one big moment of offense into a fight-ending momentum shift. The pick is Gomis via decision.

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