Preview: UFC on ESPN 18 Prelims

Flyweights

Su Mudaerji (12-4) vs. Malcolm Gordon (12-4)

ODDS: Mudaerji (-330), Gordon (+270)

This has the potential to be an entertaining mess. At the very least, Gordon tends to get things over and done with in a hurry. The Canadian quickly attempts to hunt down a knockout or a submission, but he does not react well to getting hit or he does not possess much grappling defense himself. That trend continued with his short-notice UFC debut, a first-round loss to Amir Albazi, and might very well do so here against Mudaerji. The first Tibetan fighter in UFC history, Mudaerji arrived in the promotion after facing a particularly weak slate of competition. However, the “Tibetan Eagle” has generally impressed to date, holding up well on the mat against Louis Smolka before showing off his range kickboxing in a win over Andre Soukhamthath. The concern here is that Mudaerji is dropping down from 135 pounds to make his UFC debut at flyweight. While he apparently spent some time at flyweight earlier in his career, his already-reedy frame could get even weaker at 125 pounds. As a result, the pick is for Gordon to overwhelm Mudaerji early and score a first-round submission, but all bets are off if this lasts any length of time.

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