Preview: UFC 265 Prelims

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 265 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Light Heavyweights

NR | Alonzo Menifield (10-2, 3-2 UFC) vs. NR | Ed Herman (26-14, 13-10 UFC)

ODDS: Menifield (-240), Herman (+200)

Herman somehow survives. “Short Fuse” was never the best athlete, but he became absolutely glacial at some point around 2013, which figured to signal an entry into the last phase of his career. However, Herman has managed to get by on toughness and veteran craft, to the point that he is currently riding a three-fight winning streak at 40 years old. Khadis Ibragimov tried to move Herman and got absolutely nowhere, and the American’s last victory over Mike Rodriguez was an impressive display of heart, albeit one that came with a lot of controversy. Rodriguez should have had the victory in hand after a knee to the body crumpled Herman, but the knee was incorrectly ruled a low blow, allowing “The Ultimate Fighter 3” finalist to recover and stage a third-round comeback. At any rate, Herman is back on prospect-killing duty once again while looking for his fourth straight win against Menifield.

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 265 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Up until a little over a year ago, Menifield was following a standard prospect path, obliterating opponents for quick finishes without showing much else. A June 2020 loss to Devin Clark in which Menifield got about as exhausted as anyone in recent UFC history seems to have been a pivot point. He showed a much more patient approach in his next bout against Ovince St. Preux, even if the end result was still his getting knocked out by an unorthodox veteran. After rebounding with a win over Fabio Cherant, Menifield looks to build some momentum, and he is quite capable of doing so. If nothing else, Menifield is a more dangerous knockout artist than any of Herman’s recent victims. There is a decent chance that Herman can drag “Atomic Alonzo” into deep waters and earn another unlikely victory, but it is hard to bet against Menifield’s horsepower, especially with him increasingly showing a lot of the right ideas when it comes to his approach. The pick is Menifield via first-round knockout.

Continue Reading » Kowalkiewicz vs. Penne