Preview: UFC Fight Night 236 Prelims

Light Heavyweights

Zac Pauga (6-2, 1-2 UFC) vs. Bogdan Guskov (14-3, 0-1 UFC)

ODDS: Pauga (-130), Guskov (+110)

Two light heavyweights look for a breakout performance in this pairing. Pauga looked poised for at least a decent level of success coming off “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2022, even if the former football player was not overly exciting as a prospect. A late convert to mixed martial arts, “The Ripper” showed an ability to plug away with a game plan in consistent fashion, either via turning things into a grind or playing neutralizer on the feet. Pauga competed at heavyweight on “The Ultimate Fighter” and popped a bit more as an athlete before getting knocked out by Mohammed Usman, and since moving back down to 205 pounds for his proper UFC career, he has basically picked up where he left off, grinding out a win over Jordan Wright and then losing a controversial decision to Modestas Bukauskas in another slow-paced fight. Guskov should bring a bit more to the proceedings in terms of fireworks, though it is unclear how long the Uzbek fighter can keep things up. Guskov looked like a solid enough prospect on the regional scene, picking his spots with knockout power while showing enough wrestling to get by, but he made a massive jump from middling regional competition to a late-notice UFC debut against Volkan Oezdemir, who quickly took him apart and scored a submission finish. Guskov could just crack Pauga out of the gate, but the American appears fairly durable and able to slow Guskov down, which should keep him ahead in a battle of gas tanks. The pick is Pauga via decision.

Jump To »
Giles vs. Prates
Oki vs. Cuamba
Suphisara vs. Brasil
Clark vs. Prachnio
Wells vs. Griffin
Pauga vs. Guskov
Amil vs. Garcia
Marcos vs. Aori