Preview: UFC Fight Night 239 Prelims

Lightweights

Mike Davis (10-2, 3-1 UFC) vs. Natan Levy (8-1, 2-1 UFC)

ODDS: Davis (-340), Levy (+270)

It is good to see Davis back in action, as he is one of the UFC's most underrated talents. “Beast Boy” first got on the greater radar with an excellent scrap against future featherweight contender Sodiq Yusuff on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018. Davis came out on the losing end, but it was not a shock to see him in the UFC fold just months later, stepping in on late notice against Gilbert Burns. After losing to Burns, Davis has looked quite impressive in each of his trips to the Octagon. He is a powerful athlete with durability and effective offense in all phases, and he has done well to pick up the pace in his fights while working through some anxiety issues. The main issue? Davis just does not keep up much of an active schedule. This marks his third straight fight to come after a year-plus layoff. After outwrestling Viacheslav Borshchev late in 2022, Davis returns 17 months later against Israel’s Levy, who also endured a lost 2023. In Levy’s case, issues with both himself and his opponents led to constant fight cancellations that have kept him out of action for 15 months. Levy is an interesting talent and an excellent athlete in his own right, with a background in various martial arts. During his rise through the regional ranks, Levy essentially found that if he just committed himself to doing everything he could with full power, opponents would be unable to stand up to him over the long haul. However, an unsuccessful UFC debut against Rafa Garcia in 2021 showed the inefficiencies in Levy’s game, and he has slowly retooled his approach into something more consistent, even if he has still had to fight through exhaustion to get some wins over the finish line. Davis looks more capable of keeping up a pace over three rounds, so the American gets the nod, but it would not be a shock if Levy put some doubts into his mind, particularly with his effective kicking game. The pick is Davis via decision.

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