Preview: UFC Fight Night 184 Prelims

Bantamweight

NR | Timur Valiev (16-2, 0-0 UFC) vs. NR | Martin Day (8-5, 0-3 UFC)

ODDS: N/A

Valiev’s UFC debut did not go as planned. Long considered one of the better bantamweights outside of the promotion, Valiev drew late replacement Trevin Jones in his first Octagon assignment and appeared to be cruising to a win; in fact, the first round of the fight saw a controversial non-stoppage after Valiev folded Jones with some strikes to the body. Nevertheless, it was an impressive showing early in the bout. The long-standing criticism of Valiev is his unwillingness to take his game into a second gear, so it was still nice to see him fully take over a contest. Then, of course, the tide turned, as Valiev suddenly found himself getting countered and knocked out in one of the biggest upsets of 2020. The result was later changed to a no-contest when Jones failed a drug test. Valiev hopes to rebound here against another late replacement in Day, who is looking to find some success in what has been a hard-luck UFC career thus far. A rangy Hawaiian with a kick-heavy offense, Day has twice looked to be coasting to wins, only to have his hopes dashed. His bout against Pingyuan Liu ended in a controversial decision loss, and Day’s return from a long injury layoff saw him suffer a late knockout against Davey Grant. After a third straight defeat to Anderson dos Santos, Day badly could use a win. There is a chance that Day’s considerable reach could lull the Russian into the type of slow-paced fight that could make things more of a coin toss, but Valiev looks to be the much harder hitter and can also fall back on his wrestling if the situation calls for it. The pick is Valiev via decision.

Continue Reading » Smith vs. Jaynes