Preview: UFC Fight Night 217 Prelims

Flyweights

Allan Nascimento (19-6) vs. Carlos Hernandez (8-1)
Odds: Nascimento (-410), Hernandez (+330)

It'll be interesting to see if Allan Nascimento builds on his last performance here. After narrowly missing out on a UFC contract via the Contender Series in 2018, "Puro Osso" went on a three-year odyssey before finally getting signed in 2021. That debut, opposite Tagir Ulanbekov, showed the pros and cons of the Brazilian's game; while a passable striker, he shines as a submission artist - though like many grapplers, he's susceptible to long bouts of inactivity while he hunts for submissions. After dropping that fight to Ulanbekov, Nascimento's rebound win over Jake Hadley showed some promising signs - Hadley figured to be the more aggressive fighter in a pairing of submission hunters, but it was instead Nascimento that pressed the initiative and walked away with a clear win. He'll look to keep the momentum here against Hernandez, who returns nearly a year after a successful debut. Hernandez's strength is his well-roundedness, as he's a solid fighter that can do a bit of everything without much in the way of weaknesses, and has enough athleticism and cardio to keep things up for three rounds. That does figure to hurt him a bit against specialists, and while Hernandez should be a tough out, this does look like Nascimento's fight to lose; beyond being the stronger grappler, his size and kicking game should prevent Hernandez from making much hay on the feet. He'll need to keep up the form of his win against Hadley to get the nod here, but the pick is Nascimento via decision.

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Nascimento vs. Hernandez
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