Preview: UFC Fight Night 238 Prelims

Middleweights

Christian Leroy Duncan (9-1, 2-1 UFC) vs. Claudio Ribeiro (11-4, 1-2 UFC)

ODDS: Duncan (-298), Ribeiro (+240)

A particularly hyped prospect coming out of Britain, Duncan’s first year under the UFC banner was a mixed bag. A seasoned amateur who put together an impressive highlight reel during his professional career, Duncan’s UFC debut was expected to be a highlight of the promotion’s trip to London in March. Even though Duncan walked away with the win, it was a bit of a dud thanks to an early injury stoppage before things truly got going. Duncan’s sophomore performance against Armen Petrosyan was solid enough. However, it also saw Petrosyan hand Duncan the first professional loss of his career. Petrosyan’s willingness to stand his ground and throw volume was enough to outwork Duncan’s sometimes inefficient approach. Everything came together in Duncan’s November win over Denis Tiuliulin, as he was able to play both matador and bully against a willing—if limited—scrapper. Duncan looks to carry that momentum forward against Brazil’s Ribeiro, who also had a middling 2023 in his first year under the UFC banner. Ribeiro came to the UFC as a pure knockout threat, and he lost that race to a finish against Abdul Razak Alhassan in his UFC debut. The Brazilian rightfully saw the need to add some new wrinkles to his game after that result, though it seems to have come at the expense of Ribeiro’s comfort in his own success. He was able to outwrestle Joseph Holmes handily but took his foot off the gas pedal against Roman Kopylov and got knocked out as a result. Ribeiro certainly has enough firepower to score a knockout, but Duncan looks to be the more capable and confident bully of the two at this point. The pick is Duncan via second-round stoppage.

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