Preview: UFC on ESPN 36 ‘Blachowicz vs. Rakic’

Flyweights

Jake Hadley (8-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Allan Nascimento (18-6, 0-1 UFC)

ODDS: Hadley (-210), Nascimento (+175)

Hadley is obviously a UFC-level talent, but it is still a surprise to see him in the promotion. That is entirely due to issues outside of the cage. The Brit impressed in a win over Mitch Raposo on Dana White’s Contender Series in October but figured to have his UFC hopes sunk by the fact that he missed weight and allowed his apparent unprofessionalism to some issues with the UFC staff. Still, it is UFC President Dana White’s show, and he ignored those concerns—and overruled matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard—to give Hadley his shot inside the Octagon. As far as Hadley as a fighter goes, everything centers around his powerful wrestling and grappling game, which he can keep up for quite a while. His last bout prior to the Contender Series saw him win the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship flyweight title with five rounds of positional dominance. That makes for an interesting stylistic matchup in this UFC debut against Brazil’s Nascimento, whose also features grappling as the strongest part of his game. A lanky fighter, “Puro Osso” has some snap to his striking but shines brightest when he is on the mat, though that does come with some issues. Nascimento is not the strongest wrestler, and his tendency to stay in disadvantageous positions and hunt for submissions cost him in his own UFC debut—a scramble-heavy affair and narrow decision loss against Tagir Ulanbekov in October. This should be a compelling outing on the ground, but between Hadley being the bigger bully and Nascimento’s willingness to give up control, this seems like one that the UFC newcomer can grind out. Nevertheless, Nascimento should provide enough danger to constantly keep the action moving. The pick is Hadley via decision.

Blachowicz vs. Rakic
Cutelaba vs. Spann
Grant vs. Smolka
Chookagian vs. Ribas
Camacho vs. Torres
Hadley vs. Nascimento
The Prelims