Preview: UFC Abu Dhabi Prelims

Light Heavyweights

Ibo Aslan (14-2, 2-1 UFC) vs. Billy Elekana (7-2, 0-1 UFC)

Odds: Aslan (-260); Elekana (+215)

A couple of 205-pounders will look to bounce back from lopsided losses here. Aslan was a mildly interesting up-and-comer headed into his February date with Ion Cutelaba; the 24-year-old Turkiye native had racked up a six-fight win streak including his first two UFC bouts. The step up from Anton Turkalj and Raffael Cerqueira to Cutelaba ended up being far too much, however, as the “Hulk” mauled him in under three minutes.

The Cutelaba fight encapsulated Aslan’s struggles: He is a big light heavyweight who throws a variety of strikes with good reach and power, but has poor takedown defense and lacks the footwork and physicality to keep a determined wrestler off of him. While Cutelaba an athletic bruiser even by the standards of the division, there are plenty of UFC light heavyweights who could probably do the same to Aslan.

Whether Elekana is one of them is an open question. The 30-year-old Californian stepped up on short notice to face Bogdan Guskov at UFC 311 in January and was badly outgunned en route to a second-round submission loss. Elekana is well-rounded and athletic, but as a career middleweight up until about three years ago, is very undersized by the standards of UFC light heavyweights. That was a problem against Guskov, a compact but very strong slugger.

It will likely be a problem against Aslan as well. Elekana’s best chance in this fight is to get inside and find a way to drag the bigger man to the canvas. He could do so, but he will have to work without Cutelaba’s brute strength or the dual threat presented by his haymakers on the way in. The pick is for Aslan to keep Elekana on the outside in the early going, frustrate him, then catch him with something big as he tries for a takedown. Aslan by Round 2 knockout.



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Mitchell vs. Nurmagomedov
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Aslan vs. Elekana
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