Preview: UFC Fight Night 207 Prelims

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Flyweights

Ode Osbourne (10-4, 2-2 UFC) vs. Zarrukh Adashev (4-3, 1-2 UFC)

ODDS: Osbourne (-170), Adashev (+150)

It will be interesting to see if everything can fully click for Osbourne since he certainly has some potential. Initially coming to the UFC as a lanky bantamweight—and even longer down at flyweight—Osbourne’s offense-heavy approach led to some inconsistency to start his UFC career. “The Jamaican Sensation” had his moments, namely a 26-second knockout of Jerome Rivera early in 2021, but found himself without much of a safety net against more experienced or athletic opponents. Brian Kelleher quickly found a submission in Osbourne’s UFC debut, while Manel Kape suddenly ended his night with a flying knee in their fight. It was nice to see Osbourne put in a consistent 15 minutes in his last performance, a decision victory over C.J. Vergara in November. Osbourne was able to set a distance and pick the slower Vergara apart, despite promotional newcomer’s best efforts to press the action. He could do something similar against Uzbekistan’s Adashev, who is looking to build on the first win of his UFC career. A former kickboxer, Adashev had the barest level of mixed martial arts experience before getting the UFC call early in the pandemic. Given that there are no easy outs in the UFC’s flyweight division, “The Lion” has had difficulty trying to learn on the job. Tyson Nam quickly knocked Adashev out, and while he made it all 15 minutes against Su Mudaerji, the Tibetan prospect’s significant size advantage prevented Adashev from getting much done. With some more physical parity against Ryan Benoit, Adashev showed off a solid enough range striking game in a decision victory in July, but he obviously tired down the stretch; and he once again finds himself at a significant reach disadvantage here. Osbourne’s length should isolate him, and even if it does not, Adashev is unlikely to find a finish and figures to be the first to slow down. The pick is Osbourne via decision.

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