Preview: UFC on ESPN 52 Prelims

Lightweights

Drakkar Klose (13-2-1, 7-2 UFC) vs. Joe Solecki (13-3, 5-1 UFC)

ODDS: Klose (-125), Solecki (+105)

It is nice to see Klose make it to the cage before 2023 closes out, as his 2022 comeback saw him show some solid form. Klose has one of the more underrated careers of anyone on the UFC roster at the moment, as he immediately established himself as the lightweight division’s spoiler in 2017, scoring an upset win over the much more hyped Marc Diakiese. Klose’s style was not always the most exciting, as a lot of his success depended on a grinding clinch game, but it proved quite successful as he kept racking up wins, including a 2018 victory over Bobby Green that has aged quite well. His 2020 fight against Beneil Dariush unexpectedly turned into a banger that saw Klose get knocked out, and an attempt at a rebound instead wound up derailing his career. Jeremy Stephens shoved Klose during their weigh-in, resulting in a career-threatening spinal injury. It was not until April 2022 that Klose would finally make his return, and he looked good in a complete win over Brandon Jenkins, then put in a solid fight to beat Rafa Garcia four months later. Solecki is a tough next test for Klose, even if he also feels like he has been spinning his wheels in recent years, albeit for much more mundane reasons. Solecki’s strengths are clear, as he is an absolutely electric grappler when given the advantage, but he has proven to have a narrower path to success than expected at times. Solecki is prone to getting outwrestled himself, and while he has a decent striking game that works in tandem with his wrestling, it is not an effective avenue to victory on its own. After suffering a setback to Jared Gordon in a close fight back in 2021, Solecki has not been much of a going concern thanks to inactivity and matchmaking. Alex da Silva Coelho was an underrated test who dragged Solecki into an ugly fight, and his last bout saw him run over overmatched late replacement Carl Deaton in February. The main question here is whether Solecki can find a takedown early in two out of three rounds, as he is likely to get stranded in a losing fight on the feet otherwise. Klose is stout enough to hold his own in that department, but the Garcia fight does raise a bit of worry. There were moments where Klose got overaggressive and left himself open for an opportunistic Garcia takedown. The bet is that Klose stays within himself enough to take this, but it is a coinflip. The pick is Klose via decision.

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