Preview: UFC on ESPN 19 Main Card

Heavyweights

NR | Gian Villante (17-12, 7-9 UFC) vs. NR | Jake Collier (11-5, 3-4 UFC)

ODDS: Villante (-200), Collier (+170)

Both of these men decided to eat their way up to heavyweight for fights during this pandemic, so this bout was the obvious next step for the UFC matchmakers to take. A move up to heavyweight made some sense for Villante on paper. While the Long Islander’s game has stagnated into a one-note approach, he has shown the level of durability that usually pays off in the heavyweight division. Of course, that assumed that Villante would add weight in a way that would help preserve some of the athleticism that made him such a hot prospect over a decade ago. Instead, Villante showed up 50 pounds heavier, mostly in the stomach, and looked absolutely glacial against Maurice Greene. He will hope to do better against Collier, who returned in July after more than two years on the shelf and looked absolutely unrecognizable from his days at middleweight and light heavyweight. Collier was an aggressive wildman in his lighter days, and to his credit, he did seem to retain a shocking amount of aggression and speed for being 60-plus pounds heavier. However, that is all based on 45 seconds of action, as Tom Aspinall quickly flattened him for a first-round knockout. Collier might actually be the more effective heavyweight in terms of offense, but it is difficult to trust him at this weight if durability is going to be a concern since Villante may just need one or two big punches to end this. The pick is Villante via first-round knockout, though there is no reason to have much confidence in either man.

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