Preview: UFC Fight Night 232 Prelims

Heavyweights

Michael Parkin (7-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Caio Machado (8-1-1, 0-0 UFC)

ODDS: Parkin (-345), Machado (+275)

The UFC’s hunt for heavyweight talent might not result in the prettiest fights, but at least there are two interesting prospects on the right side of 30. England’s Parkin looked like a decent enough flier for the UFC to take, particularly after his 2022 win on Dana White’s Contender Series. Parkin’s previous victories saw him win a lot of messy wars of attrition, but he did a solid job of finding a rear-naked choke on Eduardo Neves in short order. That set up a July UFC debut that was not amazingly exciting but saw a strong performance from Parkin. He outworked Jamal Pogues in a striking match and did a surprisingly effective job of maintaining pace in a way that can counter most heavyweight games. Machado seems to be in a similar spot, fighting with a style that is not typical of most heavyweights. Brazilian-born and fighting out of Canada, Machado’s regional film saw him get smothered by larger fighters at times and consistently fight back. While his win on DWCS in August was one of the ugliest fights of the season, he did a similarly effective job of shucking off takedown attempts, maintaining range and throwing out effective volume. There is a decent chance this winds up as a range striking match that never gets beyond a simmer, but Parkin looks to have the more effective combination of speed, pace and power, and he also figures to be the more reliable wrestler if this winds up in close quarters. The pick is Parkin via decision.

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