Preview: UFC Fight Night 236 Prelims

Light Heavyweights

Devin Clark (14-8, 8-8 UFC) vs. Marcin Prachnio (16-7, 3-5 UFC)

ODDS: Clark (-218), Prachnio (+180)

Clark was clearly a raw prospect when the UFC picked him up in 2016, but he has settled in as a solid light heavyweight after a rocky start to his run. A brick house of an athlete, Clark’s initial lack of defensive awareness cost him a lot of victories via sudden comebacks, but as he has ironed out those issues with experience, he has turned into a perennial tough out. “Brown Bear” is rarely exciting, as he is at his best when his fights become a grind, but thanks to his physicality and durability, he is usually able to win a grimy fight if opponents choose to engage him on his own terms. That makes for a clear contrast of styles against Prachnio, a Polish karate artist who has done well to bounce back from one of most disheartening starts to a UFC career in recent memory. Nothing seemed to work for Prachnio over the course of his first three UFC fights, as he cycled through different ideas and various levels of aggression, only to keep getting knocked out in one-sided fashion. Things figured to go much the same way against Khalil Rountree, but Prachnio managed to stay safe and survive for the entire 15 minutes, walking away with a win and opening the door for a solid run in the last few years. Prachnio has still suffered some losses that have shown he needs a particularly static opponent to truly be effective, but there is a fair share of those at light heavyweight and Clark might fit that mold. While Clark might be foot slow enough to have trouble tracking Prachnio down, he should be dedicated enough to turn this into a grind at some point; and mashing into Prachnio for 15 minutes seems like a solid enough path to a win. The pick is Clark via decision.

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