Preview: UFC on ESPN 35 Prelims

Lightweights

NR | Natan Levy (6-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. NR | Mike Breeden (10-4, 0-1 UFC)

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BETUS ODDS: Levy (-180), Breeden (+150)

Dana White’s Contender Series alums each attempt to bounce back from disappointing UFC debuts in this pairing. Breeden did not win his 2020 bout on the Contender Series opposite Anthony Romero, but “Money” did at least put in a scrappy performance that kept him on the UFC’s radar, which in turn got him the call as a late-notice replacement in October. Given time and space to work, Breeden can be a fun and creative striker, but he is not a standout athlete and struggles to keep up against opponents with more horsepower. That was the story of his late-notice UFC debut—a first-round knockout loss to Alexander Hernandez. Meanwhile, Israel’s Levy comes from just about the opposite end of the spectrum. Levy is an obvious standout athlete, but he does not have much in the way of technical depth; his striking is powerful but spotty, so his athleticism usually just winds up manifesting itself when Levy looks to take his opponents down and hold them to the mat. However, he is not a particularly controlling wrestler, which leads to a lot of messy fights and Levy tending to tire down the stretch, as he did in his November loss to Rafa Garcia. This should be entertaining—each man’s flaws mean his opponent will be in the fight the entire way through—but Levy should be able to find enough takedowns and control time to separate himself on the scorecards. The pick is Levy via decision.

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