Preview: UFC Fight Night 224 ‘Aspinall vs. Tybura’

Lightweights

Fares Ziam (13-4, 3-2 UFC) vs. Jai Herbert (12-4-1, 2-3-1 UFC)

ODDS: Ziam (-155), Herbert (+135)

It is always nice to see a fighter turn a corner, which is true of both these lightweights. Herbert came to the UFC with a solid amount of hype after a successful regional career, but it was a rough transition for “The Black Country Banger.” As a tall striker who chose to fight with pressure, what were once exchanges where Herbert could out-slick and overwhelm his opponents instead just saw him get walloped by better competition. Over the years, Herbert has learned to balance his aggression more effectively, which has paid off well. He put a scare into Ilia Topuria in March 2022, and he has since scored a win over Kyle Nelson and settled for a draw against Ludovit Klein, each of which could have been knockout losses for Herbert just a year earlier. Ziam is an interesting next test, if only because “Smile Killer” is one of the few lightweights with the size parity to give Herbert some issues. Ziam’s first few UFC fights saw him show some flashes of potential in a game that never quite fully came together, so it was not necessarily a huge surprise when the UFC chose not to renew his contract early in 2022. Then the promotion realized that Ziam was one of the better French prospects available ahead of its debut in Paris, and he quickly found himself back in the fold. Ziam’s return was by far the sharpest performance of his career—an aggressive and well-rounded showing against Michal Figlak that showed enough for Ziam to be favored here. Neither man figures to be safe given their similar frames, and Ziam looks to be the much more comfortable fighter if this starts going off the rails. The pick is Ziam via decision.

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Aspinall vs. Tybura
McCann vs. Stoliarenko
Wood vs. Fili
Muniz vs. Craig
Ziam vs. Herbert
Murphy vs. Culibao
The Prelims