It is good to see Turcios back for the first time since August.
That was when “Pretty Ricky” won the bantamweight bracket on Season
29 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Turcios was the standout from a
personality standpoint on the show and provided some entertaining
fights with his free-flowing and awkward style. Little of what
Turcios does looks technically sound, but he is an entertaining
scrapper that should put forth some impressive performances in the
years to come. However, as a veteran of nearly a decade, it seems
unlikely he will take another huge step into title contention. For
his first post-reality show challenge, Turcios draws Canada’s
Aiemann
Zahabi, who is a tough talent to pin down. Now 34 years old,
Zahabi has competed at a rate of less than one fight a year since
his 2017 UFC debut, but he has shown some solid ideas when he has
made it to the Octagon. That is not surprising, given that he is
the brother of famed Tristar Gym coach Firas Zahabi. Even though he
looks like a solid athlete, his skills have not coalesced into
much. Once Zahabi chooses to press the action, he tends to either
lose a brawl or dump his gas tank. However, Zahabi did score a
knockout of Drako
Rodriguez in 2021, so there is a chance that he may have turned
a corner, though he is unlikely to find such a quick finish here.
Turcios should be able to rely on his chin as he sets a pace on
Zahabi, and it is basically even odds as far as whether or not the
Canadian falls into an inactive approach from there. If he does
not, Turcios should still be able to win rounds based on sheer
volume even if he takes some hard shots in return. The pick is
Turcios via decision.
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