Preview: UFC on ESPN 28 Prelims

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Featherweights

NR | Kai Kamaka III (8-4, 1-2 UFC) vs. NR | Danny Chavez (11-4, 1-1 UFC)

ODDS: Kamaka (-115), Chavez (-105)

This has the potential to be a bit of a banger. Kamaka’s promotional debut at UFC 252 about a year ago proved to be a revelation. “The Fighting Hawaiian” and Tony Kelley were signed by the promotion earlier in the week, and the two combined for an under-the-radar “Fight of the Year” candidate that saw Kamaka walk away with the decision. However, things have not particularly clicked for Kamaka in his two fights since. He checks a lot of boxes—he is a solid athlete with a consistent approach who can handle himself just about anywhere in a fight—but the results just have not worked out the way they should on paper. Kamaka was doing well enough in a late-notice spot against Jonathan Pearce until the much larger Fight Ready rep manage to turn around his fortunes and score a finish on the ground; and T.J. Brown’s aggression led him to a contentious split decision over Kamaka in May. Kamaka steps in again on late notice and looks to break his slump.

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Chavez had his own impressive Octagon debut at UFC 252, scoring a win over Brown. It was unclear what to expect from “The Colombian Warrior” heading into his first UFC appearance. He put together a decent enough resume over his decade as a professional but had been prone to long stretches of inactivity and did not have much readily available footage of his more recent fights. His win over Brown showed a lot, mostly based on Chavez’s strong kicking game that helped break down and neutralize his opponent’s straightforward aggression. However, Chavez’s second UFC bout exposed a clear weakness, as Jared Gordon managed to lean on his wrestling and coast to a win with little effort. This bout really could go either way. Kamaka’s wrestling figures to give the Hawaiian the ability to dictate the terms of the fight, but Chavez is the much harder hitter; and if there has been one criticism of Kamaka, it is that he has not had much in the way of individual fight-changing moments of offense. This is yet again a fight that Kamaka should win on paper. Perhaps his skills add up to the sum of their parts this time around. The pick is Kamaka via decision.

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