Sherdog PreviewsMiddleweights
Dylan Budka (7-2) vs. Cesar Almeida (4-0)ODDS: Budka (-148), Almeida (+124)
Dylan Budka earned a contract on the Contender Series last September, which understandably came with a bit of controversy. In a vacuum, it was impressive that Budka stepped up on short notice just ten days after his last fight to earn a victory, but the performance itself wasn't particularly inspiring; "The Mindless Hulk" won an absolute grind, controlling an ugly fight where not much happened until Budka walked away with the decision. Budka's only 24 years old and a shade over two years into his mixed martial arts career, so by the standards of a raw prospect he certainly has some potential, but the worry is that his game might be too undercooked at the moment to find consistent success in the UFC. Budka's first challenge is fellow UFC newcomer and 2023 Contender Series contract winner Cesar Almeida, whose showing on the season was much more impressive. Almeida came into his fight against Lucas Fernando as a bit of a mystery man; a kickboxing convert, Almeida's mixed martial arts resume was fairly sparse, consisting of a few quick knockouts against particularly subpar competition. But Almeida looked excellent given those expectations against a solid prospect, showing a surprisingly well-rounded game that included some effective wrestling and grappling. Freshly turned 36 years old, Almeida needs to hit the ground running in the UFC, and this looks like a forgiving first matchup; Budka might be able to hulk - no pun intended - Almeida around for a lot of the fight, but the Brazilian's focus on consistently creating offense should be enough to win rounds against Budka's neutralizing and control-heavy style, if not score a knockout outright. The pick is Almeida via decision.
Jump To »
McGee vs. Morono
Dumont vs. de Randamie
Falcao vs. Silva
Rodriguez vs. Calvillo
Argueta vs. Matsumoto
Budka vs. Almeida
Cornolle vs. Dixon
More
