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Nicolae Negumereanu (12-1, 3-1 UFC) vs. Ihor Potieria (19-2, 0-0 UFC)Advertisement
Like most Negumereanu fights, this should be a fun mess of a time. Hopes weren't particularly high for Negumereanu upon his UFC debut; he had beaten a particularly low level of competition on the Romanian scene prior to getting the UFC call, and expectations were even lower after he lost that debut to Saparbek Safarov. But after a two-year injury layoff, Negumereanu's been surprisingly effective since his 2021 return. There still isn't much to Negumereanu's game, as he mostly just plugs forward and looks to punch his way into a sloppy grind, but he's somehow been dogged and durable enough to put together a three-fight win streak over Aleksa Camur, Ike Villanueva and Kennedy Nzechukwu. "Nico" goes for four straight here against a 2021 Contender Series alum in Potieria, who makes his UFC debut. Things weren't going well for Potieria until he suddenly turned things around and scored a knockout in his contract-earning win, which seems to be a trend for Ukraine's "Duelist;" Potieria has some obvious talent, but a lot of his fights see him get controlled or overwhelmed until he's able to outlast and finish his opponents. Potieria may have the skill advantage here, but Negumereanu should be able to control large swathes of this fight through sloppy aggression - and given the damage that the Romanian has been able to eat so far, it's hard to see Potieria finding a turning point to end the fight as he has in the past. The pick is Negumereanu via decision.
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