Rumored Evloev vs Pico in Abu Dhabi, July 26

[DougieJones]

The fact Evloev should be fighting for a title aside, I love this fight


WAR PICO

 

[wufabufa]

Fuck me, this is dumb. I hope Volk mops the floor with Yair and makes the crowd wish they had never bought tickets. Please let every fight on this card be absolute trash with the hometown fighters getting their shit pushed in to punish the UFC trying to force their way into an market with undeserving fighters like Yair. Honestly, I hope that whole event gets fucked up and scrapped somehow. I'm not praying for an injury to Yair but he has no business being in this fight, and for damn sure a whole fucking event shouldn't be centered around a guy that isn't a true contender at this point.

I don't even like Evloev but this is his shot, let him shoot it.

 

[TriangleMonkey]

Crazy they giving Pico pretty much the Patricio treatment in which he got Yair and that win would have gotten him the immediate TS

Now Pico, who was gonna fight for the belt over there, is given a title-contention fight himself as a debut

I wish they both would have started at least one or two rungs down and came into the org with spectacular wins for entrances. But instead feel like Evolvev has that “octagon” comfort and should be able to win the decision here

Then leaves both Pitbull and Pico almost worse positions than just fighting lesser guy first

Pitbull being prior champ makes sense but Pico was barely getting going over there as far as being elite

 

[Meathead Jock]

Fuck me, this is dumb. I hope Volk mops the floor with Yair and makes the crowd wish they had never bought tickets. Please let every fight on this card be absolute trash with the hometown fighters getting their shit pushed in to punish the UFC trying to force their way into an market with undeserving fighters like Yair. Honestly, I hope that whole event gets fucked up and scrapped somehow. I'm not praying for an injury to Yair but he has no business being in this fight, and for damn sure a whole fucking event shouldn't be centered around a guy that isn't a true contender at this point.

I don't even like Evloev but this is his shot, let him shoot it.

It's even worse because Lopes vs Yair has a backstory and makes perfect sense on paper it could be pumped up as the Mexican co-main. Guaranteed to have a Mexican winner and the storyline between the two can get over easily with the crowd. Instead they screw up the title picture.

 

[Blastbeat]

I mean i like this fight but Evloev should fight for the title. Alex even called him out when he won!!!!

Ridiculous

 

[AL-Tappo McSnappo]

5 round co-main per sources.

Honestly Yair getting the title shot is one of the dummest title shots ever.

Intriguing matchup thought. Very intriguing.

Pico fighting against the no.1 contender is not fair, he should have got a top ten not top 5

 

[Cowboy Kurt Angle]

Horse shit man maybe don’t book all your Mexican fighters before a big Mexico event and you wouldn’t have to give Yair a title shot off a un ranked win and two previous loses

Pico is good I don’t think he beats Movsar

 

[Killhippies]

I think this is a winnable fight for Pico, he's just chinny but let him get technical and he can bang. His wrestling will also nullify much of Evloev's offense.

I think Pico is ready for this kind of step up, it's just against certain styles he is going to struggle.

 

[Bend NvR Break]

5 round co-main per sources.

Honestly Yair getting the title shot is one of the dummest title shots ever.

Intriguing matchup thought. Very intriguing.

Supposedly Evloev was supposed to get it but he turned it down

 

[mmacool]

Winner gets title shot, that's for sure.

 

[Prazeres]

Evloev will win, this is yet another example of the UFC signing a big name from somewhere else and match them up with kryptonite to squash and perception that fighters outside the UFC are elite.

If anything, a fighter from outside the org winning their UFC debut is best for the UFC because he's immediately established as a contender.
The narrative can be "this guy looks good fighting in the b-league, let's see what he can do against a real test", if they win their first fight, all their previous resume and accolade can be ignored as their worth is now established within the UFC with a shiny number next to their name and hopefully a highlight reel they can use.
Like think of how Gaethje, Jiri, Chandler and MVP immediately were UFC stars after their debut.

If they lose the fight, it does make the other orgs look worst, but there is a problem that arise when you matchmake them afterward. If you give them another ranked guy or high card placement after losing their debut, they are aknowledging their prior credential as meaningful.
And they can't exactly send big signings to Apex prelims right away because they expect a return on investment on somebody much more expensive than your DWCS rando.

 

[Why did you]

Evloev always looks like a typo and infact its Evolvev ,like an evolving fighter

 

[bng]

at first i thought Evloev is fighting Jon Jones
what if Evloev accepted the fight thinking the same?..

 

[GIBLERTBAPTISTA]

Evloev is getting screwed for sure but I still love this fight regardless.

 

[Koala]

I have to disagree. I think Pico is bad matchup for Evloev, he has real power on the feet and should be able to atleast counter wrestle Evloev.

Or not, Evloev could just steamroll him.

I agree
Evloev is not a bad matchup for Pico. Jean Silva or Josh Emmett would have been the bad matchups
Evloev's gameplan is not obvious at all. Does he kick? How does he get Pico to the ground without going into the danger zone? How much control could he have against a top wrestler on the ground?

 

[The_Renaissance]

As much as I hate watching Evloev most of the time the guy deserves a title shot not this, so props to him for taking it. Hoping Pico catches him but I think some will be surprised at how easily Evloev wrestles him to a bland decision. Should have been Lerone Murphy if not a title shot.

 

[chinarice]

I just look at this as they really don't want Evloev as champ and hope Pico can derail him. This matchup makes no sense otherwise.

 

[rjmbrd]

Aljo is the best wrestler Evlo has faced, and Aljo was a NCAA D3 level. Pico on the other hand has beaten NCAA D1 champs and almost qualifed for the olympic team. He's wreslted at a way higher level than Aljo or Evlo.

This is almost always a bad take re: amateur wrestling.

Aljo is a world class MMA adapted submission grappler. This is not a freestyle wrestling tournament, its fighting.

Bo Nickal is a 3 time NCAA champion who beat multiple World and Pan Am medalists in freestyle. He just got out grappled by a Dutchman BJJ guy who literally never wrestled in his life.

Jon Jones was a JuCo wrestler who out wrestled a two time Olympian and World medalist. Amateur wrestling is a great base for MMA but having those credentials doesn't decide winners in MMA match-ups.

Setting all that aside, Pico was a teenage phenom who's claim to fame was failing to make a world team against a guy who didn't even medal that year. He never went to the NCAA, he never attempted to make another world team. Pico placed FIFTH in the Ukrainian Open that year. Fifth.

There is nothing we've seen out of Pico in MMA that suggests he's a better MMA grappler than Evloev.

 

[Dorkman]

Going to be really dumb if Yair gets a title shot when Evloev was available.

 

[Deltron 6060]

Dude has fought a who's who of nobody's and gets top 5 first UFC fight, maybe the "ufc is dying" guys are right.