Preview: UFC Fight Night 176 ‘Overeem vs. Sakai’ Prelims

Featherweights

Brian Kelleher (21-11) vs. Kevin Natividad (9-1)

ODDS: Kelleher (-225), Natividad (+175)

From an entertainment standpoint, this should be one of the better fights on the card. Long Island’s Kelleher nearly always brings the action, even if it does not always end in the best fashion for him. “Boom” takes a while to get comfortable in his fights, but he is more than willing to work through that difficulty via aggression. As a result, there is a tendency for things to end quickly in one fashion or another during Kelleher’s fights. It was instructive that his first two UFC bouts saw him tap Iuri Alcantara in just under two minutes before turning around and seeing Marlon Vera do the same to him. Kelleher has taken the opportunity during the pandemic to essentially have bantamweight fights at 145 pounds, and the results have been mixed: He clocked Hunter Azure for a beautiful knockout in May but did not get much accomplished in a decision loss to Cody Stamann his next time out. Kelleher was initially scheduled to face Ricky Simon in what would have been a clear banger, but with Simon having to withdraw, the UFC did well to sign Natividad as a replacement. The promotional newcomer is an aggressive boxer who should be more than willing to meet Kelleher head-on, and while the Hawaiian is certainly capable of getting sparked—his lone loss came via knockout in nine seconds—he does look to have the tools to cause his counterpart some trouble before the Long Islander can get into a groove. In a bit of a flier, the pick is Natividad via first-round knockout.

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