Preview: UFC Fight Night 178 Prelims

Flyweights

Jordan Espinosa (15-7) vs. David Dvorak (18-3)

ODDS: Espinosa (-115), Dvorak (-105)

Espinosa is an obvious athlete, even by flyweight standards, which will always make him an interesting prospect. However, his UFC career to date has been a bit frustrating. When Espinosa gets going, his sniping striking style and strong wrestling combine for something impressive, but he has shown a proclivity for diving right into danger, suffering quick submission losses in two of his four UFC fights. He will look to avoid that fate against Dvorak, a Czech fighter coming off of a solid UFC debut in March. Dvorak flashed an interesting grab bag of skills on the regional scene. He is a movement-heavy striker on the feet who is focused on his counters, and while he does not necessarily look to grapple, he has shown some slick skills on the mat when forced into action. He looked strong overall in beating Bruno Silva in that UFC debut, but the concern for this fight is that he did not flash finishing ability. With that in play, this would be a much easier call for Dvorak, but without being able to rely on a finish, it is much more of a tossup. Can Dvorak counter a fast athlete like Espinosa on the feet and do his submission skills meet the threshold needed to tap him? This might be the hardest fight to pick on the card, but the call is Espinosa via hard-fought decision.

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