Preview: UFC on ESPN 51 ‘Luque vs. Dos Anjos’

Middleweights

Tafon Nchukwi (6-3, 2-3 UFC) vs. A.J. Dobson (6-2, 0-2 UFC)

ODDS: Nchukwi (-142), Dobson (+120)

Two middleweight prospects look to figure things in this undercard scrap, and for Nchukwi, part of that includes settling on a weight class. “Da Don” was a physical terror even as a regional heavyweight, competed as a light heavyweight on Dana White’s Contender Series and then made his UFC debut at middleweight. It was impressive that Nchukwi could carry his considerable physicality down to 185 pounds, but it quickly became apparent that he did not have the requisite level of speed to keep up with his opposition, so an eventual move back to light heavyweight seemed to be a natural conclusion. However, it also did not really solve much, as Nchukwi put in some strong performances but found himself on the losing end of bouts against strikers who were still speedier. There is still some clear potential with Nchukwi, but this second try down at middleweight does raise some more concerns that he is a bit aimless at the moment, so perhaps something will come into focus against Dobson.

Dobson is a standout athlete who still seems to be figuring out the exact nature of his game. His regional career mostly consisted of quick finishes, so his UFC run has forced him to cycle through ideas against a surprisingly tough level of competition in Jacob Malkoun and Armen Petrosyan, each underrated fighters. The tools are there—Dobson can fire off some quick strikes and proved to be a competitive wrestler against Malkoun—but stretches of the Petrosyan fight, where Dobson adopted a slow-paced striking approach did not get him much of anywhere, raise worries that things may not click for him until he is already off the UFC roster. He does have a clear speed advantage in this matchup, and Nchukwi’s takedown defense has been middling despite his considerable power, so the lean is that Dobson can make some things happen and avoid one of his opponent’s big knockout blows. Nevertheless, it is difficult to have faith in either fighter. The pick is Dobson via decision.

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Luque vs. Dos Anjos
Dawodu vs. Swanson
Rountree vs. Daukaus
Lucindo vs. Viana
Nchukwi vs. Dobson
Fremd vs. Pickett
The Prelims