Preview: ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ 27 Finale

Middleweights
Alessio Di Chirico (11-2) vs. Julian Marquez (7-1)
Odds: Marquez (-165), Di Chirico (+145)

Hot prospect Marquez gets a lateral step in competition after winning both his “Contender Series” and official UFC debut by spectacular second-round finish. At just 7-1, “The Cuban Missile Crisis” could use some more seasoning and he gets it in the form of the well-rounded Di Chirico. Marquez is an aggressive puncher who doesn’t mind getting himself into a brawl. Fortunately for him, the Kansas City native has a great chin. He can jab a bit but mostly throws power shots like the lead hook and rear uppercut. He strings these together well, and he mixes in knees if he can move forward or unconventional attacks like lead or spinning back elbows. Marquez’s takedown defense has looked like his greatest weakness thus far, but he showed in his last bout with Darren Stewart that he is formidable in the clinch, doing damage with punches and knees while the Brit tried to take him down. When put on his back, Marquez will look to wall-walk, but he also has a bad habit of giving up his back as he turtles to stand. The Syndicate MMA product is an aggressive and opportunistic submission threat, and he can counter desperate or sloppy takedown attempts with a dangerous front headlock.

Di Chirico is a jack of all trades, master of none. His two UFC wins thus far came against badly flawed opponents who occupied the bottom rung of the middleweight pecking order, most recently flattening the enigmatic Oluwale Bamgbose with a knee strike. His other win was a very competitive decision victory over Garreth McLellan, who went 1-4 with the organization. Prior to entering the UFC, Di Chirico was known for grinding opponents out using his surprisingly effective wrestling, but since joining the promotion he has willingly kickboxed as well. The Italian is reasonably skilled in that area but is hampered by his mediocre speed and athleticism: He sometimes slow on the counter and by the time his head kicks are fully extended, his opponent has moved out of range. Di Chirico will keep a high pace, but his cardio appeared somewhat suspect in his gritty three-round battle with McLellan, slowing visibly as the fight deepened. But the GLORIA Fight Center stalwart has a good cross, which he’ll take to the head or body. And he is adept at catching kicks and landing it or a left hook.

This should be a reasonably competitive fight but I expect Marquez to have the advantage in most phases. Di Chirico can mix it up in the pocket but Marquez is the harder hitter. “Manzo” will look to take the fight to the ground, but he is not a suffocating top control expert. Marquez will work to his feet, beat up Di Chirico in the clinch, and threaten with submissions. Ultimately, Marquez will polish off a gassed and battered Di Chirico in the third round with ground-and-pound.

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