UFC 238 Main Card Preview
1. Henry Cejudo (14-2) Vs. Marlon Moraes (22-5-1)
The main event will be for the vacant UFC Bantamweight Championship.
After back-to-back wins over former champions Demetrious Johnson and T.J. Dillashaw, Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler Henry Cejudo has become one of the UFC's fastest rising stars. This Saturday, the reigning flyweight champ will be going up a weight class to take on Muay Thai specialist Marlon Moraes.
As the natural Bantamweight, Moraes will be the larger fighter in this contest. Cejudo will likely try to use his elite wrestling to take down his opponent and neutralize his size and strength advantage. That being said, it's worth noting that Moraes is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and a solid grappler in his own right.
The problem for the former Olympian is that takedowns require a great deal of energy —especially against a larger opponent. Moreover, if Cejudo's takedown attempts are stuffed he could be in for a long (or very short) night, trading blows with a striker like Moraes.
Look for Cejudo to try and take Moraes to the mat in the early rounds with modest success. If he doesn't finish the jiu-jitsu black belt early on, then Moraes' striking should take over in the later rounds and be enough to win a hard-fought decision.
The Pick: Moraes via split decision.