Preview: UFC 319 Prelims

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s long-awaited return to Chicago on Saturday comes with an extensive undercard attached, and almost all the UFC 319 prelims are well-matched at the United Center. Bobby Green and Diego Ferreira take center stage in the top spot, where two reliable lightweight veterans look for a late-career win. Further down the draw, Lupita Godinez hunts for a breakthrough victory against Jessica Andrade in the women’s strawweight division, while Chase Hooper seeks his most significant win yet against Alexander Hernandez at 155 pounds. Weight-class changes also offer points of intrigue, with Edson Barboza returning to lightweight and Bryan Battle heading back to middleweight for some potentially difficult matches. Meanwhile, the flyweight and welterweight finals from Season 33 of “The Ultimate Fighter” provide a launching point for the event.

Now to the preview for the UFC 319 “Du Plessis vs. Chimaev” prelims:

Lightweights

Bobby Green (32-17-1, 13-12-1 UFC) vs. Diego Ferreira (19-6, 10-6 UFC)

BETTING ODDS: Ferreira (-155), Green (+130)

The last year and change has not been kind to Green, but he gets what should turn into a fun matchup here. After coming over to the UFC via Strikeforce in 2013, Green looked like his career would wind up as a hard-luck story. He quickly charged up into the UFC’s lightweight rankings, but after suffering a 2014 loss to Edson Barboza, Green spent the next half decade or so dealing with injuries and adversities. That all led to a stunning resurgence for Green in 2020. Finally in good health, Green was able to keep stepping in as the UFC scrambled to throw together fights, combining both entertainment and success to the point that he was a clear crowd favorite once the UFC’s travel schedule opened back up. At his best, Green’s success was dependent on his reflexes and ability to throw counters, so it’s not a shock that he has had to adjust a bit as those skills start to fade in his late 30s, mostly by becoming more of a power puncher. That has worked swimmingly at times, as he was able to quickly catch an overaggressive Grant Dawson and win a memorable war with fellow veteran Jim Miller, but larger athletes are becoming more and more poisonous for Green. Beyond a particularly poor performance against Paddy Pimblett, Green has suffered brutal knockouts to Jalin Turner and Mauricio Ruffy in the last few years. Fortunately for him, this matchup against Ferreira looks to be more in the Miller mold, which could result in the same level of entertaining violence.

After an inconsistent start to his UFC career, Ferreira become one of the UFC’s most underrated lightweights during a run of six wins that spanned 2016 to 2020. Ferreira fought with consistent pressure, playing his striking and grappling off each other to turn up the pace and trap his opponents wherever they were least comfortable. However, just when Ferreira seemed on the verge of contention, his body started to betray him in his late 30s, with his gas tank fading against Gregory Gillespie and a rib injury ending his fight against Mateusz Gamrot. Ferreira did eventually rebound with a 2023 win over Michael Johnson, but that was a flat performance up until the point that he scored a sudden knockout. A May 2024 victory over Mateusz Rebecki, where Ferreira outlasted his opponent before a late finish, remains the only time that he has truly turned back the clock. A one-sided loss to Dawson in January sent expectations a bit back to earth for Ferreira. While he and Green are in their late-career forms, they have each backslid at the same level enough to remain competitive. If Ferreira looks to rediscover his offensive wrestling game, that diversity could be enough to get past Green. However, if this just winds up as a striking match between two vets, the lean is that Green still has the quicker reflexes and hits harder. The pick is Green via decision.



Jump To »
Green vs. Ferreira
Oleksiejczuk vs. Meerschaert
Godinez vs. Andrade
Hooper vs. Hernandez
Barboza vs. Klose
Battle vs. Ruziboev
Silva vs. Barbosa
Sezinando vs. Donchenko
Idiris vs. Morales