Ben Duffy examines three fighters who are under just a little extra pressure to perform at UFC 308.
bigger than others for various reasons. In some cases, the elevated stakes are easy to define. Picture the fighter on a losing streak who knows he or she is likely fighting for their job, or conversely, any title fight in a top regional organization, where the combatants know the big leagues are almost certainly scouting them. At other times, a fight feels especially important for reasons that are harder to quantify but no less real.
Amid the 28 fighters scheduled to make the walk on Yas Island this weekend, here are a few who should feeling just a little more pressure to stand and deliver.is the most prominent and most promising.
Twelve months and three Octagon wins later, Magomedov is clearly a solid fighter and has shown flashes of his incredibly creative and dexterous striking every time out. While he has yet to be tested against a truly sound wrestler, and he has struggled at times on the ground even against the fighters he has faced, he looks more like a work in progress than a flash in the pan.
The same factors that led the UFC to slow-roll Merab, Belal and Leon, or at least do them no favors, hold true for Ankalaev, who is 10-0-1 with one no contest since losing his UFC debut tosix and a half years ago, and Murphy, who is still undefeated as a professional, and a perfect 6-0 since fighting to a split draw withThere are other variables at work for these two, as well.
All of that is in the past, however. This weekend, Ankalaev and Murphy will appear on the pay-per-view portion of one of the biggest cards of the year, againstrespectively. Both Ankalaev and Murphy are among the biggest betting favorites on the night. It’s as if the UFC is making a good-faith gesture, an opportunity to shine, maybe pick up a much-needed highlight for the reel and make their cases for a title shot on the biggest stage under the brightest lights.
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