The UFC 277 prelim card features four bouts, all of which will be previewed in this post. It will be capped by a welterweight bout between Alex Morono and Matthew Semelsberger. It also features a high octane lightweight matchup between Drew Dober (pictured above) and Rafael Alves. All win probabilities are based on a fighter’s CC Rating and their place in the CC Rankings.

You can find the previews for the early prelim card HERE.

Drakkar Klose vs. Rafa Garcia (Men’s Lightweight)

Subjective Spin on Objective Reality: Klose was meant to fight Carlos Diego Ferreira in this bout, slated to be a matchup of men just outside the UFC lightweight’s top 15. However, Ferreira pulled out a couple weeks ago. Klose scored a performance of the night win his last time out, recovering from his highlight reel loss to Beneil Dariush (#6 CC, #6 UFC). Garcia steps in on short notice after winning each of his last two. He is a well-known submission artist. Garcia, as is evidenced by his average opponent strength, has not fought the highest caliber of opponents in the UFC. He’ll need to push for an early submission if he’s to have any chance on short notice against a guy like Klose. I wouldn’t count on it.

Editor’s Pick: Klose

Don’Tale Mayes vs. Hamdy Abdelwahab (Men’s Heavyweight)

Subjective Spin on Objective Reality: Mayes seems to be getting his feet under him, having strung together two straight wins after losing his first two bouts in the UFC. Granted, one of those bouts was against Ciryl Gane (#3 CC, #1 UFC) before the world knew just how good Gane was. He’ll face Abdelwahab, who will be the first Egyptian fighter to step foot in the UFC octagon. Abdelwahab has very few pro MMA fights and his opponents have a combined record of 9-10. The step up may be a bit much. However, Abdelwahab has knocked out everyone he’s faced. He also represented Egypt in Greco-Roman wrestling in the 2016 olympics. He’s got a lot of talent and can beat opponents on the feet and on the ground. The only question is where he fits in the landscape of a promotion like this.

Editor’s Pick: Abdelwahab

Drew Dober vs. Rafael Alves (Men’s Lightweight)

Subjective Spin on Objective Reality: Dober has won seven of his last ten fights in the octagon. All three losses came to men who were ranked in the UFC’s top 15 at the time of the fight. With a black belt in Taekwondo and a brown belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu, Dober can make things happen on the feet and on the mat. Similarly, his opponent Alves sprinkles his finishes across KOs and submissions. Alves’ strength of opponent is currently inflated due to his making his debut against Damir Ismagulov (#12 CC, #15 UFC). However, he took care of business in his next bout again another dangerous fighter in Marc Diakiese. Dober might present a slightly easier challenge than Ismagulov, but we should really get to see where Alves slots into the lightweight conversation with this bout.

Editor’s Pick: Dober

Alex Morono vs. Matthew Semelsberger (Men’s Welterweight)

Subjective Spin on Objective Reality: Morono comes in on a three-fight win streak, having kicked it off by knocking out Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone on short notice in the very first round. Despite having an equal number of KOs and submissions, Morono’s last three finishes have come by KO, not having secured a submission since 2018. For his part, “Semi the Jedi” comes in with a 4-1 record in the UFC. Two of those four wins came by KOs that happened in under 20 seconds. If he catches you, he has enough power to put you out. This is a close fight on paper and the big distinguishing factor may be Morono’s experience.

Editor’s Pick: Morono

Photo Credit: MMA Fighting