The UFC 278 early prelim card features three bouts, all of which will be previewed in this post. It will be capped by a men’s flyweight bout between Amir Albazi (pictured above) and Francisco Figueiredo. All win probabilities are based on a fighter’s CC Rating and their place in the CC Rankings.

Victor Altamirano vs. Daniel Lacerda (Men’s Flyweight)

Subjective Spin on Objective Reality: Neither fighter has notched a win yet in the UFC. Altamirano does not typically hunt finishes, whereas Lacerda (aka: Da Silva) lives and dies by them. Expect Lacerda to come out early trying to close distance. At the very least, this should put Altamirano on his back foot. Altamirano lost a close split decision last time out. He’ll likely try to avoid the same fate by pressing the action more than he normally would and could play into Lacerda’s hands.

Editor’s Pick: Lacerda

Aoriqileng vs. Jay Perrin (Men’s Bantamweight)

Subjective Spin on Objective Reality: Aoriqileng had a miserable start to his UFC career, dropping two straight. However, after adding ten pounds and going back to bantamweight, he looked right at home his last time out. Perrin dropped a tough decision to Mario Bautista in his UFC debut. While, he’ll certainly grow, he didn’t show anything that could beat the version of the “Mongolian Murderer” we saw recently.

Editor’s Pick: Aoriqileng

[8] Amir Albazi vs. Francisco Figueiredo (Men’s Flyweight)

Subjective Spin on Objective Reality: Albazi (#8 CC, #11 UFC) has lived up to the hype since joining the UFC. The Iraqi fighter quickly broke into the flyweight rankings, fighting a very tough schedule relative to the overall strength of the division. Figueiredo is flyweight royalty, as the younger brother of the current champion. He is also adept at picking up stellar submissions. However, Albazi is also skilled on the ground and has shown vastly more upside.

Editor’s Pick: Albazi

Photo Credit: Bloody Elbow