Preview: UFC Fight Night ‘Hendricks vs. Thompson’

Flyweights

Joseph Benavidez (23-4) vs Zach Makovsky (19-6)

THE MATCHUP: Benavidez feels like a man on the cusp of a downslide. He is 31, has been fighting for nearly 10 years and recently experienced the first failure of his once-trusty chin at the hands of Demetrious Johnson -- a flyweight champion who has never been known for his knockout power. Like longtime teammate Urijah Faber, however, Benavidez is still holding onto his position in the upper echelon of his division. Now reunited with Duane Ludwig, he might even be able to make another run at the title.

Benavidez is the quintessential boxer-puncher, skilled enough to pick his shots but confident and powerful enough to slug it out if need be. His striking technique is often a little wonky, but he has a number of intelligent setups for everything: Benavidez attacks the body to open up the head, switches stance to rapidly cover distance and uses the threat of the takedown in order to better control the standup. Benavidez is a capable wrestler with an excellent front headlock series, but in the rapid-fire flyweight division, he has had more success working the threat of the takedown than actually finishing it.

If Benavidez is just below the champion, then Makovsky is just below the elite -- and not by much. Remember, Makovsky was competitive with two-time title challenger John Dodson in his last fight. “Fun Size” is a crafty and well-rounded fighter. On the feet, he is best from long range, throwing long kicks and straight lefts from his southpaw stance while countering well when opponents overextend to reach him. He suffers in prolonged striking exchanges, however, due to a lack of combination striking and defensive movement.

Makovsky’s takedowns operate on the same principles as his striking. He is not a tremendous physical force, but by timing aggressive opponents he can hit some spectacular reactive shots. Makovsky is an extremely dynamic grappler, capable of keeping his head in wild scrambles or playing a conservative positional game on the ground.

THE ODDS: Benavidez (-425), Makovsky (+345)

THE PICK: Benavidez would be a much easier pick here had he been working with Ludwig consistently ahead of this fight, considering the tangible improvements wrought by “Bang” when he was the head coach at Team Alpha Male. As far as I know, however, that has not been the case. Meanwhile, Makovsky has been working with the Tristar Gym’s Firas Zahabi, one of the greatest technical and strategic minds in the sport. With that being said, Benavidez is likely a tough stylistic matchup for the counter-oriented Makovsky. “Fun Size” is liable to give Benavidez too much time and space, allowing him to set the pace, and Benavidez will certainly have the edge in the pocket. Unless Makovsky can outwrestle Benavidez, which seems unlikely, Benavidez should be able to hang onto his No. 2 spot at 125 pounds. He wins via unanimous decision.

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