Preview: UFC Kansas City Prelims

Featherweights

Chris Gutierrez (21-6-2, 9-3-1 UFC) vs. John Castaneda (21-7, 4-3 UFC)

ODDS: Gutierrez (-130), Castaneda (+110)

After a few switched opponents and fight date changes, it’s nice to see the UFC keep an interesting pairing together. Gutierrez had a forgettable UFC debut in 2019—Raoni Barcelos ran him over—but quietly rebounded to become the dark horse of the bantamweight division. “El Guapo” went undefeated in his next eight fights, developing a reputation as one of the division’s most effective neutralizers. Near the end of that streak, knockout finishes of Batgerel Danaa and Frankie Edgar raised some hopes that Gutierrez was discovering some effective offense with his approach. After a clear loss to Pedro Munhoz derailed his momentum, Gutierrez has returned to his more defensively minded style, mostly picking opponents apart with an impressive leg kicking game. Gutierrez did at least wind up earning a main event slot at the end of 2023, but Yadong Song’s power and athleticism caused him to fall apart down the stretch of their fight. He hasn’t gotten much of a chance at a rebound, as his lone fight of 2024 was a middling performance over late replacement Quang Le. On the other side of things is Castaneda, a late-notice signing during the coronavirus pandemic who has slotted in as a consistently entertaining fighter. Castaneda is solid across the board and typically looks to keep initiating exchanges, whether on the feet or on the ground. If Castaneda is at a clear physical or technical disadvantage, things can quickly and consistently go against him, but that also cuts the other way; a closely matched fight makes for a high-variance affair with plenty of entertaining swings in momentum. However, Castaneda doesn’t seem like the type of fighter who can crack Gutierrez’s game wide open. While Castaneda should at least once again be a tough out who keeps trying to make things happen, Gutierrez should be able to coast this out. The pick is Gutierrez via decision.

Jump To »
Schnell vs. Flick
Elder vs. Young
Gutierrez vs. Castaneda
Blackshear vs. Alateng
Saaiman vs. Wellmaker
Amorim vs. Viana
Romero vs. Cuamba
Edwards vs. Chandler