Preview: UFC Fight Night 214 Prelims

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s latest outing at the UFC Apex brings with it a solid seven-fight undercard on Saturday in Las Vegas. Featherweights Nuerdanbieke Shayilan and Darrick Minner take the featured spot in one of the more potentially exciting fights of the bunch, but the best chance for non-stop action comes with Benito Lopez’s long-overdue clash with Mario Bautista at bantamweight. Beyond that, there are plenty of bouts that are well-matched, but with a particular emphasis on wrestling and grappling at points, there is a chance the main card may need to pick up the pace.

Now to the UFC Fight Night 214 “Rodriguez vs. Lemos” prelims preview:

Featherweights

Nuerdanbieke Shayilan (38-10, 2-1 UFC) vs. Darrick Minner (26-13, 2-3 UFC)

ODDS: Nuerdanbieke (-205), Minner (+175)

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This should make for an interesting pairing. Already a longtime vet when he got the late-notice UFC call in 2020, Minner came to the Octagon with a relatively straightforward approach. He looked to blitz his opponent with some powerful strikes, attempt to take things to the mat and quickly find a submission, all with the complete understanding that his gas tank would betray him by the second round. As a result, Minner’s regional record looks like you would expect—early wins and late losses—and that pattern kept up in the UFC up until a February 2021 win over Charles Rosa, a rare decision victory on the Nebraskan’s docket. Thanks to a change in camp, Minner has done a much better job of pacing himself as a three-round fighter, even if he is still much more effective early. After falling short in two tough tests, he looks to turn around his skid against Shayilan. The 28-year-old Shayilan is an interesting talent, though he does not read as experienced as his record would suggest, as “Wolverine” has somehow packed nearly 50 fights into a six-year career. A standout athlete, Shayilan gets by on consistent pressure that usually takes the form of some powerful wrestling, though his UFC debut was a rude awakening. Joshua Culibao proved capable of outmaneuvering Shayilan and forcing him to chase on the feet without getting much done. Sean Soriano and T.J. Brown were much more head-on challenges that saw Shayilan gut out decision victories, so there is certainly a path for him to get his third straight win against another opponent willing to lock horns. However, Shayilan does leave a lot of openings in his grappling defense, and Minner does appear to be much more capable of exploiting those issues than the Chinese standout’s previous opponents. The pick is Minner via first-round submission.

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