The MMA Daily

We have a fun one in the Lightweight division, as Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett takes on Rodrigo “Kazula” Vargas. Coming off a sensational knockout victory in one of the best debuts to date, Pimblett returns to the octagon for an encore. A winner of three straight, Pimblett will look to keep the momentum going. Meanwhile, Vargas comes into this fight off his first UFC victory over Rong Zhu. A fight in which Vargas looked sharp, landing more than double the amount of strikes than Zhu. In a big spot over a big name, Vargas has an opportunity to boost his stock.

As for a prediction, I have Pimblett winning. While the odds are seemingly stacked against Vargas, it’s more or less because of the hype surrounding Pimblett. Not that the Brit doesn’t deserve it, but this isn’t a cakewalk of a fight. Vargas is a game opponent, who isn’t particularly strong in one area, but has skills everywhere. The one problem that will be exploited though, is Vargas’ lack of takedown defense. Already coming into the UFC with suspect takedown defense, Vargas has proven that it is in fact a weakness. In three fights, he has been taken down three times twice. Only successfully defending two takedown attempts, Vargas’ takedown defense sits at a horrific 25%. However, Vargas has some grappling skills and has only been submitted once in sixteen fights. I believe that changes though, as Pimblett will wear down Vargas and eventually submit him late in the fight.