Diggin’ Deep on UFC Hidalgo: Poirier vs. Johnson FS1 prelims preview

Admittedly, there isn’t much name value on the televised prelims. The most recognizable name is probably Sam Sicilia. No surprise that he also has more UFC contests than anyone else on the card by far with 10 appearances, as opposed to 5 for Antonio Carlos Junior who has the second most. In other words, there is a high level of mystery as to what the future holds for most of these competitors.

The lack of name value shouldn’t hurt anything in terms of entertainment value. Belal Muhammad had a memorable UFC debut in July despite losing. Sicilia has rarely been in a boring fight, and his opponent, Gabriel Benitez, should bring out the best of him. There won’t be heavy tremors caused by the results of these contests in the grand scheme of things, but they should be fun to watch.

The FS1 prelims start at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT.

Gabriel Benitez (18-5) vs. Sam Sicilia (14-6), Featherweight

There may not be a better pair of featherweights to exemplify what a UFC journeyman is than Benitez and Sicilia. Don’t be surprised to see the loser be handed a pink slip.

Like many on this card, Benitez is a product of TUF Latin America. He was one of the favorites as he was also one of the most experienced contestants with a career dating back to 2007. He fell short to Leonardo Morales in the semifinals before winning his first two official UFC contests. Coming off of the first KO loss of his career to Andre Fili, Benitez has his back against the wall.

Sicilia has endured the very definition of an up-and-down career with a 5-5 UFC record. He’s been on the verge of being released before only to be saved by Dana White throwing his executive powers around to save Sicilia’s roster spot. It’s unknown if the new ownership will prevent White from granting this type of leeway to fighters as Sicilia might need it if he falls short here.

Benitez’s best weapon is his kicks which he throws primarily to the legs with the occasional shot to the body. He times the kicks well to knock his opponent off of their feet too. The southpaw throws an occasional jab, but really loves to throw his straight left down the pike more than anything. His defense is very spotty though in addition to weak takedown defense.

Sicilia isn’t a dynamic striker by any means. Owner of a powerful right hand ala Dan Henderson’s H-bomb, Sicilia relies heavily on connecting with his power shot. He’s depends on blitzing his opponent in order to land the kill shot which has also led to him being countered on more than one occasion. He throws the occasional kick from the outside, but isn’t going to throw much volume unless the fight devolves into a brawl.

Sicilia has become a smarter fighter over his UFC tenure and has recognized when he owns a significant wrestling advantage. This would be one of those times. Though his takedowns are usually nothing more than change-of-pace, he did take Aaron Philips down time after time a few years ago knowing the striker had little defense to stop it from coming. Benitez is a skilled scrambler with good submissions in transition which might deter Sicilia, though Sicilia has shown more depth in his ground game in recent years as well.

I expect this to be one of the better contests of the evening as neither puts much of an emphasis on defense. Sicilia’s losses have come to those with a significant athletic advantage or savvy vets. Benitez has been around a while, but he wasn’t facing great competition on the Mexican circuit. I won’t be surprised to see Benitez snag a submission victory over Sicilia, but I expect the Washington native to either score a KO or use his wrestling to safely secure a decision. Sicilia via decision

Augusto Montano (15-2) vs. Belal Muhammad (9-1), Welterweight

This is a major dark horse for FOTN as both Montano and Muhammad are both durable and willing to throw down. I don’t care if you don’t recognize their names, this one is worth watching!

Montano hasn’t been seen in over a year. 15 months to be exact. That’s due to a positive test for testosterone following his loss to Cathal Pendred… and yes, it was a legit loss despite it being Pendred he lost to. A loss here will probably …

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