Bruno Lopes

Picked as the underdog specifically on a grappling-advantage argument -- named as live enough to get a submission if he can close the distance.

The grappling side of a striking-versus-grappling matchup. His takedowns off the body lock are only decent rather than great, but once he lands them his top pressure and ground strikes are good enough to threaten a finish, and his takedown defense is solid enough that the analyst doubts the opponent initiates grappling at all.

Picked against, with the analyst favoring the opponent specifically if the fight stays standing.

Presses the action well and lands at a healthy clip across all target areas, stringing combinations together effectively. One consistent flaw: he leaves himself exposed whenever he throws a hook. A newer and more worrying pattern is that he's been visibly rocked more often recently by shots landing clean, which the analyst suspects -- without being certain -- could point to declining chin durability. The grappling is clearly his stronger discipline overall -- he can get to the mat via a decent body-lock takedown, defends takedowns well himself, and brings solid ground and pound plus top pressure once there, though he tends to look for the finish standing before turning to it.