Chidi Njokuani

Picked against despite the analyst conceding he may well be the better striker, because the opponent's grappling gives him more routes to a win.

A Muay Thai striker with one weapon the analyst rates among the best in the sport: his body kick, which he calls the man's best tool and one of the finest anywhere. Around it he lands combinations mixing punches and kicks, can operate at range or close the distance to tie opponents up, and once tied up brings genuinely damaging knees and elbows. The elbows get particular attention -- long, slender arms give him a sharper cutting edge, and he opens opponents up badly enough to invite doctor stoppages. The grappling is the standing problem of his career and the analyst does not soften it, though he notes one quirk that follows from the same physique: those long arms slip under the chin easily, so his chokes arrive more often than his overall grappling would predict.

He gives Njokuani the technical edge on the feet but still leans toward Leal, calling the fight close enough to go either way.

Njokuani is the crisper of the two strikers - a strong body kick, tight combinations, slicing elbows, and a real weapon in the clinch where his knees and elbows do damage. His grappling is more limited, mostly built around opportunistic chokes off his long reach rather than a developed offense. The concern is that his power has looked noticeably diminished since moving up from 185 to welterweight, which could matter in an exchange-heavy fight.