Eric McConico

He picks McConico to do just enough to win on the scorecards, likely by split decision, and notes he expects almost nobody else to pick him. A contrarian lean, not a confident call.

The analyst's summary is that he is good everywhere, exceptional nowhere, and poor nowhere -- with one exception that costs him fights. The striking includes a good kicking arsenal, a front kick the analyst rates highly and wishes he threw more, a head kick he can sneak in against shorter opponents, and solid body work. He also recovers unusually fast when hurt, regaining his senses almost immediately after being dropped. His defining flaw is temperamental rather than technical: he is too patient, and patience taken far enough becomes passivity and low output. On the mat his best trick is catching kicks and converting them straight into takedowns, which buys him position for a fraction of the usual effort. His takedown defence holds up against the fence but breaks down in open space, where he fails to get his hips back and gets put down, though he generally works back up.

Picked against, with the analyst favoring the opponent's activity level over his rated cleaner striking.

His recent form has been genuinely hard to parse -- he's looked sharp in defeats and underwhelming in victories, a pattern that's tough to reconcile. He's a good striker: a solid front kick, tight combinations, consistent body work, and a nice head kick round out his tools, though a tendency toward excessive patience is part of why some of his wins haven't matched the quality of his actual output. His grappling is good too -- he's skilled at converting caught kicks into takedowns, and applies solid pressure from the top once he's landed there. His takedown defense in open space is poor, but it firms up considerably with the fence at his back, meaning he relies on the cage to stop takedowns effectively. He works quickly to return to his feet rather than settling on the bottom.