Jiri Prochazka

Picked to win by knockout, with the analyst leaning heavily on a well-established career pattern of losing rounds badly before turning a fight around late.

Recent form has been genuinely impressive. He's a hard fighter to pin down stylistically, mixing in all kinds of tools -- capable striking, excellent movement, explosive bursts, attacks from odd angles, a deceptive front kick up the middle, and a habit of alternating single strikes with combinations to keep opponents guessing. Power is a constant. His accuracy is strong when he's not reaching for something showy, though the flashier stuff -- including spinning attacks that land about as inconsistently as they do for most fighters -- connects less often by nature. Defense is where things fall apart -- he blocks almost nothing, has literally been seen taking punches on the head rather than slipping them, and rarely checks leg kicks despite carrying heavy weight on his lead leg. What offsets it is toughness on another level -- he absorbs real punishment and keeps moving forward. There's a well-worn career pattern: he'll drop rounds badly, at times getting thoroughly outclassed for long stretches, only to flip the fight and finish his opponent late.