Vince Morales

Picked as a root-beer fight -- the analyst says he's a genuine fan of both fighters' styles and sees a real path for either to win.

The sharper boxer in this matchup by a clear margin -- a strong jab, hands high with the chin tucked away, flurrying combinations to close ground, solid body work, and heavy output. The obvious hole is leg-kick defense, which is essentially nonexistent; he simply absorbs them, a trait that shows up often in fighters built around boxing. His grappling, though, is a genuine strength -- the losses on his record to serious grappling specialists say more about who he faced than about his own ability. His submission game runs deep, especially front chokes and a signature neck-tie variant. Takedown defense holds up decently, largely because opponents have to respect those same front-choke threats. He's a fighter who will chase the finish over holding position, though, willing to give up top control while hunting a neck tie or front choke -- and that exact habit is what's opened the door for grapplers to beat him in the past.