Preview: UFC Fight Night 242 “Burns vs. Brady”

Lightweight

Trevor Peek (9-2, 2-2 UFC) vs. Yanal Ashmoz (7-1, 1-1 UFC)

OPPORTUNITIES: Scouting (-120), Ashmoz (+100)

This is a match for action, but so are most Peek fights. Peek has rightfully earned cult favorite status. He's one of the least technically skilled fighters on the UFC roster, but his aggressiveness and stamina have made for some wild brawls that appeal to most mixed martial arts fans. After his first loss to Jose Mariscal in 2023 – a result that has aged surprisingly well – Peek has tried to up his game a bit by incorporating some wrestling against Mohammad Yahya and showing a few tests of patience against Charlie Campbell. Ultimately, it still doesn't take much to get Peek swinging hammers, and this fight against Israeli Ashmoz looks set to become a slugfest at some point.

Ashmoz has better technique but takes a similarly aggressive approach. He's small and athletic and usually goes in for action to score either a knockout or a big takedown. That worked perfectly in his UFC debut, a 75-second knockout of Sam Patterson, but a subsequent points loss to Chris Duncan was a surprisingly poor performance from Ashmoz – until it was revealed he'd broken his wrist in the opening moments of the fight. At least that allowed Ashmoz to show some toughness that should serve him well here. Add to that the fact that Ashmoz has the athleticism to keep up with the Alabama native and enough wrestling up his sleeve to slow things down when needed, and the Israeli should be able to ride out the proverbial Peek rollercoaster and come out with a win. The pick is Ashmoz on points.

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Burns vs Brady
Silva vs Andrade
Garcia vs Nelson
Schnell vs. Durden
Peek vs Ashmoz
Rong vs Padilla
The preliminary round