Dwight Grant vs. Calen Born Prediction, UFC Vegas 7 Prelims

UFC Vegas 7 undercard action continues as Calen Born steps in on short notice to face Dwight ‘The Body Snatcher’ Grant. Seeking a third consecutive UFC win, Grant adjusts his game plan from original opponent Jaren Gooden after Gooden suffered training camp injuries. While Grant is noted for highlight reel knockouts, Born remains largely anonymous through eight paid fights: two of which come in LFA.

Frankly, this is a fight the wild swinging American Kickboxing Academy trainee should win. Flashing big power, Grant impressed on the Dana White Contender Series before blasting Carlo Pedersoli and edging tentative Alan Jouban. The fear of being touched by Dwight Grant’s right hand was enough to keep the more skilled Jouban at bay as ‘Bodysnatcher’ landed harder shots to eke decision victory last April. However, since, Grant has remained sidelined and makes his return Saturday vs. lightly regarded regional competition.

That’s not to say active eleventh-hour replacement Calen Born can’t find a hole in Grant’s helter-skelter style. It’s just wading through devastating power to exploit Grant’s off balance, generally backpedaling offering is likely more than the Octagon noob can handle. At 7-1 and 32-years-old, Born lost his last notable outing in LFA vs. Austin Jones. While the Chute Box disciple rebounded with a first-round guillotine choke recently opposite .500 competition, stepping up, even against flawed UFC entry fodder, is by far the biggest task of Born’s career.

From the available film, Born shows decent submission skills, having gained four taps in seven pro wins. Although, bouncy Grant sprawls well and adds seven TKO’s to a record which also shows no submission losses vs. much higher fare than Saturday’s assignment.

No fight-metric data exists on Born. Conversely, Grant adds 2.87 significant strikesper minute -though, with his looping over hands from odd angles it generally takes just one ‘Bodysnatcher’ land to shut off his opponent’s lights.

The Preview: Expect Grant to evade Born’s grappling game and use unorthodox power punches to gain an eighth TKO win in what is an unexpected showcase return for the New Yorker under Octagon lights. After a feeling out process, take Grant with the second round TKO.

The Pick: Dwight Grant wins by TKO