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The card at UFC Vegas 18 is stacked with some extremely interesting fights. From the main event all the way down to the preliminary card, there are some mouth-watering clashes to look out for. Justin Jaynes vs Devonte Smith at catchweight is one such fight. 

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Both men are currently unranked in perhaps the most talent stacked division in the UFC that is the lightweight division. The fight is a good opportunity for both men to bounce back from recent losses and take a step towards gaining a rank in the lightweight division. 

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Leading up to the fight, we take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of both fighters and the potential route to victory for both men. 

Read: Former UFC contender James Vick announces retirement from the sport

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Justin Jaynes vs Devonte Smith should be a cracker of a fight at UFC Vegas 18

Justin Jaynes made his UFC debut in June last year with a spectacular TKO win over Frank Camacho. But since then, things have not been going his way as he succumbed to two losses on the trot against the likes of Gavin Tucker and Gabriel Benitez. ‘Guitar Hero’ will be looking to get back into the win column this weekend. 

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Devonte Smith made his UFC debut on Dana White’s Contender Series with a stunning KO win over Joseph Lowry. He went on to win his next two fights via stoppage before succumbing to his first loss in the UFC in August 2019. ‘King Kage’ is 2-1 in his last three fights and will be looking to bounce back with a win. 

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Guitar Hero’ has won 50% of his fights via T/KO. He has landed on average 4.79 significant strikes per minute in his UFC career thus far. However, he is prone to getting hit and absorbs a concerning 7.82 significant strikes per minute. Against someone like ‘King Kage’ that might be his downfall. 

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King Kage’ has secured a mind-boggling 90% of his wins via T/KO. He has landed an unbelievable 16.96 significant strikes thus far in his UFC career. However, he is also prone to getting hit and absorbs a concerning 27.39 significant strikes per minute. This fight will definitely be decided on the feet. Between the two men, whoever has sharpened their defense more is most likely going to win the bout. 

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Prediction: Devonte Smith via T/KO

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Kevin Binoy

1,289 Articles

Kevin Binoy is a senior UFC author at EssentiallySports. He earned a Bachelor's degree from Fergusson College and has been covering sports professionally for over two years. Besides working with the MMA desk, Kevin is a core member of the organization's web stories team and is responsible for delivering engaging MMA web stories. He has also written for a soccer website named Dribl. Kevin has covered monumental MMA moments such as Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement at UFC 254 and Conor McGregor's maiden MMA TKO defeat at UFC 257. He was attracted to MMA when he watched Ronda Rousey demolish Cat Zingano in 2015. Following 'Rowdy's departure, he has gravitated towards fighters like Jon Jones and 'The Eagle' Khabib Nurmagomedov. In his spare time, Kevin enjoys the sport of horse riding and also plays soccer regularly.

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