The UFC is back at the Apex arena this Saturday, for the promotion’s final card of the month. UFC Vegas 8 is headlined by Anthony Smith going up against Aleksandar Rakić. Closing out the fourth month of pandemic era MMA, you just can’t have a UFC card with multiple pullouts. With that in mind, Ryan Hall was supposed to take on Ricardo Lamas this Saturday in Las Vegas. Hall however had to pull out due to injury. Now Lamas will instead fight newcomer Bill Algeo.
Bill “Senor Perfecto” Algeo
6’0″
Featherweight
31-years-old
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
Algeo MMA & Kickboxing
13-4
3 KO/TKOs
6 Submissions
How will Algeo fare in the UFC:
Bill Algeo is well-rounded, no question. He has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and has won multiple championships. He’s an All-State Wrestler, Collegiate Boxer, and an undefeated Professional Muay Thai Fighter.
Algeo shines more on the mat, perhaps, where his jiu-jitsu is solid and he thrives in scrambles. Even off his back, Algeo is dangerous being an all-around submission threat. Still, he has a good Muay Thai base landing very well in the clinch. Algeo is also a solid kickboxer as well where he likes to throw a variety of flashy strikes.
Although he is a pretty good striker, Algeo’s striking defense is a big problem. Algeo fights with his hands low to his waist and as that’s fine at kickboxing range — but he still holds them low when closing the distance. You will see him throw a lot of naked kicks and he frequently throws a lead knee with his chin right there for the taking. He also stands really tall and has shown issues checking leg kicks in the past. With that said he’s a tough fighter and has proven hard to finish. In fact the last time he was finished was by Shane Burgos nearly six years ago, and we all know how far Burgos has gone.
How he matches up with Lamas:
Lamas is 1-3 in his last four fights and has been finished brutally twice in the last three years. That said, even though Lamas has lost a step he’s been fighting opponents like Calvin Kattar, Josh Emmett, Darren Elkins, and Charles Oliveira. In short, Lamas has been fighting the best the division has the offer for quite some time.
Algeo’s defensive flaws are where Lamas could very well shine at. Lamas will most likely find home attacking with leg kicks and will make Algeo pay for keeping his hands low. Lamas is the better well-rounded fighter even on the mat, where “The Bully” is far more experienced. Unless Lamas is way more past him prime than what I’m thinking, he should cruise to victory here.
The bet I like is over 2.5 rounds. While I expect Lamas to cruise through this one, Algeo is a pretty durable guy being hard to finish. If there is a finish I expect it to be from an accumulation of damage late in the fight.
