Entering week three of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, a full ten contracts had been handed out to date — a somewhat surprising number, to be sure. White handing out contracts like Oprah Winfrey isn’t the worst thing in the world, though it could mean certain UFC veterans are going to need to watch their backs (and their roster spots) in the coming months.
Will week three be another five-contract week? Read on for our DWCS breakdown and predictions!
Middleweight: Eli Aronov vs. Zachary Reese
Tale of the tape
27-years-old
5’10″
Arad, Israel
Spirit
6-0
2 KO/TKOs, 2 Submissions
Combined opponent’s record: 16-3
29-years-old
6’3″
Shiner, Texas
WAR Training Center
5-0
4 KO/TKOs, 1 Submission
Combined opponent’s record: 12-14
Pros and Cons
Eli Aronov
Pros
- Strong wrestling
- Physically strong
- Submission threat
- Heavy ground and pound
- Solid grappling
Cons
- Poor cardio
- Throws blind kicks
- No head movement
- Comes in on straight lines
Zachary Reese
Pros
- Fast starter
- Good clinch work
- Submission threat
- Uses range well
- Good ground and pound
- Dangerous off his back
Cons
- Questionable TDD
Who has the advantage?
Striking: Reese
Speed: Reese
Output/Volume: Reese
Kickboxing: Reese
Striking defense: Reese
Footwork/movement: Reese
Wrestling: Aronov
Grappling: Aronov
Gas tank: Aronov
Prediction: This is an interesting fight between two guys that still have a lot of “what ifs” surrounding them. Aronov is coming off a huge win against Contender Series alum Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz. That was a solid win but the other wins not so much. He had to go to Canada to get a formidable opponent. The other fights he fought in Israel and he’s not fighting good opposition there.
Reese hasn’t fought much better competition. He beat TUF alum Aaron Phillips but that isn’t much of a challenge at this level. The biggest hurdle for Reese is he’s never fought past the first round as a pro.
I know Aronov’s cardio isn’t good but I don’t know if Reese has bad cardio or not. There may be some recency bias with Aronov due to his last fight. He did look good but he has a lot of stuff to work on. He’s a short middleweight and his striking defense lacks big time. His footwork and head movement isn’t where it should be with someone at a big height disadvantage. Reese is a big middleweight and his takedown defense seems pretty good. He hasn’t been tested against a wrestler like Aronov but Reese is at least good off his back.
This is a hard fight to pick but I like Reese for the upset. He’s bigger, has better stand-up, and has more tools to win. Aronov will probably be able to get the takedowns but the gap on the feet will be too wide on the feet. I can’t pick someone five inches shorter with poor striking defense.
