Lightweight Brendon Marotte is one of a handful of newcomers at Saturday’s UFC Vegas 81 Fight Night card, headlined by featherweights Sodiq Yusuff and Edson Barboza. Stepping in against the always entertaining Terrance McKinney, Marotte is set for preliminary card action at the Apex in a dangerous match-up.
Brendon Marotte
Standing at five-foot-ten
Fighting at 155 lbs (lightweight)
26-years-old
Fighting out of Hampstead, New Hampshire, US
Training out of New England Cartel
A pro record of 8-1
5 KO/TKOs, 1 Submission
How Marotte will fare in the UFC:
Marotte comes to the UFC as another member of the New England Cartel. He fights in an area that’s known for a lack of competition. Only two guys he beat had a winning record and his only loss was his only real test. He did fight at featherweight in the past but has recently moved up to lightweight and is undefeated in that weight class.
Watching Marotte I didn’t come out impressed. What he does do well is throw a lot of volume and he fights at a high rate. I do like the way he mixes up his output with his hands and kicks. On the inside, he does good work with his Muay Thai knees. Everything about his game is competent. Defensively however he struggles in all areas. His takedown defense isn’t good at all and is poor off his back. He fights with his hands low and isn’t too hard to hit.
Marotte isn’t UFC level right now and I see him struggling to get wins in the octagon. He’s a good regional-level fighter. Not a lot to say about Marrote at his skillset is limited and nothing really stands out with him.
How he matches up with McKinney:
The UFC has been careful at matching up McKinney with favorable fights after losing two in a row. This is a fight he should win with ease. His cardio is always a big concern but I don’t think Marotte is the caliber of fighter to expose that. Everyone that beat McKinney is better than Marotte outside of his first loss. I’d be surprised if McKinney lost this.
