Nikolay Veretennikov

He only takes Williams because the takedown route is wide open -- 'a silver platter,' in his words -- then doubts Williams uses it and tells fans to skip betting this one and 'crack a root beer' instead.

Nikolay Veretennikov is a pretty good striker with good power and clean two-three/three-two combinations, though he can get pulled into brawls. His grappling on top is decent with good top pressure, but off his back he has nothing -- the analyst repeats 'nothing' for emphasis. Overall he rates him as a good regional-level, entry-level UFC talent with a lot of holes in his game.

hedges hard despite still picking him

A short-notice replacement (1-3, arguably 0-4 in the UFC) who the analyst still backs off pure style matchup. He is a good striker with power and solid combinations who tends to get pulled into brawls -- a tendency the analyst thinks helps him here. On the ground he is fine on top but has nothing off his back.

Closes plainly with 'it's Soriano to get the win here' after walking through a specific advantage (more paths to win, offensive grappling edge, competitive striking too).

A good striker with plenty of power and good combinations who tends to get pulled into firefights -- a mixed trait, since he is tough in them but it plays into his opponent's durability too. His grappling is the weaker half of his game: decent top pressure if he gets there, but his own back defense is called not very good.

Says it is only 'a pick for now' because the panel show later this week could change his mind, hopes Prado is improving 'at least a little,' and calls the whole matchup tricky.

A good striker with real power who throws clean two-three/three-two combinations, though he can get drawn into pure brawls, which the analyst says cuts both ways. His grappling is decent on top, with real top pressure, but he is described as very weak once on his back; the analyst cites a previous loss where he was dominated on the ground as proof of that gap.

He is unqualified throughout, declaring himself squarely on Barlow's side and treating the underdog line as a mistake by the market. The opponent's conceded knockout threat is answered with a specific reason rather than left standing -- he expects Barlow to land first, land hard, and keep that power deep into the fight. The only hedge present is attached to the finishing method, not to who wins.

He is credited as a genuinely powerful, live striker with real knockout ability and a varied combination game. The analyst still favors Barlow on the strength of reach and expects Veretennikov to be out-landed in the trade, and notes he is coming in on short notice.