Preview: UFC Atlanta Prelims

Welterweights
Philip Rowe (10-5) vs. Ange Loosa (10-4, 1 N/C)

Odds: Loosa (-135), Rowe (+114)

Two promising talents look to finally turn a corner here. Of these two, Rowe certainly stands out more from a physical standpoint, given that he's a 6-foot-3 welterweight with a massive reach -- and whenever things click for "The Fresh Prince," he looks completely unstoppable. But Rowe's contract-earning win on the Contender Series in 2019 sums up most of his performances; Rowe looked aimless and inactive for two rounds before suddenly springing to action for a third-round knockout, making it unclear why he didn't just press things to begin with. The hope was that Rowe would get enough reps to improve greatly under the UFC banner, but he's kept a relatively inactive schedule -- often dabbling in other combat sports -- and has yet to put together a truly dominant performance. The best win of Rowe's career was a 2022 comeback knockout of Niko Price, and Rowe's next two fights have seen him unable to get over the next hump; he lost a clinch-heavy affair to Neil Magny and just generally looked flat against Jake Matthews.

And so Rowe gets what potentially might be a step back against Loosa, who's had his own struggles even while taking a much clearer trajectory of improvement. Loosa's a top-tier athlete that's just taking longer than expected to develop some true comfort in the cage; given time and space to work or a clear athletic advantage, "The Last Ninja" can lay down a beating, but most opponents that can bite down and stay aggressive have a good chance at taking Loosa off his game. The good news for Loosa is that despite being at this for over a decade, he's still just 31 years old, and he's proven to be ridiculously tough even when things turn south, including in his Contender Series fight against Jack Della Maddalena. Rowe might be a strange challenge given his own size and toughness, but Loosa seems to be the more trustworthy fighter in terms of pumping out offense and activity, and Rowe doesn't seem like the type of fighter to apply the pressure that can run Loosa off the tracks. The pick is Loosa via decision.

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