Preview: UFC Atlanta Prelims – Rowe vs. Loosa

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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Rowe vs. Loosa
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