Danny Barlow makes his UFC debut coming off of a stunning stoppage victory on the Contender Series. The fighter out of Tennessee is known as “LerftHand2God”, a fitting nickname as the majority of his stoppage wins start with that very left hand. He holds a pro MMA record of 7-0, with just two of those wins going the distance.
Josh Quinlan was at a very similar point in his career as Danny Barlow is now, less than two years ago. After going 5-0 capped with a quick KO win on the Contender series, Quinlan found himself entering the UFC. He knocked out Jason Witt in just one round to prove his KO prowess carries over into the big show and the highest level of talent. However, following this Quinlan would lose for the first time in his career, and he now looks to bounce back opposite Barlow this weekend.
Betting Odds
Barlow will raise his momentum and undefeated streak into the fight as the favorite.
- Josh Quinlan: +165 (BetUS)
- Danny Barlow: -195 (BetUS)
Fight Breakdown
Danny Barlow is a very fitting opponent to see what Quinlan can take from his first career loss. Quinlan lost to Trey Waters, a tall and long striker who kept Quinlan at bay and tagged him with counter shots from the outside. Similarly, although Waters is 6″5 with 77 inches of reach, Barlow will also be the rangy fighter at 6″2 and with a reach of 80 inches.
Josh Quinlan has dynamite in both hands, primarily his left hook and right cross. He does tend to load up on his shots and his innate speed and explosion allow him to burst in on most opponents. However, when he is unable to bridge that gap in one motion, he did show an inability to work his way into range with soft boxing before throwing big; Quinlan did have success shooting takedowns early, and even late showed that he could get to the hips. It would aid him to potentially feint his takedowns, or even level change knowing he can rise into his punching combinations behind the shot. He does also have success with solid calf kicks, another weapon he could use to touch Barlow before committing upstairs.
Barlow, long and rangy like Waters, is very much his own unique fighter however. he is more aggressive so expect him to exchange a bit more. He like, Quinlan finishes the majority of his fights early, knowing he has that power to stop his opponents at any time. His main weapon is his left cross, look for him to bait Quinlan, step off on and angle and fire the right over Quinlan’s shorter punches.
Barlow also does a good job of switching to conventional to jab with his power side, and using that force his opponents back effort cross stepping and landing the same punch from the rear. He utilizes good good oblique kicks to put a barrier in front of the pocket and stop incoming fighters from getting on the inside.
Both Quinlan and Barlow, due to their quick wins have not shown a wide variety in their grappling skills yet. It would seem that Quinlan has an advantage when it comes to pure takedowns as well as scrambling ability. Barlow will close his guard when on his back and fight a bit passively until he sees an opportunity to get his feet on the hips and make space.
Otherwise, it doesn’t look as though he chases submissions with much urgency, instead ultimately looking to return to striking range, when the opportunity presents itself to him. That being said, I do believe the larger part of this fight will be contested on the feet anyway.
Prediction
Especially based on the style matchup in Quinlan’s last fight, it will be very difficult for Quinlan to deal with Barlow’s range and counterpunching. He does have adjustments to make, but at the same time, Barlow has the benefit of seeing what holes Waters poked in Quinlan’s defence. The smart bet would be Barlow to win, but for those looking to take an extra risk, Bet US also has fight to end in the first half at +120 a prospect considering that 9 of their combined 13 wins went less than that.
Picks: Danny Barlow to win (-195) or fight to go under 1.5 rounds (+120)
