MMAjunkie Radio co-host and MMAjunkie contributor Dan Tom breaks down UFC 227’s top bouts, and today, we look at the first three main-card bouts.

UFC 227 takes place Saturday at Staples Center in Los Angeles, and the main card airs on pay-per-view following preliminary-card bouts on FX and UFC Fight Pass.

ALSO SEE:

* * * *

Cub Swanson (25-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC)

Staple info:

Height: 5’8″ Age: 34 Weight: 145 lbs. Reach: 70″ Last fight: (April 21, 2018) Camp: The Treigning Lab (California) Stance/striking style: Switch-stance/kickboxing Risk management: Fair

Supplemental info:

+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt

+ Multiple grappling accolades

+ 11 KO victories

+ 4 submission wins

+ 7 first-round finishes

+ KO power

+ Consistent pace and pressure

+ Excellent footwork

^ Stance shifts and angle awareness

+ Creative offensive flow

^ From boxing to cartwheel kicks

+ Underrated wrestling ability

^ Improved hips, frames and fundamentals

+ Solid transitional grappling

^ Floats positions and scrambles well

Renato Moicano (12-1-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC)

Staple info:

Height: 5’11” Age: 29 Weight: 145 lbs. Reach: 72″ Last fight: Decision win over Calvin Kattar (April 7, 2018) Camp: American Top Team (Florida) Stance/striking style: Orthodox/muay Thai Risk management: Good

Supplemental info:

+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt

+ Regional MMA titles

+ 5 submission wins

+ 1 first-round finish

+ Consistent pace and pressure

+ Solid muay Thai technique

^ Hard leg kicks

+ Accurate hooks and crosses

^ Coming forward and off the counter

+ Competent inside the clinch

+ Developing wrestling game

^ Good reactive shot

+ Solid transitional grappler

+ Always looks for back

^ 5 wins by rear-naked-choke

Summary:

In a featherweight fight of quiet importance, Cub Swanson takes on Renato Moicano.

A staple at 145 pounds for some time, Swanson is looking to stop the bleeding of back-to-back losses in front of his home-turf SoCal contingent. Seeking to spoil his homecoming is Moicano, a Brazilian prospect who has slowly but surely been rising in the ranks, as well as raising eyebrows.

Despite stepping onto the UFC scene with submissions being his known forte, Moicano quickly demonstrated that he was paying proper attention to all parts of his game – including his striking.

Steadily developing a muay Thai arsenal, Moicano can either stalk or stick and move, variating hard kicks from both sides. Striking in combination when feeling in stride, the 29-year-old Brazillian does increasingly better at punching his way in and out of the pocket.

Whether Moicano is coming forward or countering, his left hook-right cross triggers appear to be deeply rooted, committing to a response each time. That said, when Moicano decides to plant and return, his head sometimes tends to stay on center, allowing for harsh weather to come his way.

Calvin Kattar was able to find success in timing right hands over the top of Moicano’s jabs before succumbing to too many leg kicks, which makes me even more curious as to how Swanson’s style will stack up against the Brazilian.

One of the sport’s more prolific offensive artists, Swanson shows all the attributes you would want in an action-fighter. Although his movements may seem sporadic at times, there is a method to Swanson’s madness, and he seldom moves against momentum.

Whether he’s shifting his stance to throw liver kicks from southpaw or darting off of his favored lead right hand, the 14-year pro is ultimately looking to initiate reactions that will allow for his opposition to open themselves up inadvertently.

Working with Joel Diaz for many years, Swanson’s boxing influence shines through in his followup punches, variating his shots brilliantly to the body. Given Moicano’s propensity to utilize more of a shelling guard, expect the veteran striker in Swanson to steal on any openings he can.

Should things contest tightly on the feet, then I would not be surprised to see either man test the other on the ground.

Moicano, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, displays a decent level-changing shot that he’ll dust off toward the end of a close round. Moicano also appears to be slick inside of the clinch when it comes to trips and foot-sweeps. However, if Moicano intends on taking things to the mat, outwrestling Swanson is something that has become increasingly difficult to do in recent years.

Making measurable upgrades to his wrestling ability, Swanson shows things – whether it be his defensive framing or the overall awareness and application of his hips – that were previously vacant from his game.

Should he exercise those fundamentals and not get caught out of position here, then it may help him dictate or deter any offensive grappling attempts from Moicano. And with both men being skilled Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts who seem to prefer to float and ride through transitions, I expect grappling stanzas to be short and sweet (unless either party is compromised, of course).

The oddsmakers and public seem to be siding with youth over experience, listing Moicano -310 and Swanson +255 as of this writing.

Despite my official pick, this line spread is still somewhat surprising. It wasn’t that long ago when we saw Swanson temper the flames of an arguably more dangerous young lion in Dooho Choi, reminding us of his heart, durability and veteran savvy. Should Swanson lure Moicano into a war (particularly if he attacks early), then I could see his free-flowing offense taking over, allowing him to follow Moicano out of the exchanges. But if he fails to get anything meaningful going early, then I suspect another point-fighting clinic punctuated by hard leg kicks from Moicano, which is probably the more likely outcome.

Official pick: Moicano by decision