Jacobe Smith

He states he has to side with Smith because of the grappling gap, but immediately qualifies the pick by saying the short-notice circumstances lower his confidence in him.

An undefeated short-notice replacement portrayed as a pressuring striker with a clear edge on the mat, though his level of opposition so far leaves his true standing unclear.

picks him to hand Smith his first loss, but names one specific bad habit of his own that could let Smith compete

Our paraphrase: a good striker with real forward pressure and plenty of power, plus a leg kick good enough to double as a trip he uses to blend striking into wrestling. His grappling set is solid -- good takedowns, frequent mat returns, decent top control -- but his top game is described as more about shifting between positions than pressing weight down, a different flavor of control than his opponent's. Ground-and-pound, elbows and an intangible killer instinct round him out. The analyst expects this to be his first career loss.

He calls Smith the clearest favorite on the entire card, explicitly considers an upset path for Price and rejects it, with no real hedge on the win itself beyond that brief, dismissed acknowledgment.

Smith, undefeated at 10-0 and a massive favorite, is read as a complete, wrinkle-free prospect: a good, powerful striker who can trip off his leg kick, built around a grappling base that produces excellent top control, constant mat returns and heavy ground-and-pound, finished off with real killer instinct and good cardio.

Explicitly weighs the short-notice factor and still commits to Smith without hedging the outcome, calling him an impressive prospect who can win 'everywhere' the fight goes against a good but outmatched opponent.

Undefeated, good striker with real forward pressure and knockout power, including heavy leg kicks used as trips, blending his arts impressively for someone still fairly new to the sport. Wrestles at a solid level with reliable entries and relentless mat returns whenever an opponent tries to stand back up, good top pressure that floats between positions, and good ground-and-pound with the elbow. Taking this fight on short notice.