The UFC is making its return to the land down under with UFC 284, taking place this Saturday, February 11. Live out of the sold-out RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, one of the first fights of the night will be a featherweight bout between Shane Young and Blake Bilder.
Thus, with Islam Makhachev taking on Alexander Volkanovski in a champ vs champ fight, fans are in for a great night. Moreover, Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett are also set to face off for the interim featherweight title in the co-main event of the evening. Hence, fans can expect some fiery fights from start to finish with this event.
View this post on Instagram
As mentioned previously, one of the early prelim fights will feature Shane Young (13-6) making his return to the Octagon. Winless in his last two outings, Young is coming off a significant layoff from fighting. However, with a fresh mindset and a clean slate, Young has the chance to make his luck and finally break into the win column.
Young will face the newcomer, Blake Bilder, making his first-ever UFC appearance. Fresh off a submission win on Dana White’s Contender Series last year, Bilder will be looking to continue his unbeaten record as he starts a new journey in the UFC. The Cage Fury Fighting champion also collected a submission win over Frank Buenafuente and a TKO victory over Regivaldo Carvalho before his call-up to the Contender Series.
UFC 284 Early Prelims: Young vs Bilder Head-to-Head Stats
Stats | Shane Young | Blake Bilder |
Wins | 13 | 7 |
Losses | 6 | 0 |
Height | 1.73 m | 1.73 m |
Division | Featherweight | Featherweight |
Reach | 1.83 m | 1.73 m |
Age | 29 | 32 |
Shane Young vs Blake Bilder: Fight Breakdown and Prediction
Coming into the fight, Young is the more favored fighter, mostly due to his better experience in the UFC. Thus, the New Zealander is expected to put out all the stops to secure a victory and his future in the UFC. “Smokin” will be feeling good about his chances against Bilder, but this is still a difficult fight for him.
View this post on Instagram
Moreover, with Bilder’s strengths being his wrestling and grappling, there is no doubt about where he will try to take the fight. As such, Shane will have worked on his takedown defense and will likely prefer having the fight be a stand-up contest rather than a drawn-out wrestling match. Notably, “El Animal” Bilder has also been putting in the work on the pads and could have a surprise up his sleeve.
Although we expect Bilder to make improvements on his striking, he does have a tendency to leave himself open. Additionally, against an opponent like Young, this could prove to be a costly mistake. For the most part, the Kiwi fighter is a much more seasoned striker and is said to have better cardio than the American.
Thus, if he can stuff all the takedowns coming his way and utilize his reach advantage, Young has a good chance of edging out a decision.