Prediction: Billy Elekena via Submission
On the feet, Christianwill have the advantage. He uses his length well, pumping out straight punches with real intent behind them. His jab sets up that long right hand, and when he finds his timing, he can generate serious power from range. The problem is that his defense hasn’t evolved to match his offense. He tends to keep his chin tall, and his defensive reactions are often delayed once pressure starts building. He’s hittable, and more importantly, his stance makes it easy to level change underneath him once opponents time the rhythm of his strikes.
That’s exactly where Billy Elekena can change the fight. Elekena might not have the cleanest stand-up, but he doesn’t need it here. His entire approach is built around closing the distance, getting to the hips, and dragging opponents to the gorund. He’s shown that once he gets top position, he has solid awareness,nothing flashy, but effective. He understands positional control, how to settle his weight, and how to keep opponents stuck. That kind of fundamental grappling can win rounds and fights, especially against someone like Christian.
Elekena’s path here is pretty clear: survive the early range exchanges, get inside without taking too much damage, and make it ugly. Once he gets his hands on Christian, his physicality and top control should start to take over. Christian’s power gives him a shot to do damage early, but the longer this fight goes, the more it tilts toward Elekena. His ability to dictate where the fight happens and hold position on the ground is exactly the kind of style that win this match up.