Rani Yahya I think sucks, terrible cardio, standup is garbage, but the one thing he does have going for him is his above average takedowns and an elite ground game..
Every time I watch Rani fight I think he's losing but somehow he pulls off the win and usually by ground control.. He's like a very bad version of Demian Maia in a sense...
Mathew Lopez is a wrestling based fighter and probably won't be easily taken down.. He's a high paced fighter, good cardio, standing he can get it done and seems well versed on the ground and especially with his chokes and wrestling base.. Doubt he will get a choke against Rani and or mess around with him on the ground much in this fight.... Lopez is undefeated at 8-0 and this is his UFC debut - http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Matthew-Lopez-136139
What sticks out to me is that I'm convinced he's better standing then Roni and has better cardio.. Lopez just needs to keep the fight standing and avoid the submissions which I think he will do.. Liking Lopez in this one..
This is Mathew Lopez in a nut shell in the below vids - This was his big fight win below that got him to the UFC... Fast forward to the half way mark of the vid and the fight will start..
His story...
$230.00 $200.00 Pending 7/13/16 7:00pm UFC Fighting 2001 Matthew Lopez -115* vs Rani Yahya