I really like Francesco in this matchup. I think he has the better striking, the better footwork and as long as he stays against the cage, the better takedown defense. SO i'm going to pick him here. Now with that being said, Xiao's recent record is a bit misleading and he is better than people think. He definitely beat Cody and it took a 2 point deduction to flip it, and before that I think he got screwed out of his last 2 decisions. I expect this to be close, but I am siding with the Guido and this has nothing to do with my own Guido roots.

Long Xiao

Long Xiao is a grappler who isn't particularly dangerous but is very durable. He has a ton of experience with 38 fights and carries that composure with him. He doesn't panic if things aren't going well and despite his record, things don't go well for him pretty often. He can be taken down, he can be touched up, he can struggle with guys who pressure forward. But he typically finds ways to win and will occasionally take a “wrestle at all costs” approach. He is coming off the “loss” to Cody Garbdrant where the ref took 30 points away in the last round and it was still close.

Francesco Nuzzi

Francesco Nuzzi is a bouncy striker who is extremely light on his toes. He is constantly moving to gauge the range and then explodes into combinations. He is fairly long to the division and uses his length well. He is defensively sound in the striking, but does have some grappling holes. Against the cage he defends ery well but in the middle he can struggle.