UFC Vegas 70 : Who is Carl Deaton?
By Harry Mac
UFC Vegas 70: Who is Carl Deaton?
The UFC is back at the APEX in Las Vegas on Saturday, Feb. 25 as Nikita Krylov and Ryan Spann clash in a 205-pound main event with plenty of title implications. Before that, however, a handful of new faces will grace the UFC Octagon for the first time including Carl Deaton (17-5) who will make his UFC debut against Joe Solecki (12-3).
Following a loss under the PFL banner in 2021, Deaton has ripped off two straight wins on the Michigan regional scene where he originally hails from including a decision over former UFC fighter Justin Jaynes. A jack of all trades, Deaton has multiple T/KO finishes but would likely classify himself as a submission specialist first and foremost, winning nine of his 17 pro bouts by way of submission.
Deaton trains at the world-renowned American Top Team gym in Coconut Creek, FL, and should be game for this challenge as he gets what could be his only shot at a UFC career. Fans will also notice Deaton paints his face with traditional Native American war paint at weigh-ins to honor and pay homage to his Native roots, just as he does with his nickname “Anishinaabe” which is a name/word people use to identify their First Nations heritage, specifically used by the Algonquin tribes in the Great Lakes region.
Carl Deaton and Joe Solecki clash as 2 Submission specialists at UFC Vegas 70
The first thing that jumps off the page when looking at this matchup between Deaton and Joe Solecki is the combined 16 submission wins between the pair. This means we should be in store for some awesome scrambles and grappling exchanges, or we may see a scenario where both men respect the submission threat of their opponent and choose to keep it on their feet instead. Regardless, fans should be in store for a banger of a fight when the Octagon doors lock behind Deaton and Solecki.
According to WynnBet, Deaton enters this bout as a massive underdog at +420 to Solecki’s -585. While some of that certainly has to do with Deaton taking this fight as a short-notice replacement, the oddsmakers don’t seem to respect his resume.
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