Anthony Romero vs Marcus McGhee Preview & Prediction — UFC 332

Anthony Romero arrives with a finishing reputation built on the mat, and Marcus McGhee arrives with a chin question from a tough run through contenders. On paper this reads as grappler versus striker. Underneath it, the fight turns on one specific exchange: what happens when Romero is standing in front of a hard right hand.

Anthony Romero

Romero's calling card is finishing fights on the ground. Two professional submission wins stand out, including a rear-naked choke pulled from a back take off a scramble after he sprawled against Lewis, a sequence that shows real timing and instinct once he gets hold of a man's back. He is also 6.5 years younger than McGhee and has shown he can keep pressure up deep into a fight, pushing the pace through a full third round on tape.

The hole is on the feet. In 2021 he was stopped by punches in the second round by Mora, and in 2025 a regional-level opponent dropped him with a single standing right hand, set up by upright, head-forward entries that also produced repeated head clashes. He has zero UFC bouts to date, and his lone loss of note on the record came by decision to Johnny Robles, who was 4-0 at the time. The submission game is real. So is the pattern of getting hit clean while walking forward.

Marcus McGhee

McGhee's path to winning fights is standing power, straight shots and overhand bursts that he throws in combination rather than single counters. Inside the UFC he is 5-1, with decision wins over Martinez and Yannis and two finishes by knockout, evidence that the power translates against real competition. His only loss at this level was a decision to Yan, a fight where he was hit flush and cut but never folded, which says something about his chin holding up under pressure from a live finisher.

The one stoppage loss on his record anywhere is a first-round rear-naked choke against Nascimento, which is exactly the kind of finish Romero specializes in. There is also a physical wrinkle: his right leg broke down under low kicks from Martinez, a sign that a committed kicking game can still change the fight late. If this one hits the mat and stays there, that old finish is the obvious concern.

How the fight plays out

The desk is logging this one without a bet down, but the read still points to McGhee. The reason is simple: Romero's documented flaw and McGhee's best weapon occupy the exact same phase of the fight. Romero has now been hurt or stopped on the feet by a single committed punch twice, both times set up by the same upright, head-forward entries. McGhee's entire offensive identity is landing that type of shot in combination.

Romero's counter is real. He is younger, he can keep pace across rounds, and if he closes distance and gets to a back take the way he did against Lewis, the choke is always live given his finishing instincts. But getting there means walking through the range where he has already been dropped twice, against a man who has shown he keeps composure and sharpness even after being hit himself, as the Yan fight demonstrated. The competition gap matters too. McGhee has done this against five UFC-level opponents. Romero has not done it against any.

Expect Romero to press forward early looking for the clinch or the scramble that leads to his best offense. Expect McGhee to make him pay for the entries first, the same way Mora and the regional opponent did, before the fight ever gets to the mat.

The verdict

The desk's no-play read still lands on McGhee. His standing power attacks the exact entry that has already put Romero down twice, and his UFC resume against the level of competition he has already beaten outweighs an unproven finisher making his promotional debut.