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Sean Brady vs Colby Covington – We all know Colby Covington is inactive when it comes to defending his ranking, but the time has to come sooner or later. The former NCAA Division I All American may not have many fights left after washing out of 3 UFC title opportunities, but he’s still got the name to command respect – and anyone beating him becomes an overnight contender. Imagine if Brady can beat Burns and Colby back-to-back – yeah, he’s probably getting a title shot, even if Belal has already beaten him once!
Gilbert Burns vs Michael Morales – Yes, I think it’s time for Gilbert Burns to start getting stepped down in competition after 3 straight losses against top-ranked opposition. Michael Morales is an undefeated, surging prospect who dispatched Neil Magny expertly, and the 17-0 Ecuadorian has all the momentum in the world. Yes, this is Burns once again playing gatekeeper, but at 38 it’s the right role for him if he wants to continue taking on elite opposition. Great test for Morales. Burns, perhaps, can use his veteran smarts to fend off the young gun.
Natalia Silva vs Alexa Grasso/Valentina Shevchenko Loser – Natalia Silva continues to rise to the top of the Flyweight division, and defeating perennial top-ranked Jessica Andrade is a HUGE achievement for the 27 year old. Silva has taken the UFC by storm, and while she called for the belt, she has to accept she is behind Manon Fiorot for the next shot – and the winner of Rose-Erin will be high in the running even after that! I’d like to see Natalia face the loser of the Grasso-Shevchenko trilogy fight, particularly if it’s Val – but hey, this division is on fire right now, and either fight is gonna be great!
Jessica Andrade vs Karine Silva – Another Silva might not be top of Andrade’s wish list, but it’s a fresh fight for one of the UFC’s most battle hardened veterans, and a chance for another Brazilian to break out. Karine perhaps hasn’t quite had the same momentum as Natalia, but she’s still 4-0 in the UFC after earning a deal through DWCS, and Ariane Lipski became the first fighter to not be finished – but still lost to the surging Karine. Is this a step too far? Honestly, I’m not sure – but I want to find out! We either get a new contender, or Andrade is back in the win column, so it’s a win-win for me.
Steve Garcia vs Bryce Mitchell – Give Garcia his break, then get him back in the gym preparing for a ranked opponent in #13 featherweight Bryce Mitchell. Bryce was KO’ed in scary fashion by Josh Emmett at the end of last year, but in 3 months it’s going to have been a full calendar year out, and I think that’s a good time for him to look to come back. Mitchell has every chance here if Garcia has another slip like he did tonight, or just can’t close the distance fast enough, his grappling is serious – but if Garcia gets on top, he’s proven time and time again that he’s a finisher. Fun, high stakes fight!
Kyle Nelson vs Youssef Zalal – One of the most improved fighters of 2024, Zalal has ripped through Billy Quarantillo and Jarno Errens, but Kyle Nelson is a different proposition entirely. Very strong with punishing power and (usually) good control, Nelson slipped up tonight and paid the price for it – but he’s a super test for the surging Zalal, who won’t have it all his own way here! Can Zalal keep rolling, or does Nelson claim another scalp?
Cody Durden vs Manel Kape – Cody ‘4 Days Notice’ Durden seized on his opportunity by wrapping up an Anaconda Choke early in R2, and that was that! He should fight Manel Kape next, IMO, who had a stinker against Mokaev prior to Mokaev getting cut by the UFC. Kape, for me, doesn’t have any real money in the bank and needs to rebuild – Durden is open to being terminated by counters, but he’ll come and try and bring the pressure no doubt, and might be able to frustrate Kape – which isn’t as much of a rarity as many thought when the UFC signed him in the first place.
Matt Schnell – RETIRE! Man, oh man, what a mistake from Schnell. Shooting from afar against Durden, giving up his neck, that’s a wrap, Matt, thanks for the fights, you had the skills, but I’m afraid I agree with you that it’s time! Happy retirement, dude!
Yanal Ashmouz vs Tom Nolan – What a crazy height differential we’d have here with 6’3 ‘Big Train’ Tom Nolan against 5’9 ‘Red Fox’ Yamal Ashmouz, but there isn’t really an experience differential as both 2-1 in the UFC and 8-1 overall. Ashmouz bounced back from defeat against Chris Duncan by ragdolling Trevor Peek, while Nolan has racked up back-to-back wins over Victor Martinez and Alex Reyes after losing his UFC debut to Nikolas Motta. Aside from the fun optics, Ashmouz has already laid waste to Sam Patterson, another very tall fighter, but Nolan is much more of a striker than Sam, so he probably fancies his chances of landing something from the outside. Ashmouz can crack, but he proved tonight he can wrestle pretty well and is very strong. Should be a fun clash of styles!
Trevor Peek vs Jordan Vucenic – Vucenic looked good at times in his UFC debut against Guram Kutateladze, a monstrous opponent for your first outing at short notice. The Englishman showed no signs of intimidation, but might have to lean on his grappling against one of the hardest hitters in the division in iron-jawed Trevor Peek. What Peek lacks is finesse, though, and until that improves he’s going to be limited to trying to engage opponents in brawls. He now has just 1 finish in 5 UFC outings showing that maybe the level is a little too high – but fans will still tune in for the chance of a chaotic KO!
Chris Padilla vs Viacheslav Borshchev – Two guys who beat the prospect James Llontop, ‘Taco’ Padilla and ‘Slava Claus’ come in with completely contrasting styles that I believe will mesh beautifully in the cage. Padilla is the better rounded fighter but didn’t bother with much of that tonight before uncorking a fight-ending elbow to the eye (ouch!!!), but will he be able to do the same to the human shuriken that is Borshchev? (Padilla called out Maheshate – we can do that too!)
Rong Zhu vs James Llontop – James Llontop has had it rough in the UFC so far facing Chris Padilla and ‘Slava Claus’, but he’s no bum and he’s got a decent shot at beating the Chinese prospect Rong Zhu, who is really struggling to find his rhythm at this level. Another Chinese fighter who runs through the competition at a frenetic rate on the regionals, but is finding the international level way, way tougher! May the best fighter win.
Isaac Dulgarian vs Seung Woo Choi – At one point, ‘Sting’ Choi was regarded as a promising featherweight, streaking to straight wins over Youssef Zalal and Julian Erosa, but a 1-4 skid has put paid to all that – at least for now. The heavy-handed Korean will face the same puzzle all Dulgarian’s opponents face, and that’s a juggernaut-like wrestler looking to plant you on your back and work you over, but Choi should have the experience under his belt to go some way to preventing that. If he can’t, though, he’s probably gone from the UFC. He must use that experience differential to his advantage or Dulgarian will march on.
Brendon Marotte vs Erik Silva – Two fighters who have looked poor in their opening 2 UFC fights, I’d throw these two together and see who finally grabs that all-elusive UFC win. Marotte has barely had a moment’s success in the octagon so far – he must do better here against a different type of grappler with less dominant wrestling.
Andre Lima vs Jesus Santos Aguilar – Lima advances to 3-0 in the UFC having been bitten by Igor Severino and out-pointed Mitch Raposo in a poorly scored fight before out-grappling Felipe dos Santos tonight. I’d give him 3-1 Jesus Santos Aguilar, the sneaky-good Mexican who has rattled off 3 straight victories after losing his UFC debut to Tatsuro Taira. Aguilar made short work of Stewart Nicoll but did come in overweight, hence he’s not getting a ranked opponent for my money, but the winner of this should have a good case to make going forward. Both look like promising flyweights.
Felipe dos Santos vs Jose Johnson – With both fighters coming off a loss and being 1-2 in the UFC, it seems a fairly straight forward call and most likely amounts to a loser leaves town fight given it will be the end of both of their presumed initial 4 fight contracts. Dos Santos had a rough debut opponent in Manel Kape, squeaked past Victor Altamirano before crashing to defeat tonight, but he still looks like he could produce some fun fights if he can finally get something going. How will he deal with the 6’0 frame of the UFC’s tallest flyweight, though?
Gabriel Santos vs Westin Wilson – Westin Wilson, like Santos, lost his first 2 fights in the UFC, before bouncing back with a R1SUB of Jeka Saragih of Indonesia. Both Wilson’s defeats came against Brazilian opposition in Joanderson Brito and Jean Silva, but as we’ve come to realize, both those guys are super legit. Can Gabriel Santos now follow in their footsteps and start climbing the ladder? Tonight he put in a pretty complete performance, and it’s all about getting some momentum – but Wilson will be thinking exactly the same thing!
Yi Zha vs Jarno Errens – Jarno Errens redeemed himself after 2 straight losses with his sole UFC win over Steven Nguyen but was unable to follow that up against the rejuvenated Youssef Zalal. Give him Yi Zha, himself 0-2 in the UFC (despite being 5-0 on Road to UFC), and someone who really needs to adapt to this level sooner rather than later. If he cannot impose himself on Errens, he’s in for another long night, but Errens is most likely a step down from Gabriel Santos… book it! Let’s find out a bit more about these guys!
Jaqueline Amorim vs Angela Hill – A bit of controversy about wristgate tonight, but it’s another R1SUB for Amorim in a fight where she dictated the levels from start to finish. Give Amorim a ranked opponent now, we know how talented she is, but what we want to know is can she do it against better opposition? Angela Hill had been the gatekeeper at 115 for some time before embarking on a little bit of a tear, can she defend against Amorim’s takedowns and punish Jaqueline on the feet?
Vanessa Demopoulos vs Mizuki Inoue – Inoue’s UFC tenure has been a bit of a disaster due to inactivity, despite the fact that the Japanese strawweight resides in New York. She’s 3-2 though and one of the few unranked strawweights with a decent-sized record that Vanessa hasn’t yet fought – if Inoue is ready to fight at the turn of the year, there are worse fights to make for a Fight Night prelim!
Andre Petroski vs Rodolfo Vieira – Petroski’s game plan is simple but has been effective to date. Takedowns, top control, and the occasional submission threat. It wasn’t enough to stop Dominick Cruz critiquing him tonight, and it might not be enough to cause someone like Rodolfo Vieira many problems, despite how obviously strong Petroski is. Seeing how he is forced to mix up his game plan is the clear next step in Petroski’s development, because he absolutely must if he’s to continue climbing. Vieira is the right test at the right time and another guy building his résumé despite only fighting once a year recently and already being 34.
Dylan Budka vs Robert Valentin – TUF 32 runner up Robert Valentin could not hang with Ryan Loder in their finals bout, but Valentin had done enough to catch the eye in The Ultimate Fighter house. He needs to get to winning ways, but so does Budka. Dylan, for his part, is now 0-2 in the UFC with a weight miss. He can’t afford to be a stepping stone for Valentin here in what should be a fun fight between two imperfect but powerful and aggressive rookies.
Nathan Fletcher vs Blake Bilder – Bilder won his UFC debut, much as Nathan Fletcher did tonight, beating Australian Shane Young. Since then, the UFC has tried to step him up a level by giving him Kyle Nelson and Jeong Yeong Lee, both fights he lost. All 3 went the distance. Going the distance isn’t something overly familiar for Nathan Fletcher, but finishing ‘El Animal’ won’t be easy… Put this on a UK card or keep Fletcher stateside, either is good, but this seems a good next step for Fletcher and a chance for Bilder to regain parity in his UFC career if he can climb to 2-2. Alternatively, Fletcher might step down to 135.
Zygimantas Ramaska vs Manolo Zecchini – An all-European affair? How about Lithuania vs Italy in a battle of 0-1 featherweights, these kinds of match-ups are ‘must wins’ for both fighters as they try to keep their heads above the ever-rising waterline. Zygimantas can certainly crack and has real aggression, but tonight was not his night, Zecchini likewise had a rough UFC debut against Morgan Charriere, and really needs to get back on the horse having not been seen since September 2023.
Gilbert Burns vs Michael Morales – Yes, I think it’s time for Gilbert Burns to start getting stepped down in competition after 3 straight losses against top-ranked opposition. Michael Morales is an undefeated, surging prospect who dispatched Neil Magny expertly, and the 17-0 Ecuadorian has all the momentum in the world. Yes, this is Burns once again playing gatekeeper, but at 38 it’s the right role for him if he wants to continue taking on elite opposition. Great test for Morales. Burns, perhaps, can use his veteran smarts to fend off the young gun.
Natalia Silva vs Alexa Grasso/Valentina Shevchenko Loser – Natalia Silva continues to rise to the top of the Flyweight division, and defeating perennial top-ranked Jessica Andrade is a HUGE achievement for the 27 year old. Silva has taken the UFC by storm, and while she called for the belt, she has to accept she is behind Manon Fiorot for the next shot – and the winner of Rose-Erin will be high in the running even after that! I’d like to see Natalia face the loser of the Grasso-Shevchenko trilogy fight, particularly if it’s Val – but hey, this division is on fire right now, and either fight is gonna be great!
Jessica Andrade vs Karine Silva – Another Silva might not be top of Andrade’s wish list, but it’s a fresh fight for one of the UFC’s most battle hardened veterans, and a chance for another Brazilian to break out. Karine perhaps hasn’t quite had the same momentum as Natalia, but she’s still 4-0 in the UFC after earning a deal through DWCS, and Ariane Lipski became the first fighter to not be finished – but still lost to the surging Karine. Is this a step too far? Honestly, I’m not sure – but I want to find out! We either get a new contender, or Andrade is back in the win column, so it’s a win-win for me.
Steve Garcia vs Bryce Mitchell – Give Garcia his break, then get him back in the gym preparing for a ranked opponent in #13 featherweight Bryce Mitchell. Bryce was KO’ed in scary fashion by Josh Emmett at the end of last year, but in 3 months it’s going to have been a full calendar year out, and I think that’s a good time for him to look to come back. Mitchell has every chance here if Garcia has another slip like he did tonight, or just can’t close the distance fast enough, his grappling is serious – but if Garcia gets on top, he’s proven time and time again that he’s a finisher. Fun, high stakes fight!
Kyle Nelson vs Youssef Zalal – One of the most improved fighters of 2024, Zalal has ripped through Billy Quarantillo and Jarno Errens, but Kyle Nelson is a different proposition entirely. Very strong with punishing power and (usually) good control, Nelson slipped up tonight and paid the price for it – but he’s a super test for the surging Zalal, who won’t have it all his own way here! Can Zalal keep rolling, or does Nelson claim another scalp?
Cody Durden vs Manel Kape – Cody ‘4 Days Notice’ Durden seized on his opportunity by wrapping up an Anaconda Choke early in R2, and that was that! He should fight Manel Kape next, IMO, who had a stinker against Mokaev prior to Mokaev getting cut by the UFC. Kape, for me, doesn’t have any real money in the bank and needs to rebuild – Durden is open to being terminated by counters, but he’ll come and try and bring the pressure no doubt, and might be able to frustrate Kape – which isn’t as much of a rarity as many thought when the UFC signed him in the first place.
Matt Schnell – RETIRE! Man, oh man, what a mistake from Schnell. Shooting from afar against Durden, giving up his neck, that’s a wrap, Matt, thanks for the fights, you had the skills, but I’m afraid I agree with you that it’s time! Happy retirement, dude!
Yanal Ashmouz vs Tom Nolan – What a crazy height differential we’d have here with 6’3 ‘Big Train’ Tom Nolan against 5’9 ‘Red Fox’ Yamal Ashmouz, but there isn’t really an experience differential as both 2-1 in the UFC and 8-1 overall. Ashmouz bounced back from defeat against Chris Duncan by ragdolling Trevor Peek, while Nolan has racked up back-to-back wins over Victor Martinez and Alex Reyes after losing his UFC debut to Nikolas Motta. Aside from the fun optics, Ashmouz has already laid waste to Sam Patterson, another very tall fighter, but Nolan is much more of a striker than Sam, so he probably fancies his chances of landing something from the outside. Ashmouz can crack, but he proved tonight he can wrestle pretty well and is very strong. Should be a fun clash of styles!
Trevor Peek vs Jordan Vucenic – Vucenic looked good at times in his UFC debut against Guram Kutateladze, a monstrous opponent for your first outing at short notice. The Englishman showed no signs of intimidation, but might have to lean on his grappling against one of the hardest hitters in the division in iron-jawed Trevor Peek. What Peek lacks is finesse, though, and until that improves he’s going to be limited to trying to engage opponents in brawls. He now has just 1 finish in 5 UFC outings showing that maybe the level is a little too high – but fans will still tune in for the chance of a chaotic KO!
Chris Padilla vs Viacheslav Borshchev – Two guys who beat the prospect James Llontop, ‘Taco’ Padilla and ‘Slava Claus’ come in with completely contrasting styles that I believe will mesh beautifully in the cage. Padilla is the better rounded fighter but didn’t bother with much of that tonight before uncorking a fight-ending elbow to the eye (ouch!!!), but will he be able to do the same to the human shuriken that is Borshchev? (Padilla called out Maheshate – we can do that too!)
Rong Zhu vs James Llontop – James Llontop has had it rough in the UFC so far facing Chris Padilla and ‘Slava Claus’, but he’s no bum and he’s got a decent shot at beating the Chinese prospect Rong Zhu, who is really struggling to find his rhythm at this level. Another Chinese fighter who runs through the competition at a frenetic rate on the regionals, but is finding the international level way, way tougher! May the best fighter win.
Isaac Dulgarian vs Seung Woo Choi – At one point, ‘Sting’ Choi was regarded as a promising featherweight, streaking to straight wins over Youssef Zalal and Julian Erosa, but a 1-4 skid has put paid to all that – at least for now. The heavy-handed Korean will face the same puzzle all Dulgarian’s opponents face, and that’s a juggernaut-like wrestler looking to plant you on your back and work you over, but Choi should have the experience under his belt to go some way to preventing that. If he can’t, though, he’s probably gone from the UFC. He must use that experience differential to his advantage or Dulgarian will march on.
Brendon Marotte vs Erik Silva – Two fighters who have looked poor in their opening 2 UFC fights, I’d throw these two together and see who finally grabs that all-elusive UFC win. Marotte has barely had a moment’s success in the octagon so far – he must do better here against a different type of grappler with less dominant wrestling.
Andre Lima vs Jesus Santos Aguilar – Lima advances to 3-0 in the UFC having been bitten by Igor Severino and out-pointed Mitch Raposo in a poorly scored fight before out-grappling Felipe dos Santos tonight. I’d give him 3-1 Jesus Santos Aguilar, the sneaky-good Mexican who has rattled off 3 straight victories after losing his UFC debut to Tatsuro Taira. Aguilar made short work of Stewart Nicoll but did come in overweight, hence he’s not getting a ranked opponent for my money, but the winner of this should have a good case to make going forward. Both look like promising flyweights.
Felipe dos Santos vs Jose Johnson – With both fighters coming off a loss and being 1-2 in the UFC, it seems a fairly straight forward call and most likely amounts to a loser leaves town fight given it will be the end of both of their presumed initial 4 fight contracts. Dos Santos had a rough debut opponent in Manel Kape, squeaked past Victor Altamirano before crashing to defeat tonight, but he still looks like he could produce some fun fights if he can finally get something going. How will he deal with the 6’0 frame of the UFC’s tallest flyweight, though?
Gabriel Santos vs Westin Wilson – Westin Wilson, like Santos, lost his first 2 fights in the UFC, before bouncing back with a R1SUB of Jeka Saragih of Indonesia. Both Wilson’s defeats came against Brazilian opposition in Joanderson Brito and Jean Silva, but as we’ve come to realize, both those guys are super legit. Can Gabriel Santos now follow in their footsteps and start climbing the ladder? Tonight he put in a pretty complete performance, and it’s all about getting some momentum – but Wilson will be thinking exactly the same thing!
Yi Zha vs Jarno Errens – Jarno Errens redeemed himself after 2 straight losses with his sole UFC win over Steven Nguyen but was unable to follow that up against the rejuvenated Youssef Zalal. Give him Yi Zha, himself 0-2 in the UFC (despite being 5-0 on Road to UFC), and someone who really needs to adapt to this level sooner rather than later. If he cannot impose himself on Errens, he’s in for another long night, but Errens is most likely a step down from Gabriel Santos… book it! Let’s find out a bit more about these guys!
Jaqueline Amorim vs Angela Hill – A bit of controversy about wristgate tonight, but it’s another R1SUB for Amorim in a fight where she dictated the levels from start to finish. Give Amorim a ranked opponent now, we know how talented she is, but what we want to know is can she do it against better opposition? Angela Hill had been the gatekeeper at 115 for some time before embarking on a little bit of a tear, can she defend against Amorim’s takedowns and punish Jaqueline on the feet?
Vanessa Demopoulos vs Mizuki Inoue – Inoue’s UFC tenure has been a bit of a disaster due to inactivity, despite the fact that the Japanese strawweight resides in New York. She’s 3-2 though and one of the few unranked strawweights with a decent-sized record that Vanessa hasn’t yet fought – if Inoue is ready to fight at the turn of the year, there are worse fights to make for a Fight Night prelim!
Andre Petroski vs Rodolfo Vieira – Petroski’s game plan is simple but has been effective to date. Takedowns, top control, and the occasional submission threat. It wasn’t enough to stop Dominick Cruz critiquing him tonight, and it might not be enough to cause someone like Rodolfo Vieira many problems, despite how obviously strong Petroski is. Seeing how he is forced to mix up his game plan is the clear next step in Petroski’s development, because he absolutely must if he’s to continue climbing. Vieira is the right test at the right time and another guy building his résumé despite only fighting once a year recently and already being 34.
Dylan Budka vs Robert Valentin – TUF 32 runner up Robert Valentin could not hang with Ryan Loder in their finals bout, but Valentin had done enough to catch the eye in The Ultimate Fighter house. He needs to get to winning ways, but so does Budka. Dylan, for his part, is now 0-2 in the UFC with a weight miss. He can’t afford to be a stepping stone for Valentin here in what should be a fun fight between two imperfect but powerful and aggressive rookies.
Nathan Fletcher vs Blake Bilder – Bilder won his UFC debut, much as Nathan Fletcher did tonight, beating Australian Shane Young. Since then, the UFC has tried to step him up a level by giving him Kyle Nelson and Jeong Yeong Lee, both fights he lost. All 3 went the distance. Going the distance isn’t something overly familiar for Nathan Fletcher, but finishing ‘El Animal’ won’t be easy… Put this on a UK card or keep Fletcher stateside, either is good, but this seems a good next step for Fletcher and a chance for Bilder to regain parity in his UFC career if he can climb to 2-2. Alternatively, Fletcher might step down to 135.
Zygimantas Ramaska vs Manolo Zecchini – An all-European affair? How about Lithuania vs Italy in a battle of 0-1 featherweights, these kinds of match-ups are ‘must wins’ for both fighters as they try to keep their heads above the ever-rising waterline. Zygimantas can certainly crack and has real aggression, but tonight was not his night, Zecchini likewise had a rough UFC debut against Morgan Charriere, and really needs to get back on the horse having not been seen since September 2023.
What an awesome slip, haha!
