- Joined
- Jul 8, 2021
- Messages
- 26,104
- Reaction score
- 53,157
Bobby Green vs Jalin Turner – By rights, Green takes Dawson’s #10 spot, but that doesn’t quite sit right given Green’s tumultuous past against rankings-level opposition. Give him Jalin Turner next. The big, long, heavy-hitting ‘Tarantula’ is on a 2-fight losing streak, but there’s nobody taking him lightly. That said, Green isn’t scared of anyone. I love this.
Grant Dawson vs Renato Moicano – Really tough break for Dawson tonight, but he got cracked, and that was that. Moicano is a guy that has lost a bunch at a high level, dusted himself down, got back in there, and earned his spot in the top 15. There are much worse fights for Dawson right now than a fellow grappler with some clean striking.
Joe Pyfer vs Marc Andre Barriault – Big, strong, powerful, but still a little bit raw. Leg kicks tonight were a concern, but onwards and upwards after another finish. Give Joe Pyfer Marc Andre next, that’s a guy that will test Pyfer in all new ways, particularly with his durability and cardio. It’s a fight someone touted should win, but that won’t make it easy! Send Joe to Canada, and let’s see what he’s got in enemy territory! NOTE: you can kinda take your pick, Edmen Shahbazyan, maybe even Michal Oleksiejczuk, Makhmud Muradov? Guy matches up well, and it will be fun to see what route the UFC go here. I pick Barriault because he’s a very specific challenge.
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs AJ Dobson – I liked how Dobson looked against Tafon Nchukwi, and he wasn’t scared to throw down with a big, massively powerful unit like that, so I don’t think he’ll be intimidated here either. Alhassan is a cool challenge for a lot of guys, I hope they keep him around for fights like this.
Joaquin Buckley vs Kevin Holland – Joaquin wants a main event? Originally I’d earmarked Santiago Ponzinibbio, but I’m perfectly at home with Buckley getting Kevin Holland, and boy what a fight that would be! Holland smashed his way past Ponz and Michael Chiesa into the welterweight rankings before running into Jack Della Maddalena, but he only lost that against a dynamite hitter by Split Decision. Line this up as a Fight Night main event, and we’ve got some fireworks, folks.
Alex Morono vs Miguel Baeza – Baeza ran into a murderer’s row of heavy hitters and now rides a 3-fight skid. He’s going to need someone who won’t take his chin home with them, and while Morono is both very talented and pretty fearless, he’s not a one hitter quitter. This is a chance for both welterweight studs to get back in the win column after a couple of tough outings.
Drew Dober vs Diego Ferreira – They’re gonna want to get Dober in and amongst the ranked fighters, I’m sure, and he’s such a fun fighter I can’t blame them at all. Give him #15 Diego Ferreira. It won’t be easy, but at 38 Ferreira is the one to shoot at, and he will stand and bang just as he did when he knocked out Michael Johnson. I think Dober might get it done, but if Ferreira’s ground game comes into play, it could get interesting!
Ricky Glenn vs Nasrat Haqparast – Rough couple of outings for Ricky Glenn with a pair of R1KO defeats, but Nasrat has been melted by Dober like that in the past and like Glenn, his kryptonite seems to be heavy handed strikers. He is iron chinned though, and tends to win on points, which might be just the kind of competitive scrap Glenn needs in his life right now. He certainly doesn’t need to be lining up against a first-round killer.
Bill Algeo vs Billy Quarantillo – Well, sure, why not? This fight was lined up a in 2022, Algeo is 2-1 since then against credible opposition, Billy Q is also 2-1 since then against credible opposition, and both have beaten Alexander Hernandez in that same time frame. Both are entertaining strikers in their own way, but I feel like it would be down to Billy Q to drag a really memorable fight out of Algo – and they’re not a million miles apart in terms of height and reach, so why not?
Alexander Hernandez vs Kyle Nelson – Kyle Nelson has recovered somewhat from a poor start to life in the UFC, and after getting a scarcely-deserved draw against Doo Ho Choi, he’s rattled off back-to-back wins over Blake Bilder and Fernando Padilla. Unbeaten in 3, he’s stepping up slightly as Hernandez takes a necessary step down, and I kinda think this fight plays out pretty nicely in my head. Both guys will look for power shots and body work, could be a sleeper?
Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs Loma Lookboonmee – I know Loma has been given time to gain experience before being thrust into the rankings equations, but after a couple of back-to-back wins displaying constant improvement, I don’t think the Thai favourite would be out of place in there with the #15 ranked strawweight at all. For KK, maybe she would look to fight upwards, but I don’t really see the fight there for her just now – and she seems willing to face up-and-comers at this stage of her career, so absolutely, I’d love to see this one! If LL wins, she’s in a very good spot indeed!
Diana Belbita vs Gillian Robertson – Oh, Canada! Apparently Belbita has adopted Canada to represent alongside Romania, so this absolutely makes sense for a card North of the US border. Both are veteran fighters, both are fun, both have suffered a recent defeat, but both also boast wins prior to that – I’d love to see this one!
Nate Maness vs Bruno Gustavo da Silva – Maness bounces back from a flyweight debut defeat to Tagir Ulanbekov, and while his opponent kinda gifted him a winnable strategy, Maness is a guy who already sports a solid résumé at bantamweight. I’d like him to draw another Brazilian next time out, but someone who certainly won’t give him any gifts. Bruno da Silva is a guy I have a ton of time for, and riding a 3-fight winning streak. He also lost to Tagir back in 2020, and isn’t quite rankings ready IMO, so let’s see who wins and moves closer to that top 15. Should be a lot of fun, and an interesting stylistic challenge for both (note: Maness is massive compared to Bruno)!
Mateus Mendonca vs Denys Bondar – Puzzling performance from Mendonca, but he still showed some skill in defeat, even if his desire to die hooking heels and picking ankles was pretty low IQ. Give him Bondar next. Both are 0-2, and both need that first UFC win.
Vanessa Demopolous vs Yazmin Jauregui – Sigh. Demopolous did fight through adversity, but she didn’t win the fight. Anyway, give her 24 year old Jauregui who is coming off her first career defeat, and in rough fashion (20 second TKO). Jauregui might draw someone lower down the ranks, but let’s challenge her. Vanessa has won 4 of her last 5, and does try to push the action.
Kanako Murata vs Sam Hughes – Too bad for Murata, I thought that was an easy one to score for her, but let’s act as if she won: let’s give her Sampage next. Sam Hughes has won 3 of her last 4, albeit against someone limited opposition, but I get the sense she’s improving, and she’s certainly scrappy. Forget that she lost to Demopolous back in 2020, I think she does make sense for Murata next given that another fight that would intrigue me for Murata is Elise Reed – and Hughes beat Reed.
Aori Qileng vs Cody Gibson – I think if Cody Gibson is going to earn a stay in the UFC, this is probably a good level for him to find a win. Aori Qileng and Cody Gibson both have big, if ultimately unimpressive records, but I’d like to see Aori Qileng in particular get a step up against a more experienced opponent. He can potentially keep feasting on lower record guys, but let’s see if he can take a step forward.
Johnny Munoz Jr vs Caolan Loughran – That was Munoz’ 6th UFC fight, and part of me thinks he might get cut with his 2-4 record, but should they keep him around, this is the right fight for him. Loughran is a loud, brash rookie who will feel he’s going to climb the ladder sooner rather than later. Beating Munoz would be a great place to start, with Munoz recording a pair of wins over now-vanquished foes like Liudvik Sholinian and Jamey Simmons. On the other hand, if Caolan loses, maybe he isn’t good enough to be here after all…
JJ Aldrich vs Maryna Moroz – The Ukrainian is on a two-fight skid, just as MLDR was heading into this fight. Moroz is ahead of MLDR, though, and holds a win over Sabina Mazo, who bested Aldrich. Aldrich’s technique is clean and crisp, and I think she’s improved enough despite suffering a couple of setbacks against Lipski and Blanchfield to earn a shot at someone closer to the top 15 than the likes of Na Liang and MLDR.
Montana De La Rosa vs Melissa Gatto – A third straight loss piles the pressure on Montana, but I can still see her getting another opportunity – preferably against someone else who badly needs a win. Gatto blazed a trail with 2 consecutive TKO wins, but has dropped a couple of decisions lately and could use a chance to bounce back.
Grant Dawson vs Renato Moicano – Really tough break for Dawson tonight, but he got cracked, and that was that. Moicano is a guy that has lost a bunch at a high level, dusted himself down, got back in there, and earned his spot in the top 15. There are much worse fights for Dawson right now than a fellow grappler with some clean striking.
Joe Pyfer vs Marc Andre Barriault – Big, strong, powerful, but still a little bit raw. Leg kicks tonight were a concern, but onwards and upwards after another finish. Give Joe Pyfer Marc Andre next, that’s a guy that will test Pyfer in all new ways, particularly with his durability and cardio. It’s a fight someone touted should win, but that won’t make it easy! Send Joe to Canada, and let’s see what he’s got in enemy territory! NOTE: you can kinda take your pick, Edmen Shahbazyan, maybe even Michal Oleksiejczuk, Makhmud Muradov? Guy matches up well, and it will be fun to see what route the UFC go here. I pick Barriault because he’s a very specific challenge.
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs AJ Dobson – I liked how Dobson looked against Tafon Nchukwi, and he wasn’t scared to throw down with a big, massively powerful unit like that, so I don’t think he’ll be intimidated here either. Alhassan is a cool challenge for a lot of guys, I hope they keep him around for fights like this.
Joaquin Buckley vs Kevin Holland – Joaquin wants a main event? Originally I’d earmarked Santiago Ponzinibbio, but I’m perfectly at home with Buckley getting Kevin Holland, and boy what a fight that would be! Holland smashed his way past Ponz and Michael Chiesa into the welterweight rankings before running into Jack Della Maddalena, but he only lost that against a dynamite hitter by Split Decision. Line this up as a Fight Night main event, and we’ve got some fireworks, folks.
Alex Morono vs Miguel Baeza – Baeza ran into a murderer’s row of heavy hitters and now rides a 3-fight skid. He’s going to need someone who won’t take his chin home with them, and while Morono is both very talented and pretty fearless, he’s not a one hitter quitter. This is a chance for both welterweight studs to get back in the win column after a couple of tough outings.
Drew Dober vs Diego Ferreira – They’re gonna want to get Dober in and amongst the ranked fighters, I’m sure, and he’s such a fun fighter I can’t blame them at all. Give him #15 Diego Ferreira. It won’t be easy, but at 38 Ferreira is the one to shoot at, and he will stand and bang just as he did when he knocked out Michael Johnson. I think Dober might get it done, but if Ferreira’s ground game comes into play, it could get interesting!
Ricky Glenn vs Nasrat Haqparast – Rough couple of outings for Ricky Glenn with a pair of R1KO defeats, but Nasrat has been melted by Dober like that in the past and like Glenn, his kryptonite seems to be heavy handed strikers. He is iron chinned though, and tends to win on points, which might be just the kind of competitive scrap Glenn needs in his life right now. He certainly doesn’t need to be lining up against a first-round killer.
Bill Algeo vs Billy Quarantillo – Well, sure, why not? This fight was lined up a in 2022, Algeo is 2-1 since then against credible opposition, Billy Q is also 2-1 since then against credible opposition, and both have beaten Alexander Hernandez in that same time frame. Both are entertaining strikers in their own way, but I feel like it would be down to Billy Q to drag a really memorable fight out of Algo – and they’re not a million miles apart in terms of height and reach, so why not?
Alexander Hernandez vs Kyle Nelson – Kyle Nelson has recovered somewhat from a poor start to life in the UFC, and after getting a scarcely-deserved draw against Doo Ho Choi, he’s rattled off back-to-back wins over Blake Bilder and Fernando Padilla. Unbeaten in 3, he’s stepping up slightly as Hernandez takes a necessary step down, and I kinda think this fight plays out pretty nicely in my head. Both guys will look for power shots and body work, could be a sleeper?
Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs Loma Lookboonmee – I know Loma has been given time to gain experience before being thrust into the rankings equations, but after a couple of back-to-back wins displaying constant improvement, I don’t think the Thai favourite would be out of place in there with the #15 ranked strawweight at all. For KK, maybe she would look to fight upwards, but I don’t really see the fight there for her just now – and she seems willing to face up-and-comers at this stage of her career, so absolutely, I’d love to see this one! If LL wins, she’s in a very good spot indeed!
Diana Belbita vs Gillian Robertson – Oh, Canada! Apparently Belbita has adopted Canada to represent alongside Romania, so this absolutely makes sense for a card North of the US border. Both are veteran fighters, both are fun, both have suffered a recent defeat, but both also boast wins prior to that – I’d love to see this one!
Nate Maness vs Bruno Gustavo da Silva – Maness bounces back from a flyweight debut defeat to Tagir Ulanbekov, and while his opponent kinda gifted him a winnable strategy, Maness is a guy who already sports a solid résumé at bantamweight. I’d like him to draw another Brazilian next time out, but someone who certainly won’t give him any gifts. Bruno da Silva is a guy I have a ton of time for, and riding a 3-fight winning streak. He also lost to Tagir back in 2020, and isn’t quite rankings ready IMO, so let’s see who wins and moves closer to that top 15. Should be a lot of fun, and an interesting stylistic challenge for both (note: Maness is massive compared to Bruno)!
Mateus Mendonca vs Denys Bondar – Puzzling performance from Mendonca, but he still showed some skill in defeat, even if his desire to die hooking heels and picking ankles was pretty low IQ. Give him Bondar next. Both are 0-2, and both need that first UFC win.
Vanessa Demopolous vs Yazmin Jauregui – Sigh. Demopolous did fight through adversity, but she didn’t win the fight. Anyway, give her 24 year old Jauregui who is coming off her first career defeat, and in rough fashion (20 second TKO). Jauregui might draw someone lower down the ranks, but let’s challenge her. Vanessa has won 4 of her last 5, and does try to push the action.
Kanako Murata vs Sam Hughes – Too bad for Murata, I thought that was an easy one to score for her, but let’s act as if she won: let’s give her Sampage next. Sam Hughes has won 3 of her last 4, albeit against someone limited opposition, but I get the sense she’s improving, and she’s certainly scrappy. Forget that she lost to Demopolous back in 2020, I think she does make sense for Murata next given that another fight that would intrigue me for Murata is Elise Reed – and Hughes beat Reed.
Aori Qileng vs Cody Gibson – I think if Cody Gibson is going to earn a stay in the UFC, this is probably a good level for him to find a win. Aori Qileng and Cody Gibson both have big, if ultimately unimpressive records, but I’d like to see Aori Qileng in particular get a step up against a more experienced opponent. He can potentially keep feasting on lower record guys, but let’s see if he can take a step forward.
Johnny Munoz Jr vs Caolan Loughran – That was Munoz’ 6th UFC fight, and part of me thinks he might get cut with his 2-4 record, but should they keep him around, this is the right fight for him. Loughran is a loud, brash rookie who will feel he’s going to climb the ladder sooner rather than later. Beating Munoz would be a great place to start, with Munoz recording a pair of wins over now-vanquished foes like Liudvik Sholinian and Jamey Simmons. On the other hand, if Caolan loses, maybe he isn’t good enough to be here after all…
JJ Aldrich vs Maryna Moroz – The Ukrainian is on a two-fight skid, just as MLDR was heading into this fight. Moroz is ahead of MLDR, though, and holds a win over Sabina Mazo, who bested Aldrich. Aldrich’s technique is clean and crisp, and I think she’s improved enough despite suffering a couple of setbacks against Lipski and Blanchfield to earn a shot at someone closer to the top 15 than the likes of Na Liang and MLDR.
Montana De La Rosa vs Melissa Gatto – A third straight loss piles the pressure on Montana, but I can still see her getting another opportunity – preferably against someone else who badly needs a win. Gatto blazed a trail with 2 consecutive TKO wins, but has dropped a couple of decisions lately and could use a chance to bounce back.
