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Didn't Royval break his wrist, that's why the Albazi fight got cancelled?Brandon Royval vs Amir Albazi – HUGE win for Royval, but I don’t see it getting him a third crack at Pantoja just yet – I think he needs to go through Amir Albazi first, and likewise Albazi doesn’t get rewarded for pulling out against both Royval and Moreno. You should never be able to avoid fights en route to a title shot, and while I'm sure that wasn't the plan, such circumstances shouldn't be accidentally rewarded either. Albazi needs a huge win before he gets a shot at the belt, and if he can't make the contender eliminator happen, there's no reason to assume he'll make it to a title fight either.
Brandon Moreno vs Manel Kape – 2 defeats in a row for Moreno and an embarrassing weight miss for Kape have them on a collision course – but not one with a title on the line. A great potential fight, though, and a fresh match up between two of the best 125ers in the UFC!
Brian Ortega vs Movsar Evloev – Snapping a skid doesn’t get you a title fight, so Ilia is a no-go. But what Ortega did tonight puts him in the top, top bracket which I think a lot of us questioned after a couple of defeats and a lengthy injury lay off. Tonight, he was getting BATTERED by Yair, but toughed it out and laid it on Rodriguez in a way he simply wasn’t equipped to handle. Full credit to T-City. He must now face Movsar. Ilia-Volk II is a very likely title next fight for the strap. The winners meet in this mini four-man ‘tournament’.
Yair Rodriguez vs Arnold Allen – Both fighters have lost 2 straight against ELITE featherweight competition. Neither is a joke, neither gets cut with a loss (obviously), one bounces back in a big way, the other has to answer some serious questions. It’s a fresh fight, we haven’t had it before, and it’s a pivotal fight for both these young men. Huge stakes.
Daniel Zellhuber vs Nasrat Haqparast – This would be a huge step up in class for Zellhuber, but considering Nasrat’s past 3 defeats (Green, Hooker, and Dober) what they each have in common is technical striking. Haqparast hasn’t really beaten any high level strikers outside of John Makdessi, who is the wrong side of 35. Zellhuber can put his name in the same bracket as some very talented strikers if he’s able to beat down Nasrat, who is tough as nails but who might not have the answers for the Golden Boy. It’s a risky one, but Zellhuber can theoretically roll. If not, full credit to Nasrat.
Francisco Pardo vs Viacheslav Borshchev – Pardo suffered because he couldn’t reach Zellhuber and took a real beating. I’m concerned he broke his orbital given how blue and swollen the left side of his face was, so of course he might be out for quite a while. Upon his return, Borshchev is just a tasty, tasty fight for him. These two hit hard and face no barriers here being of similar stature. May the best mid-level striker win.
Yazmin Jauregui vs Michelle Waterson-Gomez – That MWG isn’t cut already suggests she’s going to have to lose her ranking organically before that happens. She’s 1-6 in her last 7, yes, against high level opposition, but she’s started to get finished lately. The biological clock seems to be winding down and if the 38 year old can’t beat a pretty clean but unproven striker in Jauregui, what point is there continuing to fight? Waterson-Gomez should either win or retire with a loss.
Sam Hughes vs Eduarda Moura – A shiny 10-0 record belonging to Moura needs a test drive. Sam Hughes is the right opponent. Hughes won’t quit, won’t stop, but is still only a fairly steady fighter. She’ll find your weaknesses if you have any, making her a vital piece of the UFC machine. Let her test Moura.
Manuel Torres vs Elves Brenner – Yeah, I think we should pull the trigger on two monsters currently 3-0 in the UFC lightweight division! Torres is a first round monster, Brenner has that dog in him that has seen him pick up some impressive scalps already. Mexico vs Brazil, either country, this could just be a co-main or secondary co-main, it’s guaranteed fireworks! The winner will launch themselves to new heights.
Chris Duncan vs Nadim Sadykhov – Both guys have fought Borshchev, and while Duncan lost and Sadykhov drew, the former fought him some time ago on DWCS. Things have changed, both have improved, and while Duncan is coming off a loss and Nadim is coming off that aforementioned draw, both still boast 2 wins in the UFC. This should be a fun fight, it probably won’t go to a decision (though Duncan needs to find his finishes), and it sits perfectly on both fighters’ records!
Raoni Barcelos vs Taylor Lapilus – Raoni needed that win in the worst way, and he appears to have fought through a shoulder injury to get it! It won’t be a quick turnaround for Raoni, but I’d like to see him face someone like Taylor Lapilus next. Raoni doesn’t (and shouldn’t) get any easy fights, but Taylor is a veteran with something to prove at this level after beating a rookie in Caolan Loughran but then losing to Farid Basharat. Winner is in the mix for bigger fights in what should be a good old fashioned 50-50.
Christian Quinonez vs Brian Kelleher – Two guys badly in need of a win to arrest their current skids, both on the verge of being cut, and neither really should be aiming any higher in their quest to gain a career-saving win. Yes, Kelleher might want a name at this stage of his career, but he’d be well advised to seek a win over someone like Quinonez, who has a big record but is beatable at this level.
Jesus Aguilar vs Clayton Carpenter – Clayton Carpenter is one to watch having blasted through Edgar Chairez on DWCS and Juancamilo Ronderos in the UFC proper. He looks like a really difficult match up for Aguilar, but Aguilar is a tough kid who has a good record of grabbing finishes. Like Aguilar’s fight against Taira, however, this is obviously set up to build Carpenter as another undefeated flyweight prospect. Pressure will be on to get the job done.
Mateus Mendonca – CUT! 0-3 and not very fun to watch, Mendonca probably deserved to win tonight, but is there a compelling fight for him left in a 125 division stacked with fellow Brazilians? Probably not.
Edgar Chairez vs Felipe dos Santos (if 125) – Chairez settled the score with Lacerda grabbing a slick submission, but he missed weight horribly. He can’t afford to miss weight again or he’ll be bounced to bantamweight in no time, but I’ll allow him one more chance at 125 because he lines up nicely with Felipe dos Santos, a man a little bit fortunate to get his hand raised tonight. This should be a fun striking battle with the potential for a multi-levelled affair.
Edgar Chairez vs Gaston Bolanos (if 135) – That said, if Chairez goes up, give him the kickboxer from Peru, Gaston Bolanos, who hasn’t quite got his game together thus far in the UFC. Chairez probably won’t be scared to strike with him but might also switch things up. Probably a pretty fair first fight at bantamweight for Chairez.
Daniel Lacerda – CUT! – Lacerda has probably had more UFC fights than he deserved, but that’s nothing to complain about. Enough is probably enough though for a guy 0-5.
Fares Ziam vs Jared Gordon – I feel like the nature of Fares Ziam’s fifth UFC win will hold him back a little, and I’d give him another guy outside the rankings with a decent record but who (for whatever reason) seems to be slightly out-of-favour. These two should match up pretty well, though Gordon will probably have an interest in testing Ziam’s poor TD defence.
Claudio Puelles vs Chase Hooper – It would be unusual to match a guy on a 2-fight win streak with a guy on a 2-fight skid, but this is a business where trajectories exist and they’re probably meeting at an appropriate intersection here. Hooper is looking better and better, but still somewhat sloppy on the feet, Puelles seems to have no striking game to speak of, so hopefully that means we get a grappling clinic. I just can’t see it being a sloppy kickboxing bout, I think they both engage and someone grabs a slick sub.
Ronaldo Rodriguez vs Azat Maksum – Rodriguez got the second round submission but did struggle at times with Bondar – nobody will argue with a finish, though, and the 16-2 Mexican rolls on. Give him 17-1 Azat Maksum next, both guys have had 18 fights but obviously largely on the regionals, Maksum will be a bigger threat than Bondar, but Rodriguez showed he can deal with grappling with some nice reversals. Maksum, meanwhile, needs to start living up to his billing as a prospect.
Denys Bondar – CUT! Bondar is 0-3 and isn’t exactly conveniently located for frequent fights, hence we’ve only seen him 3 times in 3 years. If it’s another year before he can realistically fight again, I’d rather not wait. Kid has talent but showed poor fight IQ and needs more seasoning. That, or he gets a DWCS debutant.
Felipe dos Santos vs Edgar Chairez (see above)
Victor Altamirano vs Daniel Barez – I feel for Altamirano, but give him another veteran next time in the very fun (but apparently quick-to-fade) Daniel Barez. Altamirano really does need to start grabbing finishes because the judges have proven they can’t be relied upon, and many of Victor’s fights have been way too close for comfort.
Muhammad Naimov vs Sean Woodson – Woodson beat Charles Jourdain last time out to take his UFC record to 5-1 (1NC), and put himself very close to the top 15 at 145. A very difficult opponent due to his immense size and reach, Woodson’s boxing would be a major test for Naimov, who benefits from a knee injury to Erik Silva and advances to 3-0 in the UFC. Not bad for a guy whose regional defeats stopped him from being pegged as a super legit prospect. Naimov’s wins over Jamie Mullarkey and Nathaniel Wood basically have him as close to the rankings as possible, but a win over Woodson would potentially put him over the top.
Erik Silva – HEAL! I’m concerned about a knee injury to a 36 year old who hasn’t really got going in the UFC. Hopefully he heals up from whatever happened and he’s able to make a return at some point.
Great picks as always
