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Rose Namajunas vs Erin Blanchfield – Erin Blanchfield is coming off that loss to Manon Fiorot, the same fighter that defeated Rose in her flyweight debut, so there’s little doubt who is heading the queue to face the winner of Grasso-Shevchenko III no matter what Rose or anyone else in the division might suggest. Rose-Erin is a high level flyweight fight now that Rose has firmly established herself as a serious contender. Who wins?
Tracy Cortez vs Karine Silva – Cortez tastes defeat for the first time in her UFC career, and while it will hurt, she needs to dust herself down and get back in there. Karine Silva has looked great in her 4-0 UFC run, but beating Cortez would be a serious statement – unless of course Tracy repels her in what is a very tough fight to call!
Muslim Salikhov vs Niko Price – Muslim Salikhov picks up a split decision win over Santiago Ponzinibbio and at 40, is likely to continue to face fellow veterans. Niko Price may be only 34 by comparison, but he finds himself in a similar situation having stemmed a string of defeats with a win last time out over Alex Morono. A fighter that has been finished in 4 of his last 5 defeats, Price will have to mind his P’s and Q’s against the veteran (and still heavy handed) ‘King of Kung Fu’ if he is to claim a worthy scalp.
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs Carlston Harris – Tough defeat for Santiago, who has lost 4 of his last 5 and despite being competitive in all, (3 of them being split decisions…) he is showing signs of starting to slip. Carlston Harris is 4-2 in the UFC but already 36 years of age and his chances of reaching the very top probably ended with a R1KO defeat to Khaos Williams. Can Harris snatch a neck or score a TKO against the wily veteran Santiago, or can Ponz record a badly needed win?
Jean Silva vs Nate Landwehr – Jean Silva is looking more and more a problem in the UFC and he picks up a HUGE win at lightweight over a veteran slugger in Drew Dober. I’m assuming he goes back to 145 next, though, and hopefully he makes weight after he failed to do so against Charles Jourdain last time out. Imagine if he can make it Jourdain-Dober-Landwehr back-to-back-to-back, but that will be easier said than done against the guy who just R1KO’d Jamall Emmers and is 4-1 in his last 5.
Drew Dober vs Ignacio Bahamondes – Drew Dober was out-fought tonight and unable to land any of his heavy artillery against featherweight Jean Silva who fought like a damn boss. That’s back-to-back defeats for Dober, who now probably has to do a bit of gatekeeping – who would have thunk it?! Big 6’3 Ignacio Bahamondes is a promising prospect with a 4-2 record in the UFC and a good win last time out over Christos Giagos. Can the Chilean pick up a second veteran scalp in a row, or will Dober light up Bahamondes and get back in the win column?
Gabriel Bonfim vs Jake Matthews – The ‘Jake Matthews Test’ might not be a thing yet, but it could be as the veteran Australian trades wins and losses against up-and-comers all trying to punch a ticket to a ranked opponent. Michael Morales was the last fighter to pass the Jakes Matthews Test, while Philip Rowe, Darrius Flowers and Andre Fialho all failed in recent years. Both these entertaining welterweights should engage willingly especially as Matthews hasn’t been TKO’d since way back in 2016, and Matthews would be a very handy addition to Bonfim’s resumé as he looks to advance from ‘prospect’ to ‘problem’. Bonfim’s defeat to Nicolas Dalby prevents me aiming even higher, but I don’t think it will be long before he’s demanding bigger, badder opposition.
Ange Loosa vs Themba Gorimbo – Popular Zimbabwean fighter Themba Gorimbo is getting a nice build on the back of an endorsement from The Rock, and at 3-1 in the UFC and 33 years of age, the fact remains he has fought largely entry level competition to date. Ange Loosa is a step up from the likes of Takashi Sato, Pete Rodriguez and Ramiz Brahimaj in my opinion, he’s a tough old Swiss fighter with a heart of oak, he will be a good test for Gorimbo without overawing him with offence. Very much a decision fighter thanks to his toughness and lack of finishing ability, Loosa is nonetheless pretty technical at times and a reasonable wrestler.
Julian Erosa vs Andre Fili – Julian Erosa scalps another prospect, adding another neck to his collection en route, and makes it two straight R1 guillotine submissions. Erosa is finishable and engaging in chaotic scraps makes him very entertaining, but I’d like to see him step back up in calibre of competition against a fellow veteran like Andre Fili. Fili can also be hit and miss and has had his share of R1 finishes of late, though his most recent win was a gruelling effort against Cub Swanson that went the distance. Fili hasn’t been submitted since 2015, can he take Juicy J all the way here?
Christian Rodriguez vs Morgan Charriere – I wouldn’t be looking to drop CRod to entry level against prospects anymore, I’d keep him against veteran opposition for now as I truly believe he can hang – but tonight Erosa shut him down with a watertight guillotine he was never getting out of. Give him fun French striker Morgan Charriere next, Charriere does have a tendency to drop split decisions on account of failing to really pick up the pace when he’s matching opponents, something I don’t think will help him too much against Christian Rodriguez. I think Christian can be a methodical fighter himself, but he’s also perfectly willing to engage in brawls if necessary. I think realistically, though, this should be a crisp, clean technical striking bout with a bit of multi-levelled action thrown in. Should be a good one and the kind of name CRod needs on his resumé as he climbs the ladder at 145.
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs Ihor Potieria – Abdul Razak looked to be on his way to an easy victory, but really messed up and let himself down tonight. Still, the 38 year old looks like he belongs, while his opponent can be cut as far as I’m concerned. Give Abdul Razak the ‘Duellist’ from Ukraine, Ihor Potieria, a guy whose fights don’t last win or lose – this should be a fun, short, violent affair and the loser might well get cut here too!
Cody Brundage – CUT! 2-4 in his previous 6 and one of his wins was a DQ via shots to the back of the head when getting dominated, the same thing just happened here where he was getting smashed to pieces only this time it’s a No Contest, for his own sake cut Cody, he is not UFC calibre and will get badly hurt if he sticks around. If they do give him one more, make it against some DWCS guy next year.
Charles Johnson vs Tim Elliott – Tim Elliott is a crafty veteran and comes off a win over Su Mudaerji, but he’s at the stage of his career where he effectively gatekeeps the top 10/15 in the UFC flyweight division and was recently booked to face Taira before that feel through. Charles Johnson derailed much-hyped prospect Joshua Van tonight exactly where he’s best – on the feet! Tremendous win for ‘InnerG’, his third in a row, it took him a little time to warm up in the UFC, but he’s looking really sharp right now. Johnson deserves a ranked opponent now, stealing Van’s thunder, but beating Elliott is an entirely different prospect…
Joshua Van vs Jose Johnson – I think Van did struggle with Charles Johnson’s size and reach, so it might seem counterintuitive to give him an even taller flyweight with an even longer reach, but that’s what I want to see. It’s a step down from Charles for sure, and a great chance for Van to get back in the win column – but far from a given. Van does look small in the UFC flyweight division, but that’s just the nature of the beast for him. He’s got to prove it won’t become a long term issue.
Jasmine Jasudavicius vs Luana Santos – Jasmine held all the cards coming into this fight tonight, she had a longer camp, was a weight class higher, was a ranked fighter, and had a lot more experience – but it was still a competitive fight outside of JJ’s heavy grappling offence. I’d like JJ to defend her #15 spot against surging Brazilian Luana Santos next, Luana has some sublime Judo and real chops on the ground, I guess whoever gets on top first should win here in what will be an entertaining bout!
Fatima Kline vs Julia Polastri – Kline showed she had real spirit competing on short notice, up a weight class and against a ranked opponent, and I think she has a bright future in the UFC. Give her Julia Polastri next, both are 0-1 and will be looking for a chance to shine, this should be a fast-paced, high volume bout, should be a few takedowns and some grappling too, and just for good measure we can now say both have lost to Jasmine Jasudavicius by decision (Polastri lost to JJ on DWCS back in 2021!). Kline likely comes in the favourite, but it’s up to her to back that up in the cage.
Montel Jackson vs Rob Font – 18 second KO, 5 straight wins, only been beaten by wrestlers, 8-2 in the UFC… Montel Jackson lived up to his ‘Quik’ nickname tonight, and absolutely needs a step up. Who better than 37 year old Rob Font, occupying #9 spot, 1-4 in his last 5, fighting not only for his ranking spot but also his UFC career potentially… and it should be a banger! Huge test for Montel, but one he’s definitely earned after a bunch of fights fell through. He’s ready.
Da’Mon Blackshear vs Muin Gafurov – Muin Gafurov had his back against the wall after an 0-2 start to life in the UFC, but the Tajik veteran bounced back with a much needed win over Kyung-Ho Kang last time out – Da’Mon was blitzed tonight but that isn’t representative of what we normally get from him, but nonetheless he slips to 2-3 in the UFC. This could be a decent scrap both have good ground games but Gafurov is also kinda wild on the feet… this could be sneaky fun!
Luana Santos vs Jasmine Jasduvicius (see above)
Mariya Agapova – CUT! After 3 straight losses and having been a tough fighter to book these past couple of years, I’m not sure it’s worth keeping the Kazakh around. It’s not unusual for female fighters to endure these streaks, but Mariya seems to have regressed.
Andre Petroski vs Bo Nickal – Couple of things: first, Andre Petroski is a wrestler who has beaten a bunch of grapplers (Fremd, GM3, Maximov) and second, he’s now 6-2 in the UFC. Is there a better opponent out there to test Bo Nickal than another (inferior) wrestler with such a high mark in the promotion? I honestly don’t think that there is. Bo should have advantages in this fight, and this fight will be a significant step up in terms of Bo’s development – the question is, can Andre out-strike and out-MMA Bo, or does Bo roll on? This ticks all the boxes: winnable, suitable, and creditable, too. Even if Bo loses, Petroski is someone the UFC has been building the right way anyway, so it’s a promotional win-win on paper.
Josh Fremd vs Antonio Trocoli – 6’4 vs 6’5, two guys who aren’t exactly elite UFC middleweights, but Trocoli was messed about something chronic ahead of his eventual debut against Shara Magomedov, just give him a full camp and a fair fight. Fremd is 2-4 in the UFC, lost two straight, and needs a win in the worst way. On the other hand, if Trocoli can’t beat Fremd, he probably doesn’t belong in the UFC, so a win for him is crucial as well. Stylistically this should be a more competitive fight than Fremd-Petroski was tonight.
Evan Elder vs Trevor Peek – Both guys are 9-2, both are 2-2 in the UFC, and both guys come to fight. Elder has seen off Genaro Valdez and Darrius Flowers back-to-back, taking this one on just 4 days’ notice, and that’s enough for me to reward him with a potential banger. Peek might be lacking in the grappling stakes but he fights hard and has been a finisher for most of his career, so we know if he lands, Elder is in trouble. Otherwise, Elder should come in as favourite as the better rounded fighter. Peek is very tough though, and won’t be an easy out at all!
Darrius Flowers – CUT! Darrius Flowers came in off the back of an injury via slam to Amiran Gogoladze on DWCS but has been unable to pick up a win in the UFC proper, and at 0-3 in a very competitive division it’s unlikely a 12-8-1 guy hands around. Sorry, Darrius, although maybe they reward the guy for stepping up on very short notice…
Tracy Cortez vs Karine Silva – Cortez tastes defeat for the first time in her UFC career, and while it will hurt, she needs to dust herself down and get back in there. Karine Silva has looked great in her 4-0 UFC run, but beating Cortez would be a serious statement – unless of course Tracy repels her in what is a very tough fight to call!
Muslim Salikhov vs Niko Price – Muslim Salikhov picks up a split decision win over Santiago Ponzinibbio and at 40, is likely to continue to face fellow veterans. Niko Price may be only 34 by comparison, but he finds himself in a similar situation having stemmed a string of defeats with a win last time out over Alex Morono. A fighter that has been finished in 4 of his last 5 defeats, Price will have to mind his P’s and Q’s against the veteran (and still heavy handed) ‘King of Kung Fu’ if he is to claim a worthy scalp.
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs Carlston Harris – Tough defeat for Santiago, who has lost 4 of his last 5 and despite being competitive in all, (3 of them being split decisions…) he is showing signs of starting to slip. Carlston Harris is 4-2 in the UFC but already 36 years of age and his chances of reaching the very top probably ended with a R1KO defeat to Khaos Williams. Can Harris snatch a neck or score a TKO against the wily veteran Santiago, or can Ponz record a badly needed win?
Jean Silva vs Nate Landwehr – Jean Silva is looking more and more a problem in the UFC and he picks up a HUGE win at lightweight over a veteran slugger in Drew Dober. I’m assuming he goes back to 145 next, though, and hopefully he makes weight after he failed to do so against Charles Jourdain last time out. Imagine if he can make it Jourdain-Dober-Landwehr back-to-back-to-back, but that will be easier said than done against the guy who just R1KO’d Jamall Emmers and is 4-1 in his last 5.
Drew Dober vs Ignacio Bahamondes – Drew Dober was out-fought tonight and unable to land any of his heavy artillery against featherweight Jean Silva who fought like a damn boss. That’s back-to-back defeats for Dober, who now probably has to do a bit of gatekeeping – who would have thunk it?! Big 6’3 Ignacio Bahamondes is a promising prospect with a 4-2 record in the UFC and a good win last time out over Christos Giagos. Can the Chilean pick up a second veteran scalp in a row, or will Dober light up Bahamondes and get back in the win column?
Gabriel Bonfim vs Jake Matthews – The ‘Jake Matthews Test’ might not be a thing yet, but it could be as the veteran Australian trades wins and losses against up-and-comers all trying to punch a ticket to a ranked opponent. Michael Morales was the last fighter to pass the Jakes Matthews Test, while Philip Rowe, Darrius Flowers and Andre Fialho all failed in recent years. Both these entertaining welterweights should engage willingly especially as Matthews hasn’t been TKO’d since way back in 2016, and Matthews would be a very handy addition to Bonfim’s resumé as he looks to advance from ‘prospect’ to ‘problem’. Bonfim’s defeat to Nicolas Dalby prevents me aiming even higher, but I don’t think it will be long before he’s demanding bigger, badder opposition.
Ange Loosa vs Themba Gorimbo – Popular Zimbabwean fighter Themba Gorimbo is getting a nice build on the back of an endorsement from The Rock, and at 3-1 in the UFC and 33 years of age, the fact remains he has fought largely entry level competition to date. Ange Loosa is a step up from the likes of Takashi Sato, Pete Rodriguez and Ramiz Brahimaj in my opinion, he’s a tough old Swiss fighter with a heart of oak, he will be a good test for Gorimbo without overawing him with offence. Very much a decision fighter thanks to his toughness and lack of finishing ability, Loosa is nonetheless pretty technical at times and a reasonable wrestler.
Julian Erosa vs Andre Fili – Julian Erosa scalps another prospect, adding another neck to his collection en route, and makes it two straight R1 guillotine submissions. Erosa is finishable and engaging in chaotic scraps makes him very entertaining, but I’d like to see him step back up in calibre of competition against a fellow veteran like Andre Fili. Fili can also be hit and miss and has had his share of R1 finishes of late, though his most recent win was a gruelling effort against Cub Swanson that went the distance. Fili hasn’t been submitted since 2015, can he take Juicy J all the way here?
Christian Rodriguez vs Morgan Charriere – I wouldn’t be looking to drop CRod to entry level against prospects anymore, I’d keep him against veteran opposition for now as I truly believe he can hang – but tonight Erosa shut him down with a watertight guillotine he was never getting out of. Give him fun French striker Morgan Charriere next, Charriere does have a tendency to drop split decisions on account of failing to really pick up the pace when he’s matching opponents, something I don’t think will help him too much against Christian Rodriguez. I think Christian can be a methodical fighter himself, but he’s also perfectly willing to engage in brawls if necessary. I think realistically, though, this should be a crisp, clean technical striking bout with a bit of multi-levelled action thrown in. Should be a good one and the kind of name CRod needs on his resumé as he climbs the ladder at 145.
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs Ihor Potieria – Abdul Razak looked to be on his way to an easy victory, but really messed up and let himself down tonight. Still, the 38 year old looks like he belongs, while his opponent can be cut as far as I’m concerned. Give Abdul Razak the ‘Duellist’ from Ukraine, Ihor Potieria, a guy whose fights don’t last win or lose – this should be a fun, short, violent affair and the loser might well get cut here too!
Cody Brundage – CUT! 2-4 in his previous 6 and one of his wins was a DQ via shots to the back of the head when getting dominated, the same thing just happened here where he was getting smashed to pieces only this time it’s a No Contest, for his own sake cut Cody, he is not UFC calibre and will get badly hurt if he sticks around. If they do give him one more, make it against some DWCS guy next year.
Charles Johnson vs Tim Elliott – Tim Elliott is a crafty veteran and comes off a win over Su Mudaerji, but he’s at the stage of his career where he effectively gatekeeps the top 10/15 in the UFC flyweight division and was recently booked to face Taira before that feel through. Charles Johnson derailed much-hyped prospect Joshua Van tonight exactly where he’s best – on the feet! Tremendous win for ‘InnerG’, his third in a row, it took him a little time to warm up in the UFC, but he’s looking really sharp right now. Johnson deserves a ranked opponent now, stealing Van’s thunder, but beating Elliott is an entirely different prospect…
Joshua Van vs Jose Johnson – I think Van did struggle with Charles Johnson’s size and reach, so it might seem counterintuitive to give him an even taller flyweight with an even longer reach, but that’s what I want to see. It’s a step down from Charles for sure, and a great chance for Van to get back in the win column – but far from a given. Van does look small in the UFC flyweight division, but that’s just the nature of the beast for him. He’s got to prove it won’t become a long term issue.
Jasmine Jasudavicius vs Luana Santos – Jasmine held all the cards coming into this fight tonight, she had a longer camp, was a weight class higher, was a ranked fighter, and had a lot more experience – but it was still a competitive fight outside of JJ’s heavy grappling offence. I’d like JJ to defend her #15 spot against surging Brazilian Luana Santos next, Luana has some sublime Judo and real chops on the ground, I guess whoever gets on top first should win here in what will be an entertaining bout!
Fatima Kline vs Julia Polastri – Kline showed she had real spirit competing on short notice, up a weight class and against a ranked opponent, and I think she has a bright future in the UFC. Give her Julia Polastri next, both are 0-1 and will be looking for a chance to shine, this should be a fast-paced, high volume bout, should be a few takedowns and some grappling too, and just for good measure we can now say both have lost to Jasmine Jasudavicius by decision (Polastri lost to JJ on DWCS back in 2021!). Kline likely comes in the favourite, but it’s up to her to back that up in the cage.
Montel Jackson vs Rob Font – 18 second KO, 5 straight wins, only been beaten by wrestlers, 8-2 in the UFC… Montel Jackson lived up to his ‘Quik’ nickname tonight, and absolutely needs a step up. Who better than 37 year old Rob Font, occupying #9 spot, 1-4 in his last 5, fighting not only for his ranking spot but also his UFC career potentially… and it should be a banger! Huge test for Montel, but one he’s definitely earned after a bunch of fights fell through. He’s ready.
Da’Mon Blackshear vs Muin Gafurov – Muin Gafurov had his back against the wall after an 0-2 start to life in the UFC, but the Tajik veteran bounced back with a much needed win over Kyung-Ho Kang last time out – Da’Mon was blitzed tonight but that isn’t representative of what we normally get from him, but nonetheless he slips to 2-3 in the UFC. This could be a decent scrap both have good ground games but Gafurov is also kinda wild on the feet… this could be sneaky fun!
Luana Santos vs Jasmine Jasduvicius (see above)
Mariya Agapova – CUT! After 3 straight losses and having been a tough fighter to book these past couple of years, I’m not sure it’s worth keeping the Kazakh around. It’s not unusual for female fighters to endure these streaks, but Mariya seems to have regressed.
Andre Petroski vs Bo Nickal – Couple of things: first, Andre Petroski is a wrestler who has beaten a bunch of grapplers (Fremd, GM3, Maximov) and second, he’s now 6-2 in the UFC. Is there a better opponent out there to test Bo Nickal than another (inferior) wrestler with such a high mark in the promotion? I honestly don’t think that there is. Bo should have advantages in this fight, and this fight will be a significant step up in terms of Bo’s development – the question is, can Andre out-strike and out-MMA Bo, or does Bo roll on? This ticks all the boxes: winnable, suitable, and creditable, too. Even if Bo loses, Petroski is someone the UFC has been building the right way anyway, so it’s a promotional win-win on paper.
Josh Fremd vs Antonio Trocoli – 6’4 vs 6’5, two guys who aren’t exactly elite UFC middleweights, but Trocoli was messed about something chronic ahead of his eventual debut against Shara Magomedov, just give him a full camp and a fair fight. Fremd is 2-4 in the UFC, lost two straight, and needs a win in the worst way. On the other hand, if Trocoli can’t beat Fremd, he probably doesn’t belong in the UFC, so a win for him is crucial as well. Stylistically this should be a more competitive fight than Fremd-Petroski was tonight.
Evan Elder vs Trevor Peek – Both guys are 9-2, both are 2-2 in the UFC, and both guys come to fight. Elder has seen off Genaro Valdez and Darrius Flowers back-to-back, taking this one on just 4 days’ notice, and that’s enough for me to reward him with a potential banger. Peek might be lacking in the grappling stakes but he fights hard and has been a finisher for most of his career, so we know if he lands, Elder is in trouble. Otherwise, Elder should come in as favourite as the better rounded fighter. Peek is very tough though, and won’t be an easy out at all!
Darrius Flowers – CUT! Darrius Flowers came in off the back of an injury via slam to Amiran Gogoladze on DWCS but has been unable to pick up a win in the UFC proper, and at 0-3 in a very competitive division it’s unlikely a 12-8-1 guy hands around. Sorry, Darrius, although maybe they reward the guy for stepping up on very short notice…
