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Rose Namajunas vs Maycee Barber – Rose Namajunas bounced back after a very disappointing 3 year period, and showed she can compete at 125 (albeit against another former 115er). I’d like to see her face Maycee Barber next. The upside for the winner is tremendous: instant title contender. The loser, unless it’s Rose, doesn’t lose all that much.
Amanda Ribas vs Miranda Maverick – Once again Ribas can’t claim that huge victory, but she was still competitive and gave her all. Step her down again. Maverick will come in an underdog, but she has the game and defensive capability to make this interesting. I wouldn’t want to put money on the winner, and if Ribas loses, she should probably drop to 115 once and for all.
Karl Williams vs Jamal Pogues - Two heavyweight decision specialists, Karl Williams can wrestle, but Tafa made it easy for him tonight. I’m not at all convinced by either, but if Williams advances to 4-0 with a win over Pogues (a tougher stylistic challenge) then he has to earn some respect.
Justin Tafa vs Thomas Petersen – Tafa can crack, but what is he doing throwing high knees and head kicks against a wrestler whose only out is to get to the hips? Whatever. Put him against Thomas Petersen next, perhaps he gets another R1KO.
Edmen Shahbazyan vs Ihor Potieria – I really hope they don’t start giving Edmen sky-high fights again, he was struggling yet again tonight until he landed whatever it was he landed and turned the tide. Having that kind of power is great and it’s fun for the audience, but let’s just be real: Ihor Potieria is about the limit right now for a guy 2-4 in his last 6 and who struggled for long periods tonight. Ihor isn’t a joke, either – may the best ‘Duelist’ win.
AJ Dobson vs Josh Fremd – I really don’t want the UFC to cut AJ, he looks way better than his record suggests, but even so he only has 1 life left. If he can’t beat Fremd, he’s gone. Fremd, meanwhile, probably has a little more credit in the bank, but still needs this win badly.
Payton Talbott vs Marcus McGhee – McGhee is 3-0 in the UFC, but he’s fought an unusually low level of competition in guys like Journey Newson, JP Buys, and Gaston Bolanos. He needs a step up, and Payton Talbott (who looked AWESOME tonight) is the right kind of step up right now. Don’t be fooled by 3-0 vs 2-0, Talbott will come in a decent-sized favourite, but at just 8-0 he needs this type of challenge.
Cameron Saaiman vs Luan Lacerda – The UFC simply have to invest a little in Saaiman at this stage, but don’t underestimate Lacerda. While he’s 0-2, he’s lost to Cody Stamann and Da’Mon Blackshear, an unusually high level of competition for an entry level fighter. May the best man win, but also: hopefully whoever loses and potentially gets cut goes away and improves their game, because there’s real scope for that, especially if it happens to be Saaiman.
Youssef Zalal vs Andre Fili – That was a remarkable return for Youssef Zalal, he agcompletely shut out Billy Q on the feet, landed pretty everything he threw, scored the trips, and got the sub. It doesn’t get any better for a fighter returning to the UFC saying they’ve improved. Wow. I want him to fight Andre Fili next. Despite beating Quarantillo, we’re not talking ranked opponents for at least a couple of fights, so it’s time to put him against dangerous veterans who can be beaten. I tell you, though, if Zalal finishes Fili, we’ve got something big on our hands.
Billy Quarantillo vs Charles Jourdain – Billy Q enters Charles Jourdain territory where he’s considered a fun fighter to watch, but his limitations have been put on display a few too many times now to consider him an elite featherweight. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t watch this fight, there’s no room for any negativity in the build up to this one – this is fire.
Fernando Padilla vs Christian Rodriguez – I’ve changed my mind since last week! I want to park two narratives: CRod has now beaten enough undefeated rookies to break free from that storyline (even though I called for Hyder Amil), and Padilla (who looked phenomenal tonight) doesn’t need to be rushed back towards the top simply because he holds an impressive win over Julian Erosa. Put them together. Both guys are SUPER impressive to me so far, let’s have a banger with the winner getting a higher level opponent. The paths to victory for both are clear, CRod has to weather the early storm and pile it on late as per usual, Padilla absolutely must get CRod out of there. I love it!
Luis Pajuelo vs Steven Nguyen – Both these two looked a little lost tonight, unfortunately, with both eating a good deal of punishment. It’s possible Nguyen sustained a broken jaw, whereas Pajuelo was put out of his misery pretty quickly at least. If Nguyen is okay, put these two together and see who comes out, both had a reality check tonight.
Trey Ogden vs Nurullo Aliev – Tajik prospect Nurullo Aliev is a perfect 9-0 and grabbed an impressive win over Rafael Alves in his UFC debut, albeit by Majority Decision. Trey Ogden will ride out wins over anyone who can’t stop his takedowns and top control, but Nurullo potentially has some of the answers. I really like this fight for both men, Trey gets the chance to take an ‘0’ as he builds his UFC resume, Aliev gets to show he really does belong in there with double-tough veterans – which I suspect he does.
Kurt Holobaugh vs Roosevelt Roberts – Two fighters who do have talent but have really struggled to prove they’re legit UFC-level talent, Holobaugh and Roberts should match up nicely in a must-win fight for both. They’ve both now had two UFC runs each, Roberts in particular showed he did have potential with an early 4-1 run in the UFC, but none of the guys he beat remain in the promotion. Holobaugh’s win over Austin Hubbard got him a minor accolade, but both men need to show so much more at this stage.
Julian Erosa vs Daniel Pineda – Erosa pulled one out of the fire tonight after getting rocked early by Ricardo Ramos, but Ramos opted to grapple with a lethal finisher and paid the price… Erosa moves on, and I’d like to see him face another kill-or-be-killed veteran in Daniel ‘The Pit’ Pineda in a fight we absolutely must see before one of them retires. 38 year old Pineda had a shot at Alex Caceres last time, but fell short, this is the kind of fight he should fall into IMO. (NOTE: Caceres also recently beat Erosa!)
Ricardo Ramos vs Hakeem Dawodu - Mean Hakeem has dropped 2 straight against Julian Erosa (oddly enough) and Cub Swanson, and now Ricardo Ramos finds himself in the same boat. Ramos is a kill-or-be-killed type, Hakeem tends to go the distance, the question is… can Ramos drag some crazy nonsense out of Hakeem?! Either way, I think we get a pretty fun, very well-matched fight between two guys who badly need a win.
Miles Johns vs Cody Stamann – From one veteran Cody to another, I’d like to see Miles Johns take on Cody Stamann next, an athletic guy with decent wrestling who will test that gas tank to the limit. Stamann has struggled for high level wins lately but remains 2-1 in his last 3. Looks like he’s reached his ceiling, but it’s still a very good test for Miles Johns.
Cody Gibson vs Muin Gafurov – 2 veterans who are 0-2 (excluding Gibson’s earlier UFC run in which he went 1-3), this is a fair match up for both. May the best man win in what is almost certainly a loser leaves town fight. Someone simply must prove they belong. Pressure’s on.
Jarno Errens vs Lucas Almeida – A great win for Jarno Errens who finally put it all together and smashed Steven Nguyen’s jaw into a bloody pulp. Lucas Almeida (14-3) is also 1-2 in the UFC, albeit he’s had 2 really tough assignments in Pat Sabatini and Andre Fili. Getting finished twice might be the leveller here, but either way, this should be a fun mid-tier scrap!
Steven Nguyen vs Luis Pajuelo (see above)
Darya Zheleznyakova vs Jacqueline Cavalcanti – I think after that kinda fight you just gotta hope the stylistic mismatch affected things more than anyone expected. Darya vs Portugal’s Cavalcanti next?
Montserrat Rendon vs Ravena Oliveira – Both ladies enter the UFC with a loss, let’s match them up and see if it’s a little more entertaining than that fight was tonight.
Andre Lima vs Edgar Chairez – Lima moves on after being BITTEN by Igor Severino resulting in an instant DQ, and I doubt many of us are going to argue with that after the image that was shown. It’s a shame because it was a fun fight, but I do think Lima was slightly ahead on the cards anyway. Give him veteran Mexican Edgar Chairez next, Chairez is a tough test, but this should favour Lima given the speed and accuracy of his striking and well-rounded defence.
Igor Severino – CUT! – Yeah, not into this at all.
Mick Parkin vs Marcos Rogerio de Lima – The thing that’s going to hold Parkin back at this point is the string of decision wins since joining the UFC proper. This was a good win against another heavyweight on a tidy run at a low-ish level, but in his next performance he really needs to show out. The only reason I think he might get a ranked opponent next is because the heavyweight division remains a little bit shallow, but de Lima is a very appropriate challenge nonetheless. It’s not going to be easy to cruise at a steady pace against someone as aggressive as Marcos Rogerio, and maybe that brings the best out of Parkin? Put them together in England.
Mohammed Usman vs Martin Buday – 3-1 TUF winner Mohammed Usman got repelled by Mick Parkin in a close contest that didn’t really show us anything out of the ordinary. Martin Buday was on a similar streak picking off some lower level heavyweights before losing to Shamil Gaziev. I see these matching up really nicely with both having snapped their momentum. Who has the higher ceiling? Let’s find out!
Amanda Ribas vs Miranda Maverick – Once again Ribas can’t claim that huge victory, but she was still competitive and gave her all. Step her down again. Maverick will come in an underdog, but she has the game and defensive capability to make this interesting. I wouldn’t want to put money on the winner, and if Ribas loses, she should probably drop to 115 once and for all.
Karl Williams vs Jamal Pogues - Two heavyweight decision specialists, Karl Williams can wrestle, but Tafa made it easy for him tonight. I’m not at all convinced by either, but if Williams advances to 4-0 with a win over Pogues (a tougher stylistic challenge) then he has to earn some respect.
Justin Tafa vs Thomas Petersen – Tafa can crack, but what is he doing throwing high knees and head kicks against a wrestler whose only out is to get to the hips? Whatever. Put him against Thomas Petersen next, perhaps he gets another R1KO.
Edmen Shahbazyan vs Ihor Potieria – I really hope they don’t start giving Edmen sky-high fights again, he was struggling yet again tonight until he landed whatever it was he landed and turned the tide. Having that kind of power is great and it’s fun for the audience, but let’s just be real: Ihor Potieria is about the limit right now for a guy 2-4 in his last 6 and who struggled for long periods tonight. Ihor isn’t a joke, either – may the best ‘Duelist’ win.
AJ Dobson vs Josh Fremd – I really don’t want the UFC to cut AJ, he looks way better than his record suggests, but even so he only has 1 life left. If he can’t beat Fremd, he’s gone. Fremd, meanwhile, probably has a little more credit in the bank, but still needs this win badly.
Payton Talbott vs Marcus McGhee – McGhee is 3-0 in the UFC, but he’s fought an unusually low level of competition in guys like Journey Newson, JP Buys, and Gaston Bolanos. He needs a step up, and Payton Talbott (who looked AWESOME tonight) is the right kind of step up right now. Don’t be fooled by 3-0 vs 2-0, Talbott will come in a decent-sized favourite, but at just 8-0 he needs this type of challenge.
Cameron Saaiman vs Luan Lacerda – The UFC simply have to invest a little in Saaiman at this stage, but don’t underestimate Lacerda. While he’s 0-2, he’s lost to Cody Stamann and Da’Mon Blackshear, an unusually high level of competition for an entry level fighter. May the best man win, but also: hopefully whoever loses and potentially gets cut goes away and improves their game, because there’s real scope for that, especially if it happens to be Saaiman.
Youssef Zalal vs Andre Fili – That was a remarkable return for Youssef Zalal, he agcompletely shut out Billy Q on the feet, landed pretty everything he threw, scored the trips, and got the sub. It doesn’t get any better for a fighter returning to the UFC saying they’ve improved. Wow. I want him to fight Andre Fili next. Despite beating Quarantillo, we’re not talking ranked opponents for at least a couple of fights, so it’s time to put him against dangerous veterans who can be beaten. I tell you, though, if Zalal finishes Fili, we’ve got something big on our hands.
Billy Quarantillo vs Charles Jourdain – Billy Q enters Charles Jourdain territory where he’s considered a fun fighter to watch, but his limitations have been put on display a few too many times now to consider him an elite featherweight. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t watch this fight, there’s no room for any negativity in the build up to this one – this is fire.
Fernando Padilla vs Christian Rodriguez – I’ve changed my mind since last week! I want to park two narratives: CRod has now beaten enough undefeated rookies to break free from that storyline (even though I called for Hyder Amil), and Padilla (who looked phenomenal tonight) doesn’t need to be rushed back towards the top simply because he holds an impressive win over Julian Erosa. Put them together. Both guys are SUPER impressive to me so far, let’s have a banger with the winner getting a higher level opponent. The paths to victory for both are clear, CRod has to weather the early storm and pile it on late as per usual, Padilla absolutely must get CRod out of there. I love it!
Luis Pajuelo vs Steven Nguyen – Both these two looked a little lost tonight, unfortunately, with both eating a good deal of punishment. It’s possible Nguyen sustained a broken jaw, whereas Pajuelo was put out of his misery pretty quickly at least. If Nguyen is okay, put these two together and see who comes out, both had a reality check tonight.
Trey Ogden vs Nurullo Aliev – Tajik prospect Nurullo Aliev is a perfect 9-0 and grabbed an impressive win over Rafael Alves in his UFC debut, albeit by Majority Decision. Trey Ogden will ride out wins over anyone who can’t stop his takedowns and top control, but Nurullo potentially has some of the answers. I really like this fight for both men, Trey gets the chance to take an ‘0’ as he builds his UFC resume, Aliev gets to show he really does belong in there with double-tough veterans – which I suspect he does.
Kurt Holobaugh vs Roosevelt Roberts – Two fighters who do have talent but have really struggled to prove they’re legit UFC-level talent, Holobaugh and Roberts should match up nicely in a must-win fight for both. They’ve both now had two UFC runs each, Roberts in particular showed he did have potential with an early 4-1 run in the UFC, but none of the guys he beat remain in the promotion. Holobaugh’s win over Austin Hubbard got him a minor accolade, but both men need to show so much more at this stage.
Julian Erosa vs Daniel Pineda – Erosa pulled one out of the fire tonight after getting rocked early by Ricardo Ramos, but Ramos opted to grapple with a lethal finisher and paid the price… Erosa moves on, and I’d like to see him face another kill-or-be-killed veteran in Daniel ‘The Pit’ Pineda in a fight we absolutely must see before one of them retires. 38 year old Pineda had a shot at Alex Caceres last time, but fell short, this is the kind of fight he should fall into IMO. (NOTE: Caceres also recently beat Erosa!)
Ricardo Ramos vs Hakeem Dawodu - Mean Hakeem has dropped 2 straight against Julian Erosa (oddly enough) and Cub Swanson, and now Ricardo Ramos finds himself in the same boat. Ramos is a kill-or-be-killed type, Hakeem tends to go the distance, the question is… can Ramos drag some crazy nonsense out of Hakeem?! Either way, I think we get a pretty fun, very well-matched fight between two guys who badly need a win.
Miles Johns vs Cody Stamann – From one veteran Cody to another, I’d like to see Miles Johns take on Cody Stamann next, an athletic guy with decent wrestling who will test that gas tank to the limit. Stamann has struggled for high level wins lately but remains 2-1 in his last 3. Looks like he’s reached his ceiling, but it’s still a very good test for Miles Johns.
Cody Gibson vs Muin Gafurov – 2 veterans who are 0-2 (excluding Gibson’s earlier UFC run in which he went 1-3), this is a fair match up for both. May the best man win in what is almost certainly a loser leaves town fight. Someone simply must prove they belong. Pressure’s on.
Jarno Errens vs Lucas Almeida – A great win for Jarno Errens who finally put it all together and smashed Steven Nguyen’s jaw into a bloody pulp. Lucas Almeida (14-3) is also 1-2 in the UFC, albeit he’s had 2 really tough assignments in Pat Sabatini and Andre Fili. Getting finished twice might be the leveller here, but either way, this should be a fun mid-tier scrap!
Steven Nguyen vs Luis Pajuelo (see above)
Darya Zheleznyakova vs Jacqueline Cavalcanti – I think after that kinda fight you just gotta hope the stylistic mismatch affected things more than anyone expected. Darya vs Portugal’s Cavalcanti next?
Montserrat Rendon vs Ravena Oliveira – Both ladies enter the UFC with a loss, let’s match them up and see if it’s a little more entertaining than that fight was tonight.
Andre Lima vs Edgar Chairez – Lima moves on after being BITTEN by Igor Severino resulting in an instant DQ, and I doubt many of us are going to argue with that after the image that was shown. It’s a shame because it was a fun fight, but I do think Lima was slightly ahead on the cards anyway. Give him veteran Mexican Edgar Chairez next, Chairez is a tough test, but this should favour Lima given the speed and accuracy of his striking and well-rounded defence.
Igor Severino – CUT! – Yeah, not into this at all.
Mick Parkin vs Marcos Rogerio de Lima – The thing that’s going to hold Parkin back at this point is the string of decision wins since joining the UFC proper. This was a good win against another heavyweight on a tidy run at a low-ish level, but in his next performance he really needs to show out. The only reason I think he might get a ranked opponent next is because the heavyweight division remains a little bit shallow, but de Lima is a very appropriate challenge nonetheless. It’s not going to be easy to cruise at a steady pace against someone as aggressive as Marcos Rogerio, and maybe that brings the best out of Parkin? Put them together in England.
Mohammed Usman vs Martin Buday – 3-1 TUF winner Mohammed Usman got repelled by Mick Parkin in a close contest that didn’t really show us anything out of the ordinary. Martin Buday was on a similar streak picking off some lower level heavyweights before losing to Shamil Gaziev. I see these matching up really nicely with both having snapped their momentum. Who has the higher ceiling? Let’s find out!
