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- Jul 8, 2021
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Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Derrick Lewis – I’m going to call for this fight every time, so what lol? The UFC have been feeding Jairzinho a succession of ‘tough’ up-and-comers for a while now, interspersed with high level opponents. Wins over Sakai, Daukaus and Gaziev have proven Rozenstruik can beat the tar out of rookies, but can he beat the ‘Black Beast’ Derrick Lewis? He has, once again, earned the chance to fight upwards, and this fight simply needs to happen before Lewis retires.
Shamil Gaziev vs Justin Tafa - Another fighter elevated before they’re ready, Gaziev might be 34, but he isn’t seasoned and hasn’t really been tested – until tonight, when it transpired that when it isn’t all going the Bahrain-based Russian’s way, he doesn’t have the answers. It’s an age old story that now gets greeted with a shrug of the shoulders. Give him Justin Tafa next, though I suspect it might be quite a while before we see either again.
Vitor Petrino vs Azamat Murzakanov – Azamat is proving quite the pull out merchant and has probably lost his opportunity to fight up the rankings for now. Petrino put on a snoozer, but as a fellow undefeated fighter there are only so many times it makes sense to pit an 11-0 Brazilian against a 13-0 Russian. That time is now. Neither fighter is particularly worth rewarding, so forget that Azamat is ranked #13 and just make a ‘prove yourself’ kinda fight for both.
Tyson Pedro - RETIRED
Muhammad Mokaev vs Alexandre Pantoja (UFC Flyweight Championship) – Mokaev has hardly looked perfect in his UFC tenure, but he remains unbeaten and at 23 the fact he holds wins over Tim Elliott and Alex Perez is pretty serious. Pantoja is in a situation where several fights are looking unappealing right now (especially rematches), and if anyone can produce a quick turnaround it might be young Mokaev in a fight that could crown a young and very promising champion who is still improving – a scary thought at 125.
Alex Perez vs Steve Erceg – Erceg continues to confound me, personally, and full credit to him for that. Give him another ranked flyweight while he remains on this nightmare run of form. Perez could quite quickly drop from the rankings if he can’t halt the decline – a real possibility after a horrible last 4 or so years.
Umar Nurmagomedov vs Rob Font – It feels like Umar Nurmagomedov just picked yet another win that really doesn’t prove anything at all, other than to underline that this is a serious contender going forward. Rob Font is a highly regarded bantamweight on a 1-4 skid in his last 5 fights, and if anyone is prime fodder for ‘gatekeeper’ to the top 10, it’s him. Unfortunately at 36, I’m not sure Font with his weak TDD is a huge test, but he’s considerably better than anyone Umar has ever fought before.
Bekzat Almakhan vs Muin Gafurov – Pointlessly tough UFC debut out the way, it’s time to see where Bekzat slots into this bantamweight shark tank. Give him 0-2 Muin Gafurov in a fight where he might just send the Tajik 135er packing with his first UFC win.
Steve Erceg vs Alex Perez (see above)
Matt Schnell vs Tatsuro Taira – Taira is ranked at #15 without having faced anyone of any real note, so it’s time to change that by giving him a meaningful opponent. Schnell is on a slump and needs to address it ASAP after losing another fight against Erceg. Is Taira ready for this level of competition at such a young age? Most likely – but let’s see how it plays out before elevating someone to a spot they aren’t ready for.
Eryk Anders vs Ihor Potieria – If the Ukrainian Potieria has turned a corner in his UFC career, proving it against Eryk Anders just makes a lot of sense at this point. Anders, at 8-8 in the UFC, is never going to capture imaginations but he is going to provide a great test for experienced opponents like Ihor desperate to prove they can hang in the UFC. Could even be a low-key banger.
Jamie Pickett – RETIRED
Vinicius Oliveira vs Ricky Turcios – Vinicius scoring a KO of the Year contender will likely grant him the backing of the UFC matchmakers, and that usually means being given winnable, recognizable fights. Turcios represents just that, and having recently been let down by Raul Rosas Jr, giving him a guy with a little bit of a buzz seems about right.
Bernardo Sopaj vs Carlos Vera – Vera is a leg lock specialist who at 36 probably won’t be rushed back in after his UFC debut defeat to Rinya Nakamura, and while Sopaj might take a little time out himself after a 3-round war, timeframes might just play out nicely for this one. Winner gets their first UFC win.
Aiemann Zahabi vs Ricky Simon – What an upset for Aiemann Zahabi! Believe it or not, the Canadian has been on the UFC roster for longer than Simon, but his terrible schedule has left him languishing in the no man’s land in the bantamweight division. Now on a 4 fight win streak, the 36 year old comes off the back of a huge victory over Javid Basharat, and I see no reason at all to deny him a shot at #15 Ricky Simon at this point. Simon is coming off 2 straight losses. How far can Zahabi go?
Javid Basharat vs Da’Mon Blackshear – Javid Basharat failed to beat Victor Henry as a huge favourite, and now fluffs his lines against Aiemann Zahabi as an even more massive favourite. Pump the damn brakes. Javid isn’t necessarily a right off, but he might be if he can’t beat Da’Mon Blackshear, a powerful bantamweight with a very solid arsenal. Interestingly, Javid’s brother Farid holds a win over Blackshear, so seeing whether or not Da’Mon can avenge that one here would be fun.
Christian Leroy Duncan vs Dustin Stoltzfus – Dustin beat Puna Soriano last time out via R2SUB, and while he’s spent the majority of his UFC career losing to some pretty legit prospects, I think that experience might serve him well if he’s put in a similar spot against CLD. Duncan, for his part, has had to be stepped down against very ordinary fighters lately, and Stoltz is a step up from the likes of Tiuliulin and Ribeiro. Some might want CLD to get a bigger step up, but not for me, not yet.
Claudio Ribeiro vs Robert Bryczek – If Claudio has a purpose at this point, it’s to test someone with a decent record who flopped in his UFC debut. Bryczek is that man. Winner keeps their job, and probably looks good doing so.
L’udovit Klein vs Fares Ziam – L’udovit Klein is providing all the right answers to the questions posed of him lately, and a first round finish against AJ Cunningham might have been expected, but that doesn’t automatically mean it will be delivered. He moves to 5-2-1, while Ziam moved to 5-2 with a victory over dangerous grappler Claudio Puelles last time out. Neither have set the UFC alight, but have proven themselves very competent lightweight competitors who match up beautifully right now.
AJ Cunningham vs Timothy Cuamba – AJ Cunningham lost on DWCS and lost again tonight. He’s yet to find his level, so give him Cuamba next, a man who lost his UFC debut to Bolaji Oki last time out. May the best man record his first UFC win.
Loik Radzhabov vs Jamie Mullarkey – The red flag around Loik is his PFL record isn’t particularly outstanding, but the Tajik fighter is clearly a high level athlete and wins over Esteban Ribovics and Abdul Kareem Al-Selwady will probably age nicely. I’d like to see him face 5-5 Jamie Mullarkey next, a fantastic ‘next level’ test for anyone. Naimov passed the Mullarkey test, but Francisco Pardo did not. I see Loik being existing right within that bracket looking to climb the ladder.
Abdul Kareem Al-Selwady vs Jai Herbert – Abdul Kareem scored a major DWCS upset win over George Hardwick but loses to Loik Radzhabov in his UFC debut in R3 in what looked like a 19-19 at that point. Give Al-Selwady another Englishman in 2-4-1 Jai Herbert next, a fighter who looks great when he’s ahead but whose poor numerical record belies his willingness to fight very tough opposition.
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Go easy, I didn't watch the show, but followed the results right here on the 'Dog. If I missed something my bad, but also, your bad for not making me completely aware <45>
Shamil Gaziev vs Justin Tafa - Another fighter elevated before they’re ready, Gaziev might be 34, but he isn’t seasoned and hasn’t really been tested – until tonight, when it transpired that when it isn’t all going the Bahrain-based Russian’s way, he doesn’t have the answers. It’s an age old story that now gets greeted with a shrug of the shoulders. Give him Justin Tafa next, though I suspect it might be quite a while before we see either again.
Vitor Petrino vs Azamat Murzakanov – Azamat is proving quite the pull out merchant and has probably lost his opportunity to fight up the rankings for now. Petrino put on a snoozer, but as a fellow undefeated fighter there are only so many times it makes sense to pit an 11-0 Brazilian against a 13-0 Russian. That time is now. Neither fighter is particularly worth rewarding, so forget that Azamat is ranked #13 and just make a ‘prove yourself’ kinda fight for both.
Tyson Pedro - RETIRED
Muhammad Mokaev vs Alexandre Pantoja (UFC Flyweight Championship) – Mokaev has hardly looked perfect in his UFC tenure, but he remains unbeaten and at 23 the fact he holds wins over Tim Elliott and Alex Perez is pretty serious. Pantoja is in a situation where several fights are looking unappealing right now (especially rematches), and if anyone can produce a quick turnaround it might be young Mokaev in a fight that could crown a young and very promising champion who is still improving – a scary thought at 125.
Alex Perez vs Steve Erceg – Erceg continues to confound me, personally, and full credit to him for that. Give him another ranked flyweight while he remains on this nightmare run of form. Perez could quite quickly drop from the rankings if he can’t halt the decline – a real possibility after a horrible last 4 or so years.
Umar Nurmagomedov vs Rob Font – It feels like Umar Nurmagomedov just picked yet another win that really doesn’t prove anything at all, other than to underline that this is a serious contender going forward. Rob Font is a highly regarded bantamweight on a 1-4 skid in his last 5 fights, and if anyone is prime fodder for ‘gatekeeper’ to the top 10, it’s him. Unfortunately at 36, I’m not sure Font with his weak TDD is a huge test, but he’s considerably better than anyone Umar has ever fought before.
Bekzat Almakhan vs Muin Gafurov – Pointlessly tough UFC debut out the way, it’s time to see where Bekzat slots into this bantamweight shark tank. Give him 0-2 Muin Gafurov in a fight where he might just send the Tajik 135er packing with his first UFC win.
Steve Erceg vs Alex Perez (see above)
Matt Schnell vs Tatsuro Taira – Taira is ranked at #15 without having faced anyone of any real note, so it’s time to change that by giving him a meaningful opponent. Schnell is on a slump and needs to address it ASAP after losing another fight against Erceg. Is Taira ready for this level of competition at such a young age? Most likely – but let’s see how it plays out before elevating someone to a spot they aren’t ready for.
Eryk Anders vs Ihor Potieria – If the Ukrainian Potieria has turned a corner in his UFC career, proving it against Eryk Anders just makes a lot of sense at this point. Anders, at 8-8 in the UFC, is never going to capture imaginations but he is going to provide a great test for experienced opponents like Ihor desperate to prove they can hang in the UFC. Could even be a low-key banger.
Jamie Pickett – RETIRED
Vinicius Oliveira vs Ricky Turcios – Vinicius scoring a KO of the Year contender will likely grant him the backing of the UFC matchmakers, and that usually means being given winnable, recognizable fights. Turcios represents just that, and having recently been let down by Raul Rosas Jr, giving him a guy with a little bit of a buzz seems about right.
Bernardo Sopaj vs Carlos Vera – Vera is a leg lock specialist who at 36 probably won’t be rushed back in after his UFC debut defeat to Rinya Nakamura, and while Sopaj might take a little time out himself after a 3-round war, timeframes might just play out nicely for this one. Winner gets their first UFC win.
Aiemann Zahabi vs Ricky Simon – What an upset for Aiemann Zahabi! Believe it or not, the Canadian has been on the UFC roster for longer than Simon, but his terrible schedule has left him languishing in the no man’s land in the bantamweight division. Now on a 4 fight win streak, the 36 year old comes off the back of a huge victory over Javid Basharat, and I see no reason at all to deny him a shot at #15 Ricky Simon at this point. Simon is coming off 2 straight losses. How far can Zahabi go?
Javid Basharat vs Da’Mon Blackshear – Javid Basharat failed to beat Victor Henry as a huge favourite, and now fluffs his lines against Aiemann Zahabi as an even more massive favourite. Pump the damn brakes. Javid isn’t necessarily a right off, but he might be if he can’t beat Da’Mon Blackshear, a powerful bantamweight with a very solid arsenal. Interestingly, Javid’s brother Farid holds a win over Blackshear, so seeing whether or not Da’Mon can avenge that one here would be fun.
Christian Leroy Duncan vs Dustin Stoltzfus – Dustin beat Puna Soriano last time out via R2SUB, and while he’s spent the majority of his UFC career losing to some pretty legit prospects, I think that experience might serve him well if he’s put in a similar spot against CLD. Duncan, for his part, has had to be stepped down against very ordinary fighters lately, and Stoltz is a step up from the likes of Tiuliulin and Ribeiro. Some might want CLD to get a bigger step up, but not for me, not yet.
Claudio Ribeiro vs Robert Bryczek – If Claudio has a purpose at this point, it’s to test someone with a decent record who flopped in his UFC debut. Bryczek is that man. Winner keeps their job, and probably looks good doing so.
L’udovit Klein vs Fares Ziam – L’udovit Klein is providing all the right answers to the questions posed of him lately, and a first round finish against AJ Cunningham might have been expected, but that doesn’t automatically mean it will be delivered. He moves to 5-2-1, while Ziam moved to 5-2 with a victory over dangerous grappler Claudio Puelles last time out. Neither have set the UFC alight, but have proven themselves very competent lightweight competitors who match up beautifully right now.
AJ Cunningham vs Timothy Cuamba – AJ Cunningham lost on DWCS and lost again tonight. He’s yet to find his level, so give him Cuamba next, a man who lost his UFC debut to Bolaji Oki last time out. May the best man record his first UFC win.
Loik Radzhabov vs Jamie Mullarkey – The red flag around Loik is his PFL record isn’t particularly outstanding, but the Tajik fighter is clearly a high level athlete and wins over Esteban Ribovics and Abdul Kareem Al-Selwady will probably age nicely. I’d like to see him face 5-5 Jamie Mullarkey next, a fantastic ‘next level’ test for anyone. Naimov passed the Mullarkey test, but Francisco Pardo did not. I see Loik being existing right within that bracket looking to climb the ladder.
Abdul Kareem Al-Selwady vs Jai Herbert – Abdul Kareem scored a major DWCS upset win over George Hardwick but loses to Loik Radzhabov in his UFC debut in R3 in what looked like a 19-19 at that point. Give Al-Selwady another Englishman in 2-4-1 Jai Herbert next, a fighter who looks great when he’s ahead but whose poor numerical record belies his willingness to fight very tough opposition.
---
Go easy, I didn't watch the show, but followed the results right here on the 'Dog. If I missed something my bad, but also, your bad for not making me completely aware <45>
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