MMA Weekend Preview
Key Fights ~
Volkanovski vs. Lopes - They will make the walk to the octagon Saturday night to crown the vacant Undisputed Featherweight Champion of the world. Volk is currently on a three-fight losing streak against arguably the two best current fighters on the planet, Ilia and Islam. If Lightweights didn't pull out and keep getting hurt, Volk wouldn’t have three straight losses, in my opinion.
Rodriguez vs. Pitbull - Pitbull finally makes his walk in the UFC after over a decade of dominance in other promotions, specifically Bellator. He's fighting Yair, who is coming off back-to-back losses against Ortega and Volk, who beat him in a unification bout and is fighting for the title in the main event.
Nuzzi vs. Gutierrez - Mando is making his Smart Cage debut after losing in the TUF house to Cody Gibson, who is currently signed to the UFC. He has great wrestling, which you will likely see him use early on in this bout. I'm not sure why the odds are so far in favor of Nuzzi in this one when I've seen him struggle with far less competition than Mando has had. If Nuzzi keeps it standing, I don't even know if he has what it takes to get the job done.
Fan Engagement Fights ~
Ige vs. Woodson - Ige is going to walk him down while Woodson is a sniper who, more than likely, will not be looking to shoot on someone who is a better grappler than he is. So we should get nothing but striking for however long this fight lasts, which are some of the better fights to watch, especially with Ige being someone who will press the issue against anyone.
Chandler vs. Pimblett - I am curious to see how this goes. Almost every fighter has their best showing after having their first child, and Paddy had twins. But at the same time, Chandler just had his first daughter, so we are going to see a firefight that I don't see going the distance. I also think people are overrating Paddy's BJJ. Chandler just fought Charles, who is the hardest opponent anyone will ever face, and he didn't get submitted after two rounds of back control.
Dumans vs. Oleksiejczuk - The last fight of the early prelims features two long, lanky middleweights who have finishing abilities both standing and on the ground.
Gore vs. Tulio - Gore has been around since he was in the TUF house, advanced to the final, and then suffered an injury. He has looked great his last few times out, and since he came to the UFC, he has had a goal of being a double champion. He has all the tools; we will see if he's able to get past the Brazilian Tulio.
Reyes vs. Krylov - Two guys who throw bombs and have been finished a lot. Reyes has been making a great comeback to his career after losing a few in a row. Krylov is coming off three wins in a row, with two of them being finishes. I don't see how this one will make it to the final bell, especially in Miami with a rowdy crowd.
Silva vs. Mitchell - These two do not like each other at all; you should be able to tell at the press conference. They have been going back and forth on Twitter throughout the whole build-up to this fight. I hope that Mitchell doesn't try to stand with Silva because he might be done for good if he gets caught with another overhand right.
Kasumov vs. Wetzell - Two of the more unknown fighters on this list, but Wetzell is a charismatic striker that has five finishes in ten wins thus far. He is fighting Kasumov, who has fifteen wins. In my opinion, it says he’s 16-1, but one of those is listed as a “win” from a regional promotion, so I'm not counting that. However, he has eleven finishes and is great on the ground with nine submissions. This should be another fight to keep an eye on tonight.
PFL Fighters to Keep an Eye On ~
- Leandro Higo
- Mando Gutierrez
- Jake Hadley
- Justin Wetzell
- Jenna Bishop
