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- Jul 8, 2021
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Manon Fiorot – Grasso-Shevchenko Winner – There isn’t another option. This is a clear number one contender, we just now have to wait (potentially quite a long time) to see who the champion is.
Erin Blanchfield vs Natalia Silva – I would book Maycee vs Rose to face the eventual winner of Grasso/Shevchenko vs Fiorot, so Blanchfield needs another fight on a quicker schedule hopefully so she can potentially build back up to contention. Natalia Silva, 5-0 in the UFC, is the right pick. A fun fight, two young uber-prospects, both will be involved in the scene before long IMO.
Joaquin Buckley vs Geoff Neal – Yes please! Two heavy-handed monsters with serious reputations for TKOs, both now hold wins over Vicente Luque, Neal is #9 on a slide, Buckley joins the top ten, it might be minimal progress for Buckley, but it’s a great fight worthy of both men’s current trajectory.
Vicente Luque vs Michael Morales – Michael Morales is 16-0 and absolutely deserves a ranked opponent. The right ranked opponent just might be Luque, who has now lost 4 of his last 5 fights, including this most recent one against Buckley. Can Morales follow in ‘New Mansa’s’ footsteps? Let’s see!
Chris Weidman – INVESTIGATION/REVIEW – Obviously that result shouldn’t stand, so it’s hard to book either until it’s overturned
Bruno Silva – INVESTIGATION/REVIEW
Nursulton Ruziboev vs Jun Yong Park – Ruziboev blasts through Sedriques Dumas with the help of an eye poke that went unnoticed, but it is what it is. Two first round finishes in two UFC fights, the Uzbek native is on the up. I’d like to see him face The Iron Turtle next. If you can finish Park like that, you’re legit. If you can’t, at least we get to see what you’ve got in reserve. Makes sense.
Sedriques Dumas – CUT! What a garbage human being. Hopefully the next time he’s attacking someone, he gets an inadvertent finger in the eye.
Kyle Nelson vs Youssef Zalal – Zalal looked fantastic in his return to the UFC last week, and Kyle Nelson did what he needed to tonight. I thought the fight was called a little bit too early, not the finest night for referee Gary Copeland, but whatever – that’s 3 in a row for ‘The Monster’, and I wonder if he has an answer to the Moroccan Devil? If not, it could be another showcase for Zalal.
Bill Algeo vs Billy Quarantillo – Bill Algeo can feel hard done to there, but he was still getting beaten around the cage and looked a little short defensively. Billy Q was in a similar situation recently where he just had nothing defensively against Youssef Zalal, and I think we’re owed a fun fight between durable strikers who like to pile on the pressure.
Chidi Njokuani vs Muslim Salikhov – Well this fight disappointed, but Chidi won his UFC welterweight debut with relative ease, and moves on to face someone like veteran Muslim Salikhov, someone who is likely to challenge that vertical and patient muay thai style Chidi adopted tonight. Could be a little bit slow, but hopefully we see some heavy artillery.
Rhys McKee – CUT! Rhys just hasn’t shown anything at this level, he is 0-4 in the UFC and should probably be cut a second time. Worse than the fact he looked kinda useless tonight was the fact the fight sucked. McKee had nothing from the clinch at all, but that’s where most of the fight was spent.
Nate Landwehr vs Julio Arce – A well-pitched fight for both, it may surprise some to find out Arce has beaten 2 guys that hold wins over Nate the Train – Herbert Burns and Dan Ige! That might make it seem like Arce is the big favourite, but I really don’t feel that’s the case. Landwehr has won 4 of his last 5, and has fended off some decent prospects in L’udovit Klein and David Onama – he has every chance of causing Arce a ton of problems with his toughness, grit, and come-from-behind ability!
Jamall Emmers vs Charles Jourdain – Two experienced featherweights who promise so much on the offence, but can struggle to weather the storm, I think this fight works for a bunch of reasons. Emmers looked like a whirlwind early before Nate the Train blasted straight through him, if he brings that style to a fight with Jourdain, we’re getting fireworks! Winner bounces back, loser eats a second straight loss.
Virna Jandiroba vs Zhang-Xiaonan Loser - Virna has racked up 3 straight wins over #12 Hill, #6 Rodriguez and now #10 Godinez, and that puts her in the mix – but still with some work to do. She hasn’t faced either of the Chinese fighters, so I say put her against the loser, put Suarez against the winner, and press forward. Fun division!
Lupita Godinez vs Amanda Ribas – I wish Ribas would knuckle down at 115 now, she’s a terror at that weight class, and Loopy vs Ribas is money between 2 established UFC fighters both boasting a decent following. Godinez came up short against Virna, Ribas lost to Rose last time out, this is as good as it gets for 2 ranked strawweights both coming off losses. Book this bout, it will market itself!
Julio Arce vs Nate Landwehr (see above)
Herbert Burns – CUT! 3 losses in a row, all second round finishes. At 36, there’s just no future in the UFC for Burns in my opinion. It’s been 4 years since we last saw that vaunted Burns BJJ, too.
Dennis Buzukja vs Jarno Errens – Two fighters who bounced back from 0-2 starts in the UFC with BIG performances. Errens was far too much for Steven Nguyen last week, same story this week for Dennis Buzukja, who grabbed the finish to boot! I like the way these two line up in a lot of ways, both more experienced than most promotional hopefuls, both have fought through adversity, and stylistically? Yeah, I think this will be fun! Both have some nice combos, a bit of power, and are well rounded enough too.
Connor Matthews vs Luis Pajuelo – Two fighters who really didn’t show out in their UFC debuts, let’s see who actually brings something to the table. Both 0-1, both with it all to prove.
Ibo Aslan vs Mingyang Zhang – You know you want to see these two slug it out! Two finishers, Islan didn’t look great, but he did make it to R3 and still had the power to shake Turkalj’s equilibrium good and proper. I can see this one ending by R1KO for sure, but if they tough it out, who does it favour? Must book fight!
Anton Turkalj – CUT! Poor Anton! He looked like he was about to win that fight and show he belonged, but he reverted to type and started taking totally unnecessary risks on the feet. He’s fun, but not quite good enough. Thanks for the fights, Anton!
Jacob Malkoun vs Dustin Stoltzfus – Dustin Stoltzfus has shown he belongs in the UFC after a poor start, beating both Puna Soriano and Dwight Grant, though he tends to wilt against higher level opposition. This looks like a fair match up for him, as Malkoun bounces back from a DQ defeat to Cody Brundage with a bizarre hip-to-head TKO. Let’s hope we get a nice clean finish here…
Andre Petroski vs Josh Fremd – 2 straight losses now for Petroski, and what a weird one this was! Losing to Michel Pereira was one thing, but this was a fight that looked tailor made only for Petroski to ram his head into Malkoun’s hips, which must have the density of reinforced steel or something. Give him Josh Fremd next. Not that Petroski needs to dip down this far, but we could do with a reminder of what he’s capable of. Petroski doesn’t really have any stand out wins, but if he can get past Fremd, that would be a good time to step him back up.
Caolan Loughran vs Raul Rosas Jr – Loughran appeared to call out Raul Rosas Jr by calling him a nasty name and barring the UFC giving Rosas the kid gloves treatment, that fight would be really fun! Both are high pressure grapplers at heart, may the best fun prospect win! Honestly, I think outside of Caolan having potentially better hands and superior cardio, Rosas has every chance here.
Angel Pacheco vs Charalampos Grigoriou – Angel Pacheco now has 2 fun performances across DWCS and UFC – but has lost both fights badly. Grigoriou looked outclassed in his UFC debut against veteran Chad Anheliger, and I think both fighters need a match up like this to have any chance of getting going in the UFC. Let’s see who picks up their first win in the big leagues.
Erin Blanchfield vs Natalia Silva – I would book Maycee vs Rose to face the eventual winner of Grasso/Shevchenko vs Fiorot, so Blanchfield needs another fight on a quicker schedule hopefully so she can potentially build back up to contention. Natalia Silva, 5-0 in the UFC, is the right pick. A fun fight, two young uber-prospects, both will be involved in the scene before long IMO.
Joaquin Buckley vs Geoff Neal – Yes please! Two heavy-handed monsters with serious reputations for TKOs, both now hold wins over Vicente Luque, Neal is #9 on a slide, Buckley joins the top ten, it might be minimal progress for Buckley, but it’s a great fight worthy of both men’s current trajectory.
Vicente Luque vs Michael Morales – Michael Morales is 16-0 and absolutely deserves a ranked opponent. The right ranked opponent just might be Luque, who has now lost 4 of his last 5 fights, including this most recent one against Buckley. Can Morales follow in ‘New Mansa’s’ footsteps? Let’s see!
Chris Weidman – INVESTIGATION/REVIEW – Obviously that result shouldn’t stand, so it’s hard to book either until it’s overturned
Bruno Silva – INVESTIGATION/REVIEW
Nursulton Ruziboev vs Jun Yong Park – Ruziboev blasts through Sedriques Dumas with the help of an eye poke that went unnoticed, but it is what it is. Two first round finishes in two UFC fights, the Uzbek native is on the up. I’d like to see him face The Iron Turtle next. If you can finish Park like that, you’re legit. If you can’t, at least we get to see what you’ve got in reserve. Makes sense.
Sedriques Dumas – CUT! What a garbage human being. Hopefully the next time he’s attacking someone, he gets an inadvertent finger in the eye.
Kyle Nelson vs Youssef Zalal – Zalal looked fantastic in his return to the UFC last week, and Kyle Nelson did what he needed to tonight. I thought the fight was called a little bit too early, not the finest night for referee Gary Copeland, but whatever – that’s 3 in a row for ‘The Monster’, and I wonder if he has an answer to the Moroccan Devil? If not, it could be another showcase for Zalal.
Bill Algeo vs Billy Quarantillo – Bill Algeo can feel hard done to there, but he was still getting beaten around the cage and looked a little short defensively. Billy Q was in a similar situation recently where he just had nothing defensively against Youssef Zalal, and I think we’re owed a fun fight between durable strikers who like to pile on the pressure.
Chidi Njokuani vs Muslim Salikhov – Well this fight disappointed, but Chidi won his UFC welterweight debut with relative ease, and moves on to face someone like veteran Muslim Salikhov, someone who is likely to challenge that vertical and patient muay thai style Chidi adopted tonight. Could be a little bit slow, but hopefully we see some heavy artillery.
Rhys McKee – CUT! Rhys just hasn’t shown anything at this level, he is 0-4 in the UFC and should probably be cut a second time. Worse than the fact he looked kinda useless tonight was the fact the fight sucked. McKee had nothing from the clinch at all, but that’s where most of the fight was spent.
Nate Landwehr vs Julio Arce – A well-pitched fight for both, it may surprise some to find out Arce has beaten 2 guys that hold wins over Nate the Train – Herbert Burns and Dan Ige! That might make it seem like Arce is the big favourite, but I really don’t feel that’s the case. Landwehr has won 4 of his last 5, and has fended off some decent prospects in L’udovit Klein and David Onama – he has every chance of causing Arce a ton of problems with his toughness, grit, and come-from-behind ability!
Jamall Emmers vs Charles Jourdain – Two experienced featherweights who promise so much on the offence, but can struggle to weather the storm, I think this fight works for a bunch of reasons. Emmers looked like a whirlwind early before Nate the Train blasted straight through him, if he brings that style to a fight with Jourdain, we’re getting fireworks! Winner bounces back, loser eats a second straight loss.
Virna Jandiroba vs Zhang-Xiaonan Loser - Virna has racked up 3 straight wins over #12 Hill, #6 Rodriguez and now #10 Godinez, and that puts her in the mix – but still with some work to do. She hasn’t faced either of the Chinese fighters, so I say put her against the loser, put Suarez against the winner, and press forward. Fun division!
Lupita Godinez vs Amanda Ribas – I wish Ribas would knuckle down at 115 now, she’s a terror at that weight class, and Loopy vs Ribas is money between 2 established UFC fighters both boasting a decent following. Godinez came up short against Virna, Ribas lost to Rose last time out, this is as good as it gets for 2 ranked strawweights both coming off losses. Book this bout, it will market itself!
Julio Arce vs Nate Landwehr (see above)
Herbert Burns – CUT! 3 losses in a row, all second round finishes. At 36, there’s just no future in the UFC for Burns in my opinion. It’s been 4 years since we last saw that vaunted Burns BJJ, too.
Dennis Buzukja vs Jarno Errens – Two fighters who bounced back from 0-2 starts in the UFC with BIG performances. Errens was far too much for Steven Nguyen last week, same story this week for Dennis Buzukja, who grabbed the finish to boot! I like the way these two line up in a lot of ways, both more experienced than most promotional hopefuls, both have fought through adversity, and stylistically? Yeah, I think this will be fun! Both have some nice combos, a bit of power, and are well rounded enough too.
Connor Matthews vs Luis Pajuelo – Two fighters who really didn’t show out in their UFC debuts, let’s see who actually brings something to the table. Both 0-1, both with it all to prove.
Ibo Aslan vs Mingyang Zhang – You know you want to see these two slug it out! Two finishers, Islan didn’t look great, but he did make it to R3 and still had the power to shake Turkalj’s equilibrium good and proper. I can see this one ending by R1KO for sure, but if they tough it out, who does it favour? Must book fight!
Anton Turkalj – CUT! Poor Anton! He looked like he was about to win that fight and show he belonged, but he reverted to type and started taking totally unnecessary risks on the feet. He’s fun, but not quite good enough. Thanks for the fights, Anton!
Jacob Malkoun vs Dustin Stoltzfus – Dustin Stoltzfus has shown he belongs in the UFC after a poor start, beating both Puna Soriano and Dwight Grant, though he tends to wilt against higher level opposition. This looks like a fair match up for him, as Malkoun bounces back from a DQ defeat to Cody Brundage with a bizarre hip-to-head TKO. Let’s hope we get a nice clean finish here…
Andre Petroski vs Josh Fremd – 2 straight losses now for Petroski, and what a weird one this was! Losing to Michel Pereira was one thing, but this was a fight that looked tailor made only for Petroski to ram his head into Malkoun’s hips, which must have the density of reinforced steel or something. Give him Josh Fremd next. Not that Petroski needs to dip down this far, but we could do with a reminder of what he’s capable of. Petroski doesn’t really have any stand out wins, but if he can get past Fremd, that would be a good time to step him back up.
Caolan Loughran vs Raul Rosas Jr – Loughran appeared to call out Raul Rosas Jr by calling him a nasty name and barring the UFC giving Rosas the kid gloves treatment, that fight would be really fun! Both are high pressure grapplers at heart, may the best fun prospect win! Honestly, I think outside of Caolan having potentially better hands and superior cardio, Rosas has every chance here.
Angel Pacheco vs Charalampos Grigoriou – Angel Pacheco now has 2 fun performances across DWCS and UFC – but has lost both fights badly. Grigoriou looked outclassed in his UFC debut against veteran Chad Anheliger, and I think both fighters need a match up like this to have any chance of getting going in the UFC. Let’s see who picks up their first win in the big leagues.
