10 Things I Like at UFC Vegas 51
This weekend's "Hangover Card" at the UFC APEX has plenty to offer, including the return of a number of intriguing names and a fantastic main event
This is a deep card with some fascinating matchups and quality opportunities to get extended looks at a bunch of returning veterans and intriguing emerging talents, and that’s honestly all I’m looking for from a “Hangover Card” like this on Easter weekend.
I get that not everyone is going to be as excited as I am for a lineup like this (I’m an ultra-positive outlier when it comes to this stuff), but if you can’t look at the slate headed into the Octagon on Saturday and recognize that a couple of these fights could be outstanding and one or two of these undercard competitors have a real chance to be factors in talent-rich divisions, than you’re not paying close enough attention to the sport and are genuinely missing out.
And so we’re clear: that last statement isn’t for the casual fans that know a handful of names and just like watching some scraps on a Saturday afternoon; it’s for the folks that identify themselves as serious fans and especially for the media types that consistently poo-poo events like this because they can’t be bothered or don’t have the time to pay attention to anyone that doesn’t fall in their laps.
This is a quality card that should be getting more attention, and I look forward to all the “Wow — who knew this card was going to be so terrific?!” reactions on Twitter this weekend.
Here’s what really has me hyped for Saturday.
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Vicente Luque is Fighting
Luque is one of my favourite fighters and I have been championing his skills and merits as a contender since before it was cool to do so; I have the receipts if you would like to see them.
He’s one of the most all-around dangerous fighters in the UFC, operating on instinct and toughness and heart and backed by a complete arsenal of weapons both standing and on the ground. He’s as willing to stand in the pocket and trade shot-for-shot as he is adept at engaging in a grappling match and lacing up a choke with swiftness, as he did against both Tyron Woodley and Michael Chiesa last year.
He’s also on the cusp of title contention in the welterweight division, entering his first main event this weekend on a four-fight winning streak and sporting a 10-2 record since his first meeting with Belal Muhammad at UFC 205.
With a victory on Saturday, Luque is going to put himself in a position to face one of a very select group of individuals next, in either another Fight Night main event or a critical battle on a bigger pay-per-view event, and from there, he’s a win away from a championship opportunity.
This is a massive fight for one of the most consistently entertaining and exciting fighters in the sport, and I can’t believe more people aren’t bouncing off the walls with excitement about it the way I am.
Belal Muhammad’s Unapologetic Approach
This may come as a shock to some, but fighters aren’t always honest or entirely forthright with information when they’re talking to people like me ahead of their fights. They don’t tell you some things, spin others in their favour, and actively avoid some topics altogether, which is why when you get someone that is honest and open about things on the line, the call and the conversation sticks out.
Muhammad is one of those guys, and when we spoke last year ahead of his fight with Dhiego Lima, he spoke about putting pressure on himself heading into his fight with Geoff Neal and the impact that fight had on his approach to things going forward. Here’s what he said:
“For that fight, I was like, ‘I need to be more exciting, do some ‘Showtime’ stuff,’ but that’s not me. I need to be myself, keep doing what got me to the dance — keeping that pressure, keeping that in-your-face style, and hurting you.
“With that fight, I went in there confident that if we get to the third round, he’s going to gas, but I can’t go in there with that mindset anymore. I’ve got to go in there thinking it’s a 10-round fight and if it takes me 10 rounds to break him, it takes me 10 rounds to break him.”
Most folks aren’t giving you that kind of truthfulness, especially in regards to a loss, but Muhammad makes no bones about how he fights, and I honestly believe that knowing who you are and sticking to what works is one of the most important pieces to having success inside the Octagon. The Chicago native understands that his pace, his relentlessness, his pressure are his greatest weapons and biggest assets, and he suffocates you with them, even if that means you call him boring and moan about how many decisions he wins.
I will always ride for fighters like that, and I cannot wait to see Muhammad back out there this weekend.
Baeza-Fialho Could Be Bonkers
Miguel Baeza likes to finish fights and isn't afraid to get into a good old fashioned scrap every now and again. The same goes for Andre Fialho, who earned four stoppages last year to land on the UFC radar.
This weekend, the two of them share the Octagon together and there is a very real possibility that it results in a wildly entertaining, back-and-forth, both-guys-get-rocked slobberknocker and I am all the way here for it.
Yes, it could play out differently, but I’m an optimist… and I also know that with each of them coming off disappointing efforts (and Baeza having lost two straight), they’re going to want to get back into the win column with a splash, which means taking a couple more risks, a couple more chances, and tempting fate.
I will be shocked if this goes the distance and a little surprised if it lasts more than five minutes.
Mayra Bueno Silva’s Bantamweight Debut
As I mentioned yesterday, I think the road to title contention is easier at bantamweight right now than it is at flyweight, which is why I’m curious to see how Bueno Silva’s first UFC appearance at 135 pounds goes on Saturday.
Wu Yanan is a solid measuring stick opponent for this first foray into the bantamweight ranks, and date with the winner of the other bantamweight fight on this card between Lina Lansberg and Pannie Kianzad would be a reasonable step up in competition for the Brazilian, should she emerge victorious. Maybe that’s a bridge too far and too great a jump up the ladder, but the opportunities are there for “Sheetara” to make quick progress if she’s successful this weekend.
What I’m really curious to see is how she approaches this fight (and future fights, honestly) because she’s had her best success in the UFC on the ground, but has been standing with better strikers like Manon Fiorot, which is either a sign of poor Fight IQ or simple stubbornness, neither of which are positives. If she plays to her strengths and can log a quality performance this weekend, I will be really interested to see who she gets matched up with next and how far she can climb in her new division.
Sophomore Season for Pat Sabatini
Without much fanfare, Pat Sabatini turned in one of the better rookie years in the UFC in 2021, earning three victories in as many starts in the competitive featherweight division. Despite toppling an experienced veteran in his debut and collecting a first-round submission win in his second appearance, few people paid much attention to the exploits of the former CFFC champion, who has the same kind of “don’t talk, just do the work” mindset as fellow Philadelphia natives Sean Brady and The Daukaus Brothers.
This weekend, the 31-year-old kicks of this sophomore season in the UFC against TJ Laramie in what feels like a matchup where he can make a real statement.
Sabatini is going to have to win six, seven, eight straight fights before he starts getting mixed in there with established names and ranked opponents because he’s a mild-mannered, blue-collar type of guy inside and outside of the cage, but his contemporaries know he’s quality and aren’t going to be rushing to risk their place in line against someone of like him.
But here’s the thing: I can certainly see Sabatini racking up three more victories this year to push his UFC record to 6-0 and his overall winning streak to eight, and I know from talking to him a few times that he’ll have no qualms about doing it if that’s what it’s going to take to get him to where he wants to be in the future.
The Return of Drakkar Klose
There are a ton of really talented fighters in the UFC lightweight division. So many, in fact, that there are times when skilled competitors with solid resumes fall through the cracks and off the radar for one reason or another, only to resurface and prompt everyone to say, “Oh yeah — that guy!”
Drakkar Klose is “that guy” this week, as the Michigan native and MMA Lab representative returns for the first time in two years to take on Brandon Jenkins.
Klose is 5-2 in the UFC, and 11-2-1 overall. He has wins over Marc Diakiese, Lando Vannata, and Bobby Green, and has only lost to David Teymur (remember him?) and Beneil Dariush, and there were moments in that Dariush fight where it sure seemed like Klose was on the cusp of securing a victory. He was scheduled to compete last April, but was scratched after getting shoved by Jeremy Stephens at weigh-ins and suffering a spinal injury.
Two years off is a long time, so Klose needs a fight like this to get his name back out there and start re-establishing himself in the division, but provided he’s close to where he was prior to this prolonged hiatus, it’s reasonable to assume that he’ll be right back hanging out on the fringes of the Top 15 in a fight or two, serving as a stern test for young hopefuls and a dangerous matchup for ranked fighters looking to keep active and defend this positions.
Ronson’s Odyssey Continues
In hindsight, Jesse Ronson got a real raw deal when he was first released by the UFC.
He fought three divisional stalwarts, including a future interim title challenger, and dropped split decisions to all three, resulting in his release. At the very least, he should have gotten one more chance, against someone a little further down the ranks than the crew he faced, just to see for sure whether it’s that he couldn’t hang in the Octagon at the time or that he was fighting a little out of his depths.
The second time he got let go, he didn’t even make it to the Octagon, as a couple days after he accepted a short-notice assignment, he was deemed too heavy to safely attempt to cut to lightweight in the time he had, which scuttled the proposed contest and led to his release. He was told a third chance wasn’t in the cards, but he got one nonetheless, and appeared to make the most of it, venturing to Fight Island in the summer of 2020 and submitting Nicolas Dalby.
And then he popped for a banned substance, and while he maintains his innocence, the Canadian veteran still had to accept a lengthy suspension.
Ronson returns this weekend against Rafa Garcia, still searching for his first UFC win and a way to close this chapter of his career.
It’s been a truly unique odyssey for the London, Ontario native, and I can’t wait to see how the story continues to unfold this weekend.
Chris Barnett is Fighting
Need I say more?
I Want to Know More About… Jordan Leavitt
I’ve been intrigued by “The Monkey King” since his appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series, where he submitted Jose Flores in the first round. He’s someone I’d heard good things about from people I trust and respect, and then he turned in a strong performance to earn a contract.
When he debuted, he slammed Matt Wiman into The Shadow Realm, and honestly seemed a little shocked that he was capable of doing such a thing, even though it was something he was actively trying to do. Leavitt dropped his sophomore appearance to Claudio Puelles, and at the time, I remember thinking, “Alright, I’m probably too high on this guy,” but the Puelles went out and kneebar’ed Chris Gruetzemacher at the end of the year to earn his fourth straight win and Leavitt caught Matt Sayles in an inverted triangle and I climbed back on the bandwagon.
Saturday’s fight against Trey Ogden is another chance to make another read on where Leavitt is at in his development as a fighter and where he fits within the current lightweight landscape. He’s only 26, so he has plenty of time to continue to grow and improve, but he’s also 9-1 with a couple solid UFC wins, which makes me think he’s got a chance to be more than just a guy that hangs out in the lower third of the division long term.
I know most folks don’t think about preliminary card fights in this much detail (or at all), but these are honestly some of the moments I love the most each weekend.
“Do or Die” for Sam Hughes
Sam Hughes needs a win on Saturday; ain’t no two ways about it.
The 29-year-old has lost each of her first three UFC appearances and four of her last five after beginning her career with four straight victories, and a loss to Istela Nunes this weekend would likely mean a return to the regional circuit for the Wofford College alum.
She’s made some major changes ahead of this one, moving from Washington state to the Dallas area, where she’s now training with Sayif Saud and the crew at Fortis MMA. Hughes is a good athlete who is still figuring out how to be a good fighter, and “The General” is one of the best in the business at working with developing fighters and maximizing their talents, so I’m eager to see what Hughes looks like after her first three or four months training with this team.
Nunes is tough and similarly in need of a win, so she’s going to need to be at her best, but I will not be at all surprised if we see the absolute best version of Hughes yet this weekend.