10 Things I Like: UFC Vegas 18 Edition
Looking at the elements of this weekend's return to the UFC Apex that have me excited for Saturday night
Alistair Overeem’s “One Final Run”
Very seldom do veteran fighters get to control their own destiny when it comes to the late stages and final opportunities of their careers. The skills slowly erode, the losses begin to mount, and in what feels like a blink of an eye, you’ve gone from competing on the biggest stage in the sport to sitting at home pondering what comes next.
Alistair Overeem is acutely aware of the fact that he’s in the twilight of his career and after more than two decades and nearly 100 combined fights, the 40-year-old heavyweight has no intention of sticking around too much longer, but he’s also not ready to walk away quite yet.
At the outset of last year, Overeem set out to make “One Final Run” at the UFC heavyweight title, and after stoppage victories over Walt Harris and Augusto Sakai, the Dutch superstar headlines this weekend against Alexander Volkov in an bout with legitimate “top of the food chain” ramifications.
I spoken with Overeem throughout his UFC career and have really enjoyed our last couple conversations as he’s embarked on this adventure because there is a different level of openness and honesty to the him. He’s acknowledged that not winning UFC gold would bother him when you used to say it didn’t matter, and he knows it’s the missing piece of the puzzle that would secure his legacy, though he’s already done enough to carve out a place in the annals of MMA history.
The fact that he’s still very much in the mix after all these years, all these fights, the various ups and downs is a testament to his ability to regroup after setbacks, his passion for his craft, and his willingness to change things up when the situation calls for it.
It’s been fun to watch, and if it ends on Saturday, it’s been one helluva ride.
Seismic Events on the Heavyweight Horizon
Here’s a list of all the heavyweight fights set to take place inside the Octagon between this weekend and the end of March, in chronological order:
Overeem vs. Volkov
Serghei Spivac vs. Jared Vanderaa
Andrei Arlovski vs. Tom Aspinall
Aleksei Oleinik vs. Chris Daukaus
Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis
Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Ciryl Gane
Ben Rothwell vs. Philipe Lins
Tai Tuivasa vs. Don’Tale Mayes
Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou
Those nine bouts include the champion and top seven contenders, as well as the man currently stationed at No. 10 in the rankings (Oleinik), two intriguing upstarts (Daukaus, Aspinall), and a possible post-hype sleeper (Tuivasa) who is still only 27 years old.
A dozen of the 18 fighters listed above landed on my Fighters to Watch list and to have that many of them paired off and competing in such a short period of time is exciting, not only for the next couple months, but for what it means for the division going forward.
By the time the start of April rolls around, the heavyweight landscape could look completely different, and at the very least, we’ll have some clarity about what the next set of matchups could look like. There are half-a-dozen fight combinations you could put together out of these fights that I would circle on my calendar in the spring and summer, and that’s probably being conservative.
If the old belief that things are better when the heavyweight division is active and thriving is true, than things are about to be pretty, pretty nice in the UFC over the next bunch of months.
Literally Everything About Cory Sandhagen
There is nothing about the way Sandhagen operates inside or outside of the cage that I don’t like and I genuinely get excited every time he’s set to step into the Octagon.
I like that he seems like a quiet, chill dude, but has a gnarly back tattoo and is vicious inside the cage.
I like that he handles his business and let’s the chips fall where they may, rather than constantly self-promoting or lobbying for matchups or doing much of anything other than living on social media.
I like that his IG caption denotes his place in the bantamweight division and then follows with a quote from the Lords of the Underground classic “Chief Rocka.”
I like that he always — ALWAYS — attacks the body early and often.
I like that after getting quickly submitted by Aljamain Sterling, he hustled back into the Octagon and kicked Marlon Moraes in the head.
And I like that in three years, he went from UFC newcomer to Top 5 bantamweight by simply accepting every challenge placed before him and attacking them all with confidence, class, and fierce competitiveness.
The Longevity and Perseverance of Frankie Edgar
Frankie Edgar is in his 17th year as a professional mixed martial artist. He’s more than a decade removed from winning the UFC lightweight title and nine years removed from dropping to featherweight and facing Jose Aldo for that belt right out of the gate.
On Saturday night, he could be fighting for a chance to challenge for championship gold in a third division and the simple fact that he’s even in this position is astounding to me; not because I didn’t think he could do it, but because I can’t think of anyone else capable of achieving such a feat.
He’s gone down in weight twice and immediately established himself as a top contender, and he’s doing it now at age 39, which I’m allowed to marvel at because I’m 42 and I understand what being 39 is like, even if my 39 and his 39 were very, very different experiences.
This dude could have said, “Time to go hang out with the fam,” after going 1-3 against the featherweight elite, but instead, he was like, “My coaches have always been bugging me to fight at bantamweight, so let me try that” and dove head-first into one of the deepest, most competitive fields in the UFC… and looked great. Even if you don’t think he won his debut, you have to admit he didn’t look out of place in there with Pedro Munhoz, the resident “truth machine” of the 135-pound weight class.
If Edgar wins on Saturday night, I say give him the next bantamweight title shot, in part because he’ll have genuinely earned it if he can get by Sandhagen, but also because are you fucking kidding me with this guy!?
This series may be called “10 Things I Like,” but I tell you what: I love me some Frankie Edgar, and it has nothing to do with our shared name.
I Want to Know More About: Manel Kape
Saturday marks the long-awaited debut of former RIZIN bantamweight champ Manel Kape in the UFC after a pair of failed attempts to get him into the Octagon last year.
While I too have seen his exploits from Japan, “Starboy” is one of those fighters that I just want to see inside the Octagon in order to get an even better read on where he fits in the division, especially after a year off. As much as I believe he’s an instant contender, he needs a win to secure that position, which is why I’m amped to see him make the walk this weekend and take on Alexandre Pantoja, who is the perfect initial test for him in the UFC.
D’you know what amplified this even more for me in the last couple days though? Speaking with Kape and hearing the unwavering confidence he possesses.
Not only did he break down how he plans to finish Pantoja on Saturday, but he offered his assessments of Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno too and man did it ever make me want to see all three of those fights because I know how good “The Cannibal,” “Deus da Guerra,” and “The Assassin Baby” are and Kape believes he would just straight up level all three without much effort.
I cannot wait for this one.
This Week’s Reminder that Lightweight is Loaded
Carlos Diego Ferreira and Beneil Dariush will kick off the main card on Saturday in a rematch of their October 2014 encounter, which Dariush won by unanimous decision.
Both were on the rise then and both are back on the rise now, entering with six- and five-fight winning streaks respectively, while stationed at Now. 10 and 13 in the lightweight rankings.
Lightweight is always in the spotlight because of its depth and big names at the top of the division, but MMAFighting.com’s Mike Heck said what I think a lot of people are feeling heading into this weekend:
The winner of this one is very much in the mix in the 155-pound weight class and while neither Ferreira nor Dariush have the name recognition of some of their more famous and popular lightweight contemporaries, discounting either as possible contenders would be a mistake, as the former dominated Anthony Pettis last January at UFC 246 and the latter has earned four straight finishes heading into this weekend.
This is one of those fights where hardcore fans need to reach out to the casual community and make sure they understand the divisional significance and overall awesomeness of this matchup because after Saturday, one of these dudes is going to be fighting someone those casuals really, really like and they’re very much capable of beating them.
Catchweight Fights and Temporarily Changing Divisions
Cody Stamann was supposed to return to bantamweight this weekend, but when his original opponent, Andre Ewell, was pulled from the card due to COVID protocol rules, he opted to stick around and square off with newcomer Askar Askar at featherweight.
The same goes for Timur Valiev, who was slated to face Julio Arce at ‘35, but will now throw down with Martin Day at ‘45 instead, and Ode Osbourne, who was scheduled for a catchweight bout against Denys Bondar and will now face Jerome Rivera at featherweight as well.
On top of that, lightweight Devonte Smith will now lock horns with Justin Jaynes at a catchweight of 160 pounds after his original opponent, Alex da Silva, was scratched over the weekend.
This has become a recurring trend in the UFC over the last year and I have to say I am all in favor of it continuing, even once we’re largely clear of COVID, whenever that may be.
The aim should always be to put on the best fights possible, and if that means giving a short-notice fighter five extra pounds they don’t have to cut in order to make it to the Octagon, that’s cool by me, and it also makes things easier for the fighter that lost their original opponent too, because they don’t have to prep for someone new and tax their system to make weight.
Bellator has never been shy about running catchweight fights — and are perhaps too liberal with them as scheduled bouts — and it’s nice to see the UFC starting to recognize the greater overall value of taking this approach when things go sideways leading up to Fight Night.
Fighter I Can’t Quit: Devonte Smith
This is more of a pre-emptive acknowledgement than a case of a struggling fighter stepping back into the cage and me having unwavering belief that better days are right around the corner.
Smith is a likeable 27-year-old training out of Factory X Muay Thai, and this weekend, he returns from a 17-month layoff filled with challenges, heartbreak, and mistaken identity, as the great Thomas Gerbasi laid out earlier in the preamble to Saturday’s event:
Smith was lights out in his Contender Series win over Joseph Lowry and looked real sharp registering first-round stoppage wins over Julian Erosa and Dong Hyun Ma to start his UFC run before losing to Khama Worthy at UFC 241, and my belief is that we’ll see him get back to his winning ways and re-establish himself as one of the top emerging lightweights in the division over the course of 2021.
But even if he doesn’t, you know I’ll be here next time he fights, telling you all how he’s just one or two adjustments and a couple good wins away from going on a run.
Joselyne Edwards’ Angela Hill Impression
“La Pantera” is stepping in to replace Nicco Montano this weekend and making her second appearance of 2021 just three weeks after winning her debut in a fight that she also took on short notice, and it immediately made me think of Hill.
Last year, “Overkill” started the year with a short-notice win over Hannah Cifers, then quickly jumped at the opportunity to hustle back into the cage, filling in for Hannah Goldy opposite Loma Lookboonme to post two wins before most competitors had made their first start of the year. That early activity and success catapulted her into the rankings and more significant matchups later in the year, and I genuinely believe Edwards could follow the same path here.
After beating Wu Yanan on the first event of 2021, the 25-year-old from Panama squares off with Karol Rosa on Saturday, and a second consecutive victory instantly makes her one of the most intriguing names to track in the bantamweight division this year. While she would still have some work to do before breaking into the Top 15, two wins in four weeks would certainly put her on the radar and one more quality win could earn her a date with someone in the lower third of the rankings, especially if it comes before the midway point of the year.
These are the kinds of stories I love and you can bet I will be paying close attention to Edwards’ sophomore outing this weekend.
The Return of “The Moroccan Devil”
Youssef Zalal went 3-1 in his rookie season in the UFC last year and kicks off his sophomore campaign with a short-notice opportunity against SeungWoo Choi on Saturday.
Like his teammate Devonte Smith, Zalal is one of those fighters I will continue to look forward to seeing compete every time out because he shows a ton of promise and I believe he has serious upside in the featherweight division. He was cruising through his first year on the roster heading into the fall, having registered a trio of decision wins to push his record to 10-2 overall when Choi was forced to withdraw from their October meeting on Fight Island.
Ilia Topuria stepped in, handed Zalal a unanimous decision loss, and then went on to light up Damon Jackson in his second outings, instantly becoming one of the most interesting young fighters on the roster in the process, but that loss doesn’t lessen my interest in or excitement about Zalal as a prospect.
Topuria looks like the real deal and Zalal went the distance with him on short notice in a bout where he had to fight through some adversity. For a 24-year-old fighter still in the formative stages of his career, that’s a tremendous learning opportunity and the kind of situation which could potentially serve him well long-term.
What a young fighter does after a fight like that is crucial, so I will be interested to see how Marc Montoya coaches him up coming off that fight and how Zalal responds.
Enjoy the fights.