If the last 2 UFC cards were a display for up-and-coming or overlooked skills, then Saturdays program serves to put the spotlight back on some familiar faces.
Robert Whittaker completes for the first time considering that losing his middleweight belt to Israel Adesanya. “The Reaper” returns from a much-needed break to recuperate from what he called “burnout,” and he now needs to defend his area versus recent divisional debutant Darren Till. It took Till six fights to earn his first UFC title shot, could he introduce himself into a meeting with Adesanya (or Paulo Costa) by knocking off Whittaker?
There are covert gems in the UFC on ESPN 14 lineup, however a quick glance exposes 4 previous UFC champs on the card as well as 3 fighters who have actually contended for UFC titles. Okay for the last event of the promotions initial visit to Fight Island.
The stakes in the co-main arent as high, but the matchmakers are tipping the proverbial cap to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira by giving their trilogy bout a popular spot, as it will be among the last times we see either man contend. Shogun has acknowledged his career death a number of times in recent years, while “Minotouru” has already stated he expects Saturday to mark completion of his 19-year profession.
2 other previous champions remain in play, with former heavyweight king Fabricio Werdum inviting three-time light heavyweight title opposition Alexander Gustafsson to a brand-new division, and inaugural UFC strawweight champ Carla Esparza facing the undefeated Marina Rodriguez.
In other main card action, scorecard-averse light heavyweights Paul Craig and Gadzhimurad Antigulov clash, welterweight veteran Alex Oliveira handles Peter Sobotta, and Khamzat Chimaev contends for the second time in 10 days when he fulfills debuting Cage Warriors standout Rhys McKee in a welterweight bout.
What: UFC on ESPN 14
Where: Yas Island in Abu Dhabi
Paul Craig vs. Gadzhimurad Antigulov
Dismissing Whittaker at this stage of his profession would be recklessness. Simply 29, “The Reaper” is still among the pound-for-pound elite even if he left a couple of pounds of flesh in the cage going 50 minutes with Yoel Romero. Hes few and insanely tough are much better at recuperating from misfortune than Whittaker, which might be his most important attribute when he fights Darren Till.
Pick: Chimaev.
The previous UFC champion is a grinder and her first order of company will be to get on the inside of the lanky Rodriguez to cut off her offensive options. A fighter who has yet to see the second round since joining the UFC, Antigulov wants to initiate the action as quickly as possible and the early moments of this fight might see him doing major damage to Craig in the clinch and on the mat.
This is such an exceptional match in between prospects, its a pity that one needs to take their very first UFC loss. Rhys McKee, 24, has all the makings of a future favorite with his fan friendly design, however hes encountering a bulldozer here in Khamzat Chimaev
Mauricio Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Select: Rodriguez
Fabricio Werdum vs. Alexander Gustafsson
One could argue that Marina Rodriguezs rough 3rd round against Cynthia Calvillo exposed her grappling shortcomings, however theres a couple of things to remember: 1) Calvillo terribly missed weight for that fight and you have to believe that the strength benefit benefited her as time went on and 2) Rodriguez showed impressive survival skills with Calvillo pouring on the ground-and-pound. That should be the sort of battle that makes a professional athlete better, not worse.
Choose: Sobotta
Alex Oliveira is always a prospect to take the Fight of the Night, specifically when matched up against somebody with a comparable skill set. Its regrettable that Peter Sobotta fights so hardly ever, since hes the type of well-rounded fighter that brings out the very best in his opponents and Oliveira need to be no various.
Gustafsson by choice.
Nathaniel Wood def. John Castaneda
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Rhys McKee
Need to Rodriguezs takedown defense have stagnated, shell be easy marks for Carla Esparza. The previous UFC champ is a mill and her first order of business will be to get on the within the slender Rodriguez to cut off her offending alternatives. From there, its a matter of driving Rodriguez into the cage and getting those valuable takedowns.
The clear advantage in this matchup needs to go to Shogun Hes constantly been a better striker and a much better professional athlete than Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and 5 years given that their 2nd meeting theres no factor to presume that any of that has altered.
Tom Aspinall def. Jake Collier
Jai Herbert def. Francisco Trinaldo
Mike Grundy def. Movsar Evloev
A fighter who has yet to see the 2nd round because joining the UFC, Antigulov desires to start the action as soon as possible and the early moments of this fight might see him doing major damage to Craig in the clinch and on the mat. Craig has actually earned a credibility as a resurgence artist for a factor and I completely anticipate him to pull another rabbit out of his hat. With Antigulov hammering away from leading position, Craig will find a method to either attack from bottom or sweep and before Antigulov understands whats occurring, “Bearjew” will have him tapping out.
Taking a 2nd battle in 10 days may actually benefit Chimaev as he was hardly touched in his win over John Phillips and now is the time for him to keep the great times rolling. Hes an elite wrestler and hes going to shoot in right off the bat to set the tone. In terms of body, hes similar to McKee, but McKee needs to have the advantage on the feet due to his sly power.
Pick: Craig
Pick: Shogun.
Hello Alexander Gustafsson, welcome to the heavyweight division! A previous UFC champ with one of the deadliest ground games in MMA.
As I stated above, Im confident that Rodriguezs group has emphasized wrestling defense. On the feet, shell piece up the much shorter Esparza with her straight mixes and lethal clinch game. A scrappy Esparza will not go down easy, but as soon as Rodriguez gets those long limbs shooting, she might end this one inside the range.
Choose: Gustafsson
At 42, I do not trust Werdum to be able to regularly take Gustafsson down and I see his energy waning by the 2nd round. Thats Gustafssons time to begin putting on the pressure and developing a benefit on the scorecards.
Lets just hope that these 2 grapplers dont reduce the effects of each other to the point that we get the dreaded “jiu-jitsu guys lukewarm kickboxing bout.” Paul Craig showed he has a practical striking game by going the distance with Shogun in his latest trip, but the real enjoyable here will be seeing how his submission abilities match up versus those of Gadzhimurad Antigulov.
One wrinkle to consider is that Nogueira just might eschew any form of strategy and comes out looking to stand and bang. With respect to Nogueira, his durability has just trended downward in the golden of his profession and while this should be an enjoyable fight, its Rua who will emerge as the winner.
It took Till six battles to earn his first UFC title shot, could he introduce himself into a conference with Adesanya (or Paulo Costa) by knocking off Whittaker?
For McKee he will not get the possibility to reveal much of his busy striking game. Chimaev will plant him on his butt rapidly and end up on the ground in either the first or second round.
Theres plenty of space for drama in the champion rounds and in a battle of wills, I prefer the previous titleholder. I cant see Till evading Whittakers best shots for five rounds and after the tide turns in the 3rd, Whittaker will discover the off-switch and put Till down for the count in either the fourth or 5th.
Preliminaries
Select: Whittaker
Robert Whittaker vs. Darren Till
For numerous, its going to be hard to shake the image of Robert Whittaker being outclassed and ended up by Israel Adesanya in his most current battle. Whether it was uncharacteristic negligence by Whittaker or simply the composing on the wall that a superior champ had actually shown up, the results left something to be desired.
Carla Esparza vs. Marina Rodriguez
When: Saturday, July 25. The whole occasion will air on ESPN and ESPN+, with the eight-fight preliminaries starting at 5 p.m. ET, and the five-fight main card beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
Alex Oliveira vs. Peter Sobotta
Nicolas Dalby def. Jesse Ronson
A previous UFC champion with one of the most dangerous ground video games in MMA. Thats Gustafssons time to start pouring on the pressure and constructing a benefit on the scorecards.
Tanner Boser def. Raphael Pessoa
Pannie Kianzad def. Bethe Correia
Ramazan Emeev def. Niklas Stolze
Despite the tough draw for Gustafssons heavyweight launching, I still like his chances. Knockout power is another question as Gustafsson has actually constantly been more of a “death by a dozen cuts” type. Thats not necessarily a bad thing at heavyweight, especially if Gustafssons cardio equates.
Try to find this one to be contested on all fronts for as long as it lasts, with Oliveira and Sobotta trading strikes from distance and participating in some enjoyable scrambles once they get a hold of one another. Im in fact predicting that this will not last long as I have this image in my head of Sobotta capturing Oliveira with a submission in round one. Well see how it plays out.
Till doesnt have the finishing power of Romero or Adesanya, but he does have a tricky and accurate striking design and the capability irritate opponents. Its easy to imagine him edging out the very first two rounds on the scorecards with his exceptional range battling, requiring Whittaker to adjust and mount a return.
