Holloway Vs Kattar: Fight By Fight Preview

CARLOS CONDIT vs. MATT BROWN

A bout between veteran welterweights that has been booked twice before and never materialized is finally going to happen as “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit and Matt “The Immortal” Brown will throw down this weekend.

Condit ended a nearly two-year hiatus in October, returning to the Octagon and the win column with a unanimous decision victory over Court McGee, snapping a five-fight losing streak that stretched all the way back to his UFC 195 title fight loss to Robbie Lawler. The former interim champion and WEC titleholder looked sharp and engaged, taking the best McGee had to offer and responding in kind en route to a sweep of the scorecards.

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Brown ended a two-year hiatus the previous year, returning at UFC 245 to collect a second-round stoppage win over Ben Saunders, but wasn’t as fortunate in 2020. After rocking youngster Miguel Baeza early in their May clash in Jacksonville, the former Ultimate Fighter contestant landed on the wrong side of a rally, as the promising newcomer regained his wits, turned the tables in the second half of the first round, and earned the finish 18 seconds into the middle stanza.

While their days as title contenders are certainly behind them, both of these veterans have made a career of delivering entertaining fights each and every time they grace the Octagon, and no one should expect any different this weekend.

Santiago PONZINIBBIO vs. LI JINGLIANG

A returning contender looks to re-establish his place in the welterweight pecking order on Saturday as Santiago Ponzinibbio makes his first appearance since the end of 2018 in a clash with Chinese stalwart Li Jingliang.

The 34-year-old Ponzinibbio hasn’t fought since earning a fourth-round stoppage win over Neil Magny on November 17, 2018, a victory that pushed his winning streak to seven. The Argentinian has faced numerous medical hurdles since then but is finally healthy and eager to continue his march towards the top of the division.

Li also hasn’t fought since facing Neil Magny, but that came last March at UFC 248, when the veteran landed on the wrong side of the cards against the durable Elevation Fight Team member. The loss snapped a three-fight winning streak for “The Leech,” who has won seven of his last nine bouts and is beginning his eighth year on the UFC roster.

This is an incredibly compelling and critical fight in the 170-pound weight class as Ponzinibbio was in the thick of the title chase before encountering his various medical issues and could be an immediate dark horse contender in the division if he adds an eighth consecutive victory to his resume this weekend.

That said, Li has made considerable strides over the last couple years and entered his UFC 248 bout with Magny as the betting favorite, so a return to the win column and an impressive outing against the “Argentine Dagger” could quickly get him moving in the right direction again.

JOAQUIN BUCKLEY vs. ALESSIO DI CHIRICO

Following a breakout rookie year, Joaquin Buckley looks to kick off his sophomore campaign inside the Octagon with a third straight victory as he takes on Italian tough out Alessio Di Chirico.

Buckley made his promotional debut on short notice last August, stepping in against Kevin Holland nine days after registering a second-round finish under the LFA banner, eventually getting stopped early in the third round. But the 26-year-old showed what he’s really capable of in his next two outings, delivering the Knockout of the Year in a win over Impa Kasanganay and following it up with another devastating finish against Jordan Wright six weeks later.

Where Buckley comes in riding high, Di Chirico enters from the opposite side of things, having dropped three straight, all by decision. The 31-year-old from Rome has continually shown improvements each time out and each of his recent setbacks have been closer, more competitive fights than the words “unanimous decision” conjures up.

Can Buckley continue his rise up the middleweight ranks, or will Di Chirico halt his momentum while breaking out of his slump?

PUNAHELE SORIANO vs. DUSKO TODOROVIC

It’s a battle of undefeated members of the Contender Series graduating class of 2019 as Punahele Soriano and Dusko Todorovic go toe-to-toe to see who’s “0” will go.

The 28-year-old Soriano, who trains at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, punched his ticket to the UFC with a hard-fought win over Jamie Pickett on the first episode of the third season of the summer talent search, then followed it up with an emphatic first-round stoppage win over Oskar Piechota in his promotional debut at UFC 245. He was forced to withdraw from a pair of bookings last year but is now ready to make the walk to the Octagon in search of his eighth straight victory.

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While Soriano was part of the first Contender Series event of 2019, Todorovic earned the final victory and final contract on Season 3, out-hustling Canadian veteran Teddy Ash to secure his spot on the UFC roster. After missing out on the chance to face John Phillips last summer, opening the door for the arrival of Khamzat Chimaev, the 26-year-old Serbian pushed his record to 10-0 with a second-round stoppage win over Dequan Townsend in October.

Both of these middleweights have shown flashes of potential, impressive power, and sound finishing instincts early in their UFC careers, and it will be interesting to see which of them takes another step forward with a victory on Saturday.

WU YANAN VS. JOSELYNE EDWARDS

Bantamweight Wu Yanan looks to establish herself as the latest emerging talent from China to make waves in the UFC as she gets an early start to her 2021 campaign in this clash with Panamanian newcomer Joselyne Edwards.

“Mulan” has made the trek into the Octagon three times in her career, competing once in each of 2017, 2018, and 2019, sandwiching a victory over Lauren Mueller between losses to Gina Mazany and Mizuki. This weekend’s engagement marks a return to the bantamweight division after a two-fight departure to flyweight, and it will be interesting to see what kind of adjustments and improvements the young Chinese fighter has made after a year away from competition.

Edwards replaces Brazilian veteran Bethe Correia, who was forced from the pairing due to an emergency appendectomy last week. The 25-year-old battled recent Contender Series graduate and UFC newcomer Sarah Alpar to a split decision loss in late 2018 and returned for the first time since then to register a first-round stoppage victory in her most recent appearance during the summer.

Can Wu kick off her fourth year on the UFC roster with an emphatic victory or will Edwards make the most of this short-notice opportunity and secure a win in her promotional debut?

OMARI AKHMEDOV VS. TOM BREESE

The first of four intriguing middleweight contests to hit the Octagon on Saturday features veteran stalwart Omari Akhmedov facing off British up-and-comer Tom Breese.

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Akhmedov parlayed a six-fight unbeaten streak into the biggest opportunity of his career in 2020 — a showdown with former middleweight champ Chris Weidman. Though he landed on the wrong side of the results, it was the kind of performance that solidified the 33-year-old as a tough out in the lower third of the Top 15 and a dangerous potential foe for anyone looking to work their way into the middleweight rankings.

Breese made his first appearance in nearly two years in February, but ran into a driven Brendan Allen, resulting in the first stoppage loss of his career. But the Birmingham native returned to the Octagon in October and showed why he was once considered one of the top prospects in the sport, bouncing KB Bhullar from the ranks of the unbeaten with swift, powerful strikes in less than two minutes.

As previously mentioned, the 185-pound weight class has been a sea of constant change over the last couple years and Breese has a chance to take a major step forward with a second consecutive victory this weekend. But Akhmedov is a savvy, seasoned hand with designs on getting back into the win column and restarting his own climb towards contention.

CARLOS FELIPE VS. JUSTIN TAFA

Heavyweight neophytes with identical 1-1 records inside the Octagon and a shared opponent meet in this potential slugfest as Carlos Felipe takes on Justin Tafa.

After serving a two-year suspension for a USADA violation, Felipe finally made his promotional debut in July, landing on the wrong side of a majority decision loss against Serghei Spivac. He returned to action less than three months later and looked much better, registering a unanimous decision win over Yorgan De Castro to push his record to 9-1 heading into 2021.

Tafa made his promotional debut at UFC 243 in Melbourne, eating a counter right hand from De Castro as he raced forward early in the opening round that put him on the deck. The 27-year-old “Bad Man” returned for his sophomore appearance in the Octagon in February, dispatching Juan Adams with a torrent of punches in a tick under two minutes to collect his first UFC triumph.

Both men throw everything with vicious intent and neither man is particularly fond of taking a backwards step, so Saturday night’s lone heavyweight contest has the potential to be an explosive affair that ends with a bang.

DAVID ZAWADA VS. RAMAZAN EMEEV

Veteran welterweights kick off their 2021 campaign inside the Octagon as David Zawada and Ramazan Emeev face off in the first UFC bout of the new year.

The 30-year-old German gave a very strong accounting for himself in his short-notice promotional debut against Danny Roberts in the summer of 2017, only to get folded over by a fierce body kick from Li Jingliang in his sophomore appearance in the Octagon four months later. He rebounded nicely with a slick first-round submission win over Abubakar Nurmagomedov in November 2019 before an event cancellation and an opponent withdrawal left him on the sidelines for the whole of last year.

Emeev had his lengthy winning streak snapped at the tail end of 2019 by Anthony Rocco Martin, but made an expedient return to the win column last summer, out-hustling Niklas Stolze on Fight Island at the end of July to pick up his 19th career victory. Now 4-1 in the UFC, the 33-year-old can push closer to the Top 15 with another victory on Saturday night.

The welterweight division has always been one of the deepest in the sport and remains so this year, with Zawada and Emeev currently residing in the vast middle tier in the talent-rich weight class. Both are skilled, well-rounded fighters, so the opening bout of 2021 should get this event and the year ahead off to a quality start.