BOBBY GREEN VS. JIM MILLER
Lightweight veterans with a combined 87 pro fights under their belts clash in the final preliminary card pairing as Bobby Green and Jim Miller continue on their tandem quests to fight literally everyone that competes in the 155-pound weight class.
After only fighting once in 2019, Green fought four times in five months last year, registering victories over Clay Guida, Lando Vannata, and Alan Patrick before dropping a close decision to Thiago Moises on Halloween. The Inland Empire native has slick boxing, strong wrestling, and quality takedown defense, which makes him a perennial tough out in a division laced with perennial tough outs.
Miller will once again have top spot on the list of fighters with the most UFC appearances all to himself as of Saturday, as he makes the walk for the 37th time, one more than Donald Cerrone. He also looks to move into a tie for second place on the all-time wins list with Demian Maia by securing his 22nd victory, one fewer than Georges St-Pierre.
The fact that he’s in such illustrious and exclusive company should tell you everything you need to know about Miller’s durability, competitiveness, and class inside the cage, and should get you pumped to see these two divisional staples trade blows this weekend.
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RODOLFO VIEIRA VS. ANTHONY HERNANDEZ
The first of three middleweight pairings to hit the Octagon on Saturday night is a matchup of divisional hopefuls moving in opposite directions, as Rodolfo Vieira looks to secure his third straight UFC win, while Anthony Hernandez aims to bring his record to 2-2 with a return trip to the win column this weekend.
A truly world-class jiu-jitsu player, Vieira has made a smooth, though not seamless, transition to mixed martial arts, amassing a perfect 7-0 record to begin his career. He’s earned submission finishes in each of his two previous UFC appearances, but faced some resistance in both fights, so it will be interesting to see what types of improvements and advances he’s made since his lone appearance of 2020 at UFC 248.
Hernandez began his UFC career with two fights that ended via anaconda choke — the first was a loss to Markus Perez, and the second was a victory over Jun Yong Park seven months later. In his only outing last year, “Fluffy” lasted just 39 seconds against Kevin Holland, getting doubled over by a knee to the midsection right out of the gates in Jacksonville, Florida.
Vieira has shown intriguing potential through his first two UFC starts and Hernandez flashed upside on his way to the Octagon, which makes this preliminary card clash of 185-pound hopefuls one of the more intriguing and potentially instructive bouts of the evening.
