GINA MAZANY VS. PRISCILA CACHOEIRA
It’s a battle between fighters coming off the best UFC efforts of their careers as Gina Mazany and Priscila Cachoeira clash in this preliminary card pairing.
A veteran of the fight game who took a number of tough, short-notice assignments over her first five UFC appearances, Mazany had two months to prepare for her flyweight debut against Rachael Ostovich last November and came away with a third-round stoppage win. Now residing in Missouri and training with James Krause and the crew at Glory MMA & Fitness, it will be interesting to see how “Danger” does in her second appearance in the 125-pound weight class and coming off her best performance in years.
Cachoeira ended a three-fight losing streak and registered the first win of her career last February, earning a Performance of the Night bonus for her 40-second knockout of Shana Dobson in Auckland, New Zealand. The Brazilian “Zombie Girl” was slated to return in October but was forced to withdraw from her bout with Cortney Casey the day before the event due to issues with her weight cut.
KEVIN AGUILAR VS. TUCKER LUTZ
Texas native Kevin Aguilar looks to snap a three-fight slide as he competes in his home state for the first time in three years when he welcomes Tucker Lutz to the UFC this weekend at UFC 262.
A fixture under the Legacy banner during both of its iterations, Aguilar arrived in the UFC with a 15-1 record and pushed that mark to 17-1 with victories over Rick Glenn and Enrique Barzola in his first two appearances. Since then, the 32-year-old “Angel of Death” has dropped three straight, including a split decision loss to Charles Rosa last time out.
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Lutz made tandem appearances on the Contender Series in September and November of last year, earning unanimous decision wins over Chase Gibson and Sherrard Blackledge to push his record to 11-1 and land a UFC contract. The 26-year-old has faced limited competition over the course of his career but has rattled off 11 consecutive victories since dropping his professional debut.
CHRISTOS GIAGOS VS. SEAN SORIANO
Business gets underway on Saturday night in the lightweight division as Christos Giagos welcomes Sean Soriano back to the Octagon.
After dropping two of three against tough competition in his first stint with the UFC, the 31-year-old Giagos has found his footing the second time around, posting three wins in his last four appearances. He was limited to a single appearance last year due to injury, but made the most of it, grinding out a decision win over Carlton Minus.
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Like Giagos, the now 31-year-old Soriano fought a nasty slate in his initial go-round in the Octagon, suffering consecutive losses to Tatsuya Kawajiri, Chas Skelly, and Charles Rosa to go from 8-0 to 8-3 as he returned to the regional circuit. Of late, the Sanford MMA representative has been sharp, registering three straight wins, including a first-round stoppage victory over Noad Lahat last time out, to earn this short-notice call back to the UFC cage.
Second chances are hard to come by at this level. Giagos is already doing his best to make the most of his, you can be sure Soriano will be looking to do the same on Saturday, making this impromptu pairing an intriguing way to kick off what should be an entertaining night for action in Houston, Texas on Saturday.
