MELSIK BAGHDASARYAN VS BRUNO SOUZA
Contender Series alum Melsik Baghdasaryan looks for his second UFC victory of 2021 as he takes on streaking LFA champ Bruno Souza in this intriguing short-notice matchup.
A long-time kickboxer, Baghdasaryan began his full transition into MMA in 2019, winning six straight, including a unanimous decision win over Dennis Buzukja last fall at the UFC APEX. While he didn’t earn a contract that night, “The Gun” was called to the Octagon nonetheless and showed why at the end of July, putting it on Collin Anglin for just under seven minutes to earn a second-round stoppage victory.
Since losing his debut in the summer of 2016, the 25-year-old Souza has rattled off 10 straight victories, half of them coming inside the LFA cage, where the Machida Karate representative claimed the vacant featherweight title last time out. Souza holds split decision wins over UFC fighter Kamuela Kirk and Fortis MMA prospect Elijah Johns, and despite being tapped on short notice, “The Tiger” should be ready for whatever Baghdasaryan has to offer on Saturday night.
CJ VERGARA VS ODE’ OSBOURNE
It’s a battle of Dana White’s Contender Series graduates in the flyweight division to get the night started as CJ Vergara squares off with Ode’ Osbourne.
The second fighter to earn a contract on Season 5 and step into the Octagon, Vergara made quick work of the favored and far more established Bruno Korea in September, running through the Ultimate Fighter alum in 41 seconds. Trained by “The Secret Weapon” Pete Spratt, the 30-year-old Vergara has earned five straight victories, all by stoppage, and arrives in the UFC as an intriguing addition to the 125-pound weight class.
Osbourne has yet to make it out of the first round through three UFC appearances, landing on the wrong side of the rapid finish in two of those contests. After taking out Jerome Rivera in his flyweight debut in February, Osbourne was stopped by Manel Kape last time out, catching a flying knee to the dome as he looked to change levels late in their August encounter.
With the amount of finishes lining their respective resumes, do not be surprised if this one ends early and gets the night off to an explosive start on Saturday.
Don’t miss a single strike of UFC 268: Usman vs Covington 2, live from Madison Square Garden in New York City on ESPN+ on November 6, 2021. Prelims begin at 6pm ET/3pm PT, main card starts at 10pm ET/7pm PT.
