JACK HERMANSSON VS. MARVIN VETTORI
Jack Hermansson looks to bolster his case for a future title shot, while Marvin Vettori gets the big name opponent he’s been chasing in this weekend’s new main event pairing.
“The Joker” rebounded from his loss to Jared Cannonier last September with an impressive first-round submission win over Kelvin Gastelum in July. Now 6-1 over his last seven starts and entrenched in the Top 5, Hermansson is tasked with taking on one of the hottest fighters on the roster at the moment after his initial opponents, Darren Till and Kevin Holland were forced from the contest.
Vettori enters on a three-fight winning streak and brandishing a 15-4-1 record overall. Last time out, the talented 27-year-old secured a first-round submission win over Karl Roberson after navigating multiple cancellations and postponements.
This is a wildly intriguing fight, as Hermansson is an established veteran on the cusp of contention, facing an emerging threat in a high-profile contest that offers him limited returns. Conversely, this is all upside for Vettori, who now gets the chance to show he can hang with the division’s elite in a bout where a loss won’t set him back at all and a victory sends him into next year as a bona fide contender.
This one should be interesting from a stylistic standpoint as well, as Hermansson is an exceptional grappler who attacks from funky angles and setups, while Vettori is more than capable on the canvas and throws everything with vicious intent when standing.
Will Hermansson hold on to his place at the top of the list of contenders or will Vettori keep things rolling and leave Las Vegas with the biggest victory of his career?
OVINCE SAINT PREUX VS. JAMAHAL HILL
It’s “Veteran vs. Prospect” in the light heavyweight division as long-time fixture Ovince Saint Preux squares off with Contender Series graduate Jamahal Hill in this 205-pound affair.
Now in his eighth year on the UFC roster, Saint Preux remains one of the veteran litmus tests in the light heavyweight division; the kind of stalwart hopefuls need to beat in order to break into the rankings and start moving towards the Top 10. In his last two appearances in the division, “OSP” has dispatched relative newcomers Michal Oleksiejczuk and Alonzo Menifield, earning a Performance of the Night bonus for each effort.
After earning a UFC contract with an impressive second-round stoppage victory at the UFC Apex last summer, Hill scored a decision win over Darko Stosic in January and then delivered blistering first-round finish of Klidson Abreu in May that was later overturned to a no contest. Now 7-0, 1 NC overall, “Sweet Dreams” looks to continue his ascent up the light heavyweight ladder by taking out one of the longest tenured fighters in the division.
What makes this such a compelling matchup is what makes all of Saint Preux’s fights intriguing: he’s a powerful athlete with an awkward style and an ability to finish in a number of unique ways. He’s a difficult riddle to solve and has been in there with most of the top fighters in the division over the course of his career, so if Hill is able to step into the Octagon and secure a victory on Saturday night, you come away with a clear indication of where he fits in the division at the moment and know he’s one to watch heading into 2021.
MONTANA DE LA ROSA VS. TAILA SANTOS
Flyweights looking to move up the rankings just a couple of weeks after the champion retained her title clash here as TUF 26’s Montana De La Rosa squares off with promising Brazilian Taila Santos.
De La Rosa steps in for Maryna Moroz three months to the day after losing to Viviane Araujo, who was, ironically, herself a replacement for Moroz. Now 11-6 overall, De La Rosa has dropped two of her last three following a three-fight winning streak, but is the type of young, talented competitor that could take a major leap forward in her development at any point. A solid all-around athlete with a strong ground game, De La Rosa has only ever lost to quality competition and remains a promising fighter to track in the 125-pound weight class.
RELATED: Montana De La Rosa Is Coming Into Her Own As A Fighter
Santos impressed on the All-Brazilian edition of the Contender Series in the summer of 2018 but came out on the unhappy side of a split decision result in her promotional debut six months later. Following a lengthy layoff brought on by injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic, the 27-year-old returned in July, securing her first UFC victory by posting a unanimous decision win over Molly McCann.
Although a fight between Santos and Moroz would have been entertaining, this matchup carries a little more divisional significance as De La Rosa currently resides in the rankings and has been a Top 15 fixture since the division’s launch. Santos is 16-1 for her career, but has faced limited competition outside of her two prior UFC appearances, so this pairing should further establish where she stands in the divisional hierarchy at the moment, while affording De La Rosa the opportunity to potentially knock off a promising prospect before the year is out.
ROMAN DOLIDZE VS. JOHN ALLAN
The first of two light heavyweight pairings to hit the Octagon on Saturday evening is a matchup between UFC sophomores Roman Dolidze and John Allan.
Born in Georgia, Dolidze impressed in his promotional debut earlier this year on Fight Island when he registered a first-round knockout win over Khadis Ibragimov to push his record to 7-0. Each of his victories have come inside the distance and Dolidze has handled his business expeditiously, which is all you can ask of an emerging talent working their way up the ranks.
Allan, who trains at the same Chute Boxe branch as recent flyweight title challenger Jennifer Maia, returns to action for the first time since last summer after serving a one-year suspension stemming from a positive test following his debut win over Mike Rodriguez. The 27-year-old Brazilian is 13-5 with one no contest overall but had won five of six with four finishes prior to his debut appearance inside the Octagon.
Watch Saturday With Your ESPN+ Subscription
Light heavyweight is one of those divisions where a couple quality efforts can quickly propel a fighter up the ranks, so while this is just the second trip into the UFC cage for both Dolidze and Allan, the victor could find themselves on the fast track to facing more established names in 2021.
NATE LANDWEHR VS. MOVSAR EVLOEV
Make sure you’ve got a full beverage and your snacks reloaded before this one pops off because once Nate Landwehr and Movsar Evloev get started, you’re not going to want to take your eyes off the action.
Landwehr is a lunatic and I mean that with the utmost respect and praise possible. A non-stop action fighter who enters this one off an impressive victory over Darren Elkins, the Tennessee native relentlessly chases down opponents and is happy to engage in a human game of Rock’em Sock’em Robots with whomever is standing opposite him inside the cage.
Unbeaten in 13 professional appearances, Evloev is a fundamentally sound, well-rounded, well-trained talent who has posted victories over SeungWoo Choi, Enrique Barzola, and Mike Grundy in his first three UFC appearances. The 26-year-old is a complete fighter and profiles as a potential contender in the talent-rich featherweight division.
This is a wonderful bit of matchmaking as Landwehr is the exact sort of fighter the emerging Evloev needs to face at this junction — an aggressive, indefatigable veteran who has been through some battles and will push him to the hilt. No matter who gets their hand raised on Saturday night, the victor will enter the new year on the fringes of the Top 15 and staring down another step up in competition once 2021 kicks off, while the vanquished won’t lose much ground, if any.
Outside of the main event, this just might be the most intriguing and important matchup on this card.
GIAN VILLANTE VS. JAKE COLLIER
Veterans looking to make headway as they embark on a new chapter in their careers collide here as Gian Villante faces Jake Collier in a heavyweight matchup.
Long Island’s Villante actually started his career competing at heavyweight but rose to prominence and a place on the UFC roster fighting in the 205-pound ranks. Following 15 appearances at light heavyweight, he returned to the heavyweight ranks last time out, enjoying early success before getting submitted in the third round by Maurice Greene.
A former middleweight who made a two-fight stop at light heavyweight before injuries sent him to the sidelines for an extended period, Collier returned in July as a heavyweight, landing on the business end of a right cross from Tom Aspinall. He’s alternated losses and wins throughout his UFC career, so he’s due for a victory if the pattern holds in his second heavyweight start of 2020.
If either man hopes to carve out a lane for themselves in the heavyweight division in 2021, collecting a victory on Saturday night to close out this year on a high would be a good place to start.
MATT WIMAN VS. JORDAN LEAVITT
Lightweights at opposite ends of the spectrum meet here as 37-year-old veteran Matt Wiman takes on UFC newcomer Jordan Leavitt.
A member of the all-star cast on Season 5 of The Ultimate Fighter, Wiman made his UFC debut five days prior to Leavitt’s 10th birthday. He hasn’t fought since dropping a unanimous decision to Joe Solecki on December 7, 2019 and is 0-2 since ending his four-and-a-half-year absence last summer, but is the kind of experienced, savvy veteran capable of ruining a debut and spoiling the start of a prospect’s UFC career with ease.
Pre-Order UFC 256 For Any Device
A Syndicate MMA representative, Leavitt earned a contract with a submission win over Luke Flores in the first round of the first fight on the first episode of the Contender Series this year, pushing his record to 7-0 in the process. The 25-year-old “Monkey King” is an excellent grappler but is facing a considerable step up in competition here as Wiman is the first opponent he’s faced with more than 10 professional appearances.
This is the kind of fight an undefeated prospect like Leavitt needs to win at this stage of his career in order to garner some momentum in the crowded lightweight division. Wiman may be several years removed from being a contender, but he’s still a talented veteran with a wealth of experience who is sure to make the Las Vegas-based newcomer work hard to earn his first UFC victory.
Can Leavitt keep his pristine record intact or will Wiman turn his UFC debut into a moment he’d like to forget?
JIMMY FLICK VS. CODY DURDEN
Action shifts to the flyweight division as veteran grappler and recent Contender Series grad Jimmy Flick takes on American Top Team product Cody Durden.
The 30-year-old Flick has been grinding out a quality living on the regional circuit for the last decade, fighting tough competition at every turn while showcasing a slick submission game that has produced finishes in each of his last eight victories. “The Brick” secured a chance to compete inside the Octagon with a non-stop effort against Nate Smith in September, finally chasing down a submission midway through the final round after hunting and threatening for the entire fight.
Durden impressed in his short-notice UFC debut earlier this year, battling Chris Gutierrez to a draw at the start of August. Now the long-time bantamweight makes the move down a division looking to extend his unbeaten streak to nine and secure his first UFC victory.
The flyweight division is one of the most interesting, active, and competitive divisions in the UFC at the moment and each of these men have the potential to be positive additions to the weight class going forward.
ILIA TOPURIA VS. DAMON JACKSON
It’s “Youth vs. Experience” in this bantamweight bout as undefeated 23-year-old Ilia Topuria takes on seasoned veteran Damon “The Leech” Jackson in what should be a grappling-heavy affair on Saturday’s prelims.
Topuria made a splash in his debut back in October, outworking streaking upstart Youssef Zalal en route to a unanimous decision victory. Now 9-0 in his career, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt from Georgia and fighting out of Alicante, Spain had never been to the scorecards prior to his debut and had only been out of the first round once.
Jackson returned to the Octagon for the first time in more than four years in September, registering a comeback submission win over Mirsad Bektic. The long-time LFA standout went 8-2 in 10 fights between UFC appearances, and is the kind of battle-tested, tough-as-nails veteran every division needs.
Both Topuria and Jackson are submission specialists, which means we could get a scramble-heavy affair with lots of setups and counters and high-level work on the ground. Regardless of how this one plays out, it will be interesting to see how the unbeaten emerging sophomore handles himself in the cage against his most experienced opponent to date and whether Jackson can continue to establish himself as a dangerous veteran presence in the 145-pound weight class.
GABRIEL BENITEZ VS. JUSTIN JAYNES
Featherweights that throw everything with nasty intent clash here as Gabriel Benitez looks to snap a two-fight skid against Justin Jaynes.
A fixture in the division since graduating from the first season of The Ultimate Fighter Latin America, “Moggly” has gone 5-5 in his 10 UFC starts, but enters Saturday’s contest having landed on the wrong side of the results in each of his last two outings. The 32-year-old has good power and thunderous kicks but has struggled to avoid going shot-for-shot with more technical opponents in the past.
Jaynes scored a 41-second knockout win in his promotional debut back in June after accepting the bout against Frank Camacho just a couple days earlier. He made a quick turnaround into his sophomore outing in the Octagon, but couldn’t replicate the result, losing to Gavin Tucker by submission in the third round at the start of August.
This has the potential to be set the bar for the Fight of the Night chase similarly to how Sergei Palatnikov and Louis Cosce did in the opener a couple weeks back, so you do not want to miss it.
LOUIS SMOLKA VS. JOSE QUINONEZ
Veteran bantamweights Louis Smolka and Jose Quinonez will be the first tandem to make the walk to the Octagon on Saturday night at the UFC Apex.
A former flyweight contender, Smolka is 2-2 since returning to the UFC following a three-fight absence, alternating wins and losses. Last time out, “Da Last Samurai” got caught in a one-arm guillotine against Casey Kenney after leaving his neck exposed on a takedown attempt; the kind of mid-fight mental lapse that has plagued the talented, but inconsistent Hawaiian throughout his career.
Like Benitez, Quinonez is a holdover from the first season of TUF Latin America, where he came out on the wrong side of the results in the bantamweight finals. He rattled off four straight victories following that setback but has since dropped two of his last three outings, most recently landing on Sean O’Malley’s highlight reel in early March.
This bout was initially slated to take place in mid-November, but after Smolka missed weight, he was forced to withdraw due to complications from his weight cut.
