Once-beaten bantamweights meet in the middle of this week’s show as Serhiy Sidey shares the cage with Ramon Tavares.
The third Battlefield Fight League champion to compete on Contender Series this season, Sidey enters on a five-fight winning streak since suffering his one and only loss to Mateo Vogel, who turned in a solid performance in defeat last week at the APEX. A slick boxer who loves to work the body, Sidey trains with a great crew in the Burlington, Ontario area, and still shows room to grow as he continues to garner more high-end experience.
Fighting out of Florida, the 8-1 Tavares boasts wins over a couple familiar names in Charles Bennett and Martin Day, and carries a four-fight winning streak into his meeting with Sidey on Tuesday. He’s earned finishes in seven of his eight victories and is 14-2 overall, combining his amateur and professional experience, but Day is one of only two opponents he’s faced with a winning record.
This profiles as a fight that should play out on the feet and will likely come down to who is able to implement their game plan best.
Chad Hanekom vs Dylan Budka
Chad Hanekom and Dylan Budka face off in the fourth middleweight pairing in five weeks at the UFC APEX.
The South African Hanekom trains with the Fight Fit Militia team that has previously shepherded Garreth McLellan and Don Madge into the Octagon. Sporting a 9-2 record overall, “Superman” has won three straight, but hasn’t competed since collecting a first-round stoppage win at Brave CF 66 last November.
