Final Preventing Championship (UFC) returns later TONIGHT (Sat., March 25, 2023) with a particular Battle Night time occasion in San Antonio, Texas, that includes a Bantamweight bout between prime contenders Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen. Co-headlining the ESPN/ESPN+-streamed occasion will probably be a girls’s 135-pound match between Holly Holm and Yana Santos.
What’s Scorching:
Simply final week, Merab Dvalishvili solidified himself as a title challenger after he manhandled Petr Yan to earn a unanimous choice win. Now, Vera and Sandhagen will attempt to do the identical after they sq. off in a pivotal 135-pound showdown in San Antonio.
Realistically talking, Vera has the higher shot of securing a title struggle with a win as a result of he’s at present ranked No. 3 and is driving a four-fight win streak into the struggle, which features a pair of nerve-rattling knockouts over Frankie Edgar and, most just lately, Dominick Cruz (replay right here).
However, the top recreation is attending to the large dance and a win over Sandhagen may do the trick. That mentioned, there are nonetheless a few males who’re forward of him, together with the aforementioned Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley, who’re eagerly awaiting the winner of the deliberate title struggle between Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo.
Sandhagen, in the meantime, snapped his two-fight shedding streak by defeating Music Yadong in Sept. 2022. Previous to that, he suffered back-to-back losses to T.J. Dillashaw and Petr Yan, in order that prevented him from crashing the championship image himself. A win over Vera will give him the whole lot “Chito” has been working for.
What’s Not:
Maycee Barber (No. 13) is on a three-fight win streak, whereas Andrea Lee (No. 11) is coming off a loss to Viviane Araujo. So why are they preventing one another? I get that Lee is ranked two spots forward of Barber, however this match is a little bit of a head-scratcher primarily based on their latest our bodies of labor. However, Barber can achieve some actual property within the division by gathering her fourth straight win, and get her again within the dialog that when had her being a “Future” title challenger.
Unique Card Vs. Precise Card:
Alex Caceres was set to face Nate Landwehr, however was compelled out of the struggle for undisclosed causes and was changed by Austin Lingo, who’s at present on a two-fight win streak after arising brief in his UFC debut at UFC 247. Landwehr, in the meantime, can be on a two-fight win streak.
Tamires Vidal was in line to face Hailey Cowan in a girls’s Bantamweight bout however was pulled from the occasion the day earlier than the struggle for undisclosed medical causes. Additionally, Manuel Torres, was compelled out of his scheduled Light-weight struggle towards Trey Ogden after he did not make it to the weigh ins (additionally for undisclosed medical points).
Accidents:
Sean Brady was set to face Michel Pereira, however was compelled out of the struggle with a torn groin, and there’s at present no timetable set for his return. Pereira has not be re-booked for a struggle, both.
New Blood:
Vinicius Salvador will probably be making his UFC debut after incomes his approach in through Contender Collection. Driving a four-fight win streak, Salvador has finishes in all of 14 of his wins so he’s all in regards to the motion. He will probably be matched up towards Victor Altamirano, who’s 1-1 thus far in his younger UFC profession. Total, he’s 5-1 in his final six fights.
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
Trevin Giles ensured that he would stay to struggle one other day below the UFC banner by snapping his two-fight skid with a win over Louis Cosce in Sept. 2022. He’ll look to maintain his momentum going towards Preston Parsons, who’s an excellent 1-1 thus far contained in the Octagon.
Steven Patterson has been below contract with UFC for 5 years now, and but you wouldn’t realize it. He’s solely managed to fire up a 3-4 file and hasn’t actually scored notable sufficient wins to get him on the radar. He’s coming off a loss towards Julian Erosa and can now try at hand Lucas Alexander his second straight loss after “The Lion” got here up brief towards Joanderson Brito in his UFC debut.
If you wish to speak about odd runs over the span of 5 fights, Daniel Pineda has the weirdest of all of them, going 1-1-3. That’s proper, in his final 5 outings he has earned three “No Contests,” two with Skilled Fighters League (PFL) and one with UFC. Between that mess, he misplaced to Herbert Burns, however picked up a win over Cub Swanson. Backside line, he has to get a win over Tucker Lutz. who noticed his spectacular 12-fight win streak exit the window courtesy of Pat Sabatini in his final style of motion.
Who Wants A Win Badly
Daniel da Silva got here into his UFC debut red-hot on a three-fight win streak and having gained 11 of his first 12 fights, however his run contained in the Octagon has been something however stellar. Certainly, “Miojo” has misplaced all three of his fights and to make issues worse, he has has been stopped every trip. As he heads into his struggle towards C.J. Vergara, he’s just about in a do-or-die state of affairs as a result of a fourth straight defeat may imply the top of the highway for him in his UFC profession.
Curiosity Stage: 6/10
Within the co-main occasion, Holly Holm will try and get again within the win column after arising brief towards Ketlen Vieira in Could 2022. Her setback didn’t cease the promotion from extending her to a brand new six-fight contract, nonetheless. Standing in “The Preacher’s Daughter’s” approach is Yana Santos, who’s coming off a loss to Irene Aldana. Holm is at present ranked No. 3 and is assured she isn’t too far off from one other shot on the title. As for Santos, she is at present ranked No. 6 and has but to make sufficient of a push to be thought of for a title struggle. A win over Holm will go a good distance in serving to her get near that objective.
Within the Middleweight division, Albert Duraev will face Chidi Njokuani in a battle of two males attempting to proper their ship. Duraev had his 10-fight win streak snapped by Joaquin Buckley in June 2022 after the struggle was stopped by the physician in spherical two. Njokuani can be attempting to as soon as once more expertise the candy style of victory after his four-fight win streak was halted by Gregory Rodrigues, which was additionally the primary lack of his UFC profession. The previous Bellator MMA veteran is attempting to make some noise within the stacked 185-pound weight class, and a win over Duraev can be big for his inventory.
In a males’s Flyweight struggle, Manel Kape and Alex Perez are in line to probably present struggle followers with a bonus-winning efficiency. After a rocky begin to his UFC profession — shedding his first two fights contained in the Octagon — Kape has actually turned it round by profitable three in a row, his first such streak in practically 4 years. Perez, then again, has misplaced two straight, so why they booked this struggle is mind-boggling. Positive, it is going to present fireworks, but when I’m Kape I might be lobbying for somebody on a roll as a substitute of somebody who was submitted in his earlier two outings.
Benefit from the fights!
Full UFC San Antonio Battle Card:
UFC San Antonio Primary Occasion On ESPN/ESPN+:
135 lbs.: Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen
UFC San Antonio Primary Card On ESPN/ESPN+ (7 p.m. ET):
135 lbs.: Holly Holm vs. Yana Santos145 lbs.: Nate Landwehr vs. Austin Lingo125 lbs.: Maycee Barber vs. Andrea Lee185 lbs.: Albert Duraev vs. Chidi Njokuani
UFC San Antonio Prelims Card On ESPN+ (4:30 p.m. ET):
125 lbs.: Manel Kape vs. Alex Perez145 lbs.: Tucker Lutz vs. Daniel Pineda145 lbs.: Lucas Alexander vs. Steven Peterson170 lbs.: Trevin Giles vs. Preston Parsons125 lbs.: Daniel Lacerda vs. CJ Vergara155 lbs.: Trey Ogden vs. Manuel Torres — CANCELED (full particulars right here)125 lbs.: Victor Altamirano vs. Vinicius Salvador135 lbs.: Hailey Cowan vs. Tamires Vidal — CANCELED (full particulars right here)
*Battle card, bout order and variety of fights stay topic to vary.*
Keep in mind that MMAmania.com will ship LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow protection of the complete UFC San Antonio struggle card proper right here, beginning with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, that are scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining primary card steadiness (additionally on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.
To take a look at the most recent and biggest UFC San Antonio: “Vera vs. Sandhagen” information and notes make sure you hit up our complete occasion archive proper right here.
