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UFC Vegas 9: Overeem vs Sakai BREAKDOWN

Prelims

Hunter Azure (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) vs Cole Smith (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC)

 

The first fight of the night matches bantamweight prospects together in Dana White’s Contender Series winner Hunter Azure and former BFL bantamweight champion Cole Smith. Both fighters had their win streaks snapped in their last fights and will be wanting to bounce back with a win, Azure coming off a surprise knockout loss to Brain Kelleher and Smith a close split decision loss to Miles Johns. The pair have both seen success in the octagon after winning their debuts and will be looking to get back momentum with a win on Saturday night. Exciting opener!

 

Marcos Rodrigo de Lima (17-6-1 MMA, 6-4 UFC) vs Alexander Romanov (11-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)

The heavyweights are on deck as the second fight of the evening has ten fight UFC veteran Marcos Rodrigo de Lima facing newcomer Alexander Romanov the destructive knockout artist. De Lima has had an up and down UFC career and is coming off an impressive finish of Australians Ben Sosoli, its no secret that he goes for the finish with his heavy hands as he has been victorious over many of his opponents by knockout. Alexander Romanov is making his UFC debut and is no stranger to a finish himself as he has finished 9 of his 11 opponent in the very first round. Don’t blink!

 

Viviane Araujo (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) vs Montana De La Rosa (11-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC)

Next stop is in the Women’s flyweight division and we have the number 8th ranked flyweight in the world in Viviane Araujo facing the 12th ranked Montana De La Rosa. Araujo was on a five fight winning streak up until last December when she lost a hard fought decision to title contender Jessica Eye and is looking to get back on the win column. The Ultimate Fighter 26 alum De La Rosa had an impressive start to her UFC career with three finishes in her first three fights however came up short against Andrea Lee, shes now looking to build on her last win against Mara Romero Borella. A big fight for the women’s flyweight division with the winner certain to climb the ranks!

 

Andre Muniz (19-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) vs Bartosz Fabinski (15-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC)

The last fight on the preliminary card is a middleweight bout between talented grappler Bartosz Fabinski and two time Dana Whites Contender Series winner Andre Muniz. Fabinski is coming off a March win over Darren Stewart via unanimous decision and has an impressive record in the UFC with his only loss coming to Brazilian grappling ace Michel Prazeres. Muniz won his UFC debut in an exciting fight against Antonio Arroyo last November and is looking to continue his five fight winning streak with a win over Fabinski. We have a grappling feast on our hands here, will Fabinski be able to nullify the submissions of Muniz or will he fall victim like he did the last time he fought a talented Brazilian grappler? Only time will tell!

 

Main Card

Thiago Moises (13-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) vs Jalin Turner (9-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC)

The first fight on the main card we have a lightweight bout that matches two Dana White’s Contender Series winners together in Thiago Moises and Jalin Turner. Both fighters have had up and down starts to life in the UFC and both look to get a streak going in hopes of making it into the rankings. Moises is coming off a win over veteran Micheal Johnson after finishing him with an ankle lock in the second round, Turner is also coming off a second round finish over Joshua Culibao with strikes. Turner will be hoping to keep this fight standing whilst the Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt Moises will be looking to drag Turner down into deep waters and drown him into submission!

 

Brian Kelleher (21-11-0 MMA, 5-4 UFC) vs Kevin Natividad (9-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC)

An exciting featherweight bout here which sees former bantamweight staple Brian Kelleher facing a newcomer in Kevin Natividad. Although staying active throughout the pandemic Kelleher is coming off a decision loss to top ten contender Cody Stamann and will be looking to get back to winning ways. Natvidad is taking the fight on a weeks notice after replacing Ricky Simon due to one of his cornerman testing positive for COVID-19. Natividad is on a five fight win streak on hopes to add Brian Kelleher to his list of victims on Saturday night!

 

Michel Pereira (23-11 MMA, 1-2 UFC) vs Zelim Imadaev (8-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC)

A Welterweight match-up here that brings back the showman in Michel Pereira who after only three fights in the UFC is well known amongst the fans for his octagon antics such as his back flips, cage runs and flying knees! He will be up against the Russian prospect Zelim Imadaev who hasn’t had a great start to his UFC career after dropping back to back losses against Max Griffin and Danny Roberts. Pereira himself is on a two fight losing streak after a decision loss to Tristan Connelly and a DQ loss to Diego Sanchez after an illegal knee. Both fighters will looking to get back into the win column here, will Pereira put another show and finish Imadaev or will Zelim outlast Pereira’s aggressive style to pick up the win!?

 

Sijara Eubanks (5-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) vs Karol Rosa (13-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC)

An exciting women’s bantamweight bout here as 15th ranked Sijara Eubanks takes on rising prospect Karol Rosa. Ultimate Fighter 26 alum Eubanks is coming off a dominant decision win over Sarah Moras in May and is looking to climb further up the rankings with a win. Rosa is on a four fight winning streak including two decision wins in the UFC over Lara Procopio and Vanessa Melo and is looking to earn a UFC ranking with a win in her biggest test to date in Sijara Eubanks!

 

Ovince Saint Preux (24-14 MMA, 12-9 UFC) vs Alonzo Menifield (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC)

In the Co-Main event of the evening we have UFC and Strikeforce veteran Ovince Saint Preux taking on rising star Alonzo Menifield in a light heavyweight clash. St. Preux has fought the who’s who of the light heavyweight division and even dabbled at heavyweight, in his last fight against Ben Rothwell which saw him lose a split decision. St. Preux will be looking to get back to winning ways when moving back down to his more natural weight class. Menifield picked the first loss of his career after he looking like he ran out of gas in his last fight against Devin Clark in which he lost a decision, this was the first time that Menifield had gone past the second round as he finished all nine of his previous wins. Will experience be enough for St. Preux to deal with the power of Menifield!? A very exciting and intriguing Co-Main event.

 

Alistair Overeem (46-18 MMA, 11-7 UFC) vs Augusto Sakai (15-1-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC)

Now we get to the main event! A heavyweight clash between the legendary Alistair Overeem and rising heavyweight star Augusto Sakai. Overeem has been in there with almost every notable heavyweight on the roster and is a former UFC heavyweight title contender and former Strikeforce heavyweight champion. He comes up against Dana White’s Contender Series alum Sakai who has been on a tear since making his UFC debut back in 2018, he has picked up four straight wins in the UFC including a decision win over former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski. Overeem is now 40 years old and has stated that he wants one more run at the UFC heavyweight title, with a win over Sakai it will most definitely put him in the mix! Sakai on the other hand will be looking for his fifth UFC victim and with a win over Alistair Overeem it will most likely get him ranked in the top 5. This is a very intriguing match-up indeed as both fighters will be looking for the knockout, will Overeem’s experience and world class kickboxing take over or will Sakai’s power be too much for the veteran? We find out Saturday night!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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