The UFC is back on Yas Island aka “Fight Island” this week for a card headlined by a pair of possible future bantamweight title challengers when Cory Sandhagen travels to Abu Dhabi to face unbeaten Umar Nurmagomdeov.
That awesome 135-pound main event matchup is one of six fights scheduled for the main card at Etihad Arena and North American audiences can begin their Saturday morning with an earlier-than-usual start time.
A bizarre welterweight matchup between Vicente Luque and Nick Diaz was originally slated to take place at the event but was cancelled due to what the organization said was travel issues with Diaz. The Diaz-Luque pairing always felt peculiar – on paper, based on results in recent years, Luque would’ve been heavily favoured – so perhaps it’s good thing we’re not seeing it this weekend after all.
That original co-main event was replaced with a new one and Saturday’s event packs plenty of punch. In fact, it has the potential to be one of the better non-numbered main cards of the year if it lives up to its potential.
Could it be the last time we see El Cucuy?
Diaz vs. Luque wasn’t the only out-of-left-field bout added to Saturday’s event. Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Chiesa wasn’t a tilt many saw happening in 2024 but here were are with these two accomplished veterans set to meet at 170 pounds.
Ferguson, 40, has lost a whopping seven consecutive fights and has not won in more than five years. He told reporters Thursday in Abu Dhabi that despite his recent stretch of losses, all of which were against top competition, he doesn’t plan on this being his final fight. Ferguson’s drought is tied with former champion B.J. Penn for the longest losing streak in UFC history.
Chiesa, 36, has lost three in a row dating back to 2021 so the fellow TUF winner alumnus also wants to get back in the win column.
Stylistically this is an interesting matchup, too, as both athletes have particularly strong D’Arce chokes and overall submission games. Maybe we see some fun scrambles and sub attempts in his one.
Ferguson has fought the majority of his career at 155 pounds but this time he’s back up at 170 pounds where he said he feels strong.
“Chiesa is going to have his hands full,” he said Thursday. “Respect, but the respect ends as soon as that cage door closes.”
Can former flyweight king keep streak alive at bantamweight?
Sitting in the middle of the main card is Marlon Vera vs. Deiveson Figueiredo, a battle between the most recent bantamweight title challenger (Vera) and a former flyweight champion (Figueiredo) who’s already 2-0 in his new weight class in the past nine months.
Figueiredo showed against Rob Font that he carried his power and striking threat up a division before reminding everyone at UFC 300 that he is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with as many career submission wins as knockouts for a reason when he submitted one-time bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt in April.
The main event has clear title implications at bantamweight and the 36-year-old Figueiredo can insert himself into the conversation with a victory over the ultra-durable Vera, who has not fought since losing a five-round unanimous decision to champion Sean O’Malley in their March title fight.
Wild month for Godinez sisters begins
August 2024 will be a month not soon forgotten by one of Canada’s most accomplished athletic families.
Loopy Godinez is set to face Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Mackenzie Dern at a pivotal stage of her UFC career when the two strawweights meet Saturday in Abu Dhabi and later this month her sister, Ana Godinez, will represent Canada in the women’s 62kg freestyle wrestling event at the ongoing summer Olympics in France.
The UFC’s Godinez is the oldest of four sisters, two of whom are high-level amateur wrestlers. Ana is going for gold in Paris and they have a younger sister, Karla Godinez, who is also a Pan American wrestling gold medallist like Ana.
Loopy had a four-fight win streak snapped earlier this year by Virna Jandiroba, a unanimous decision loss during which Jandiroba’s wrestling and control time ended up being the difference in the match – an ironic twist considering Godinez often trains with her sisters.
Dern is a world-class grappler in her own right, a multiple time world champion in jiu-jitsu prior to competing in mixed martial arts. The 31-year-old has lost two in a row and four of six overall but still poses many risks to Godinez if the action gets to the ground.
FOTN frontrunner to open main card?
Neither Joel Alvarez nor Elves Brener are ranked in the UFC’s stacked lightweight division but the winner could be positioned to take on a fighter with a number next to their name. Regardless of who gets their hand raised, this should be a leading contender for Fight of the Night depending on how long it lasts.
Dana White has unsurprisingly declared this matchup one of his “if you don’t know, now you know” fights to watch for on Saturday and it is for good reason.
Alvarez is gigantic for a lightweight at 6-foot-3 with all five of his UFC wins coming by stoppage within the first two rounds. Brener might’ve had his impressive win streak snapped in his last outing but the Brazilian out of Diego Lima’s Chute Boxe camp is also a slick finisher with an all gas, no brakes style of fighting.
Brener could look to exploit Alvarez’s poor takedown defence here but he’ll need to be mindful of chokes and other submissions Alvarez can pursue with his long limbs. Alvarez has only fought thrice since 2020; Brener, meanwhile, has amassed a 3-1 UFC record since debuting in 2023.
Can ex-Cage Warriors champ impress in short-notice debut?
Former Cage Warriors featherweight champion Jordan Vucenic picked up a win less than two weeks ago and it earned him a short-notice chance to make his UFC debut.
The tatted-up Englishman is a skilled grappler who has finished each of his past four fights with a submission. His only loss in the past six years was when he dropped a five-round split decision and lost his Cage Warriors belt to European circuit standout Paul Hughes.
Although he typically competes at 145 pounds, Vucenic’s July win took place at a 159-pound catchweight and his UFC debut will be contested at 155 pounds against Guram Kutateladze.
Vucenic’s addition to the UFC roster is an intriguing one and Saturday’s test could indicate whether he has what it takes to compete in the lightweight division, or if his second UFC appearance will take place down at featherweight. Kutateladze, although currently on a two-fight skid and only has three fights since 2019, holds a win over No. 5-ranked contender Mateusz Gamrot and should present a tough challenge for Vucenic.
Nurmagomedov not the only unbeaten Russian
Before Umar Nurmagomedov puts his 17-0 pro record on the line, two of his compatriots will have already either suffered their first loss or extended their winning streak to begin their career.
Sharabutdin Magomedov and Azamat Murzakanov are both 13-0 heading into their matchups with Michal Oleksiejczuk and Alonzo Menifield, respectively.
Magomedov is 2-0 in the UFC and earned his first stoppage win in the organization when the UFC debuted in Saudi Arabia; Murzakanov has not fought since improving to 3-0 in the UFC in April 2023. Both are standout strikers going up against aggressive fighters who often neglect defensive strategy.
Projected bout order UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov below:
MAIN CARD
— Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
— Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
— Marlon Vera vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
— Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Chiesa
— Mackenzie Dern vs. Loopy Godinez
— Joel Alvarez vs. Elves Brener
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Azamat Murzakanov vs. Alonzo Menifield
— Mohammad Yahya vs. Kaue Fernandes
— Shamil Gaziev vs. Don’Tale Mayes
— Guram Kutateladze vs. Jordan Vucenic
— Victoria Dudakova vs. Sam Hughes
— Jai Herbert vs. Rolando Bedoya
— Sedriques Dumas vs. Denis Tiuliulin