After a blistering 19-second knockout in his UFC debut, Magomedov has fallen on hard times with back-to-back losses. Although he holds the “Magomedov” last name, he does not grapple as heavily or effectively as the name would lead you to believe. He largely relies on his power striking style to hurt his opponents, put them away, or set up submission opportunities for himself.
The featherweight division has a plethora of main event options they can choose from, especially when the UFC decides to go back to their home base of the Apex. Contenders, veterans, prospects, they have it all, and this weekend they hone in on a veteran vs prospect clash to anchor UFC Vegas 92.
It is refreshing to see the UFC head back out onto the road after shacking up at the Apex for as many events as they have. This weekend, they head down to St. Louis, Missouri for the first time in over 6.5 years. That night provided a featherweight main event, but the UFC decided to bring out the big guns and go with heavyweights.
Riding a two-fight winning streak, Aldrich is often overlooked in most of her fights which is why people have been able to cash her as an underdog on multiple occasions. She does not jump off the page as a spectacular fighter, but relatively speaking to the rest of her division she has very crisp striking and good counter striking. Her takedown defense allows her to keep fights in the striking realm where he can have most of her success.
Costa is looking to get back on the winning track after losing his last fight to Steve Erceg, who fights for the title in the main event. Costa is a BJJ black belt but often looks to impose his will on his opponents by walking them down and landing big shots. He stays consistent with his kicking game but leaves openings to be hurt in return.
It’s not often that you see a champion must defend a title against someone not many people know about. Unfortunately for the flyweight champion, there is no clear number one contender, so he is giving a Cinderella opportunity to someone who has not been on the UFC roster for more than a year. All for the opportunity to headline a Pay-Per-View in front of his home country of Brazil.
Mayes brings in a good chunk of experience at the UFC level and an all-around game that most heavyweights are unable to showcase. However, that usually is not enough for him to get over the hump as he now is 3-4 with the promotion and has become one of the most inconsistent performers at this level. Sometimes he has big power, sometimes he can’t knockout a fly. Sometimes he has smothering top pressure with his wrestling, sometimes he can’t sniff a takedown.
Boy was it great to have a weekend off after the historic UFC 300, all MMA fans needed it after coming off such a high. The highlight-reel knockout from Alex Pereira and what could go down as the most iconic moment in UFC history with Max Holloway knocking out Justin Gaethje in dramatic fashion, UFC 300 absolutely delivered.
Coming off a devastating knockout of Bobby Green back in December, Turner is looking to get some momentum going and showcase his full potential. He is a nasty striker from distance who can produce big power while sniping his opponents. Grappling would be his weak spot, but he is slowly improving that aspect of his game on a fight-by-fight basis.