UFC Fighter Previews - UFC Vegas 20

(tapology.com)

Jairzinho Rozenstruik - #4 UFC Heavyweight

(sportskeeda.com)

Jairzinho Rozenstruik is just barely on the outside looking in at the UFC Heavyweight Title picture. He has been supremely impressive, but also inconsistent in his initial UFC run. Coming into the promotion, Rozenstruik was a respected professional kickboxer with over 70 wins in the sport. He entered the UFC as a highly touted prospect with an unblemished 6-0 record. His first 3 appearances in the octagon did not disappoint. After finishing Junior Albini in his debut, Rozenstruik put together two lighting quick finishes. He stopped Allen Crowder in 9 seconds, yes 9 seconds, and finished UFC legend Andrei Arlovski in 29 seconds. 2 finishes in 38 seconds of octagon time earned “Bigi Boy” his biggest name yet, Alistair Overeem. Overeem, also a legendary kickboxer, gave Jairzinho problems throughout the fight. Alistair was up on the score cards well into the final round of the fight until Rozenstruik pulled off a last second finish over “The Reem” with 4 seconds to go in the fight. A massive punch caused Overeem’s lip to literally hang off his face and Dan Miragliotta to stop the fight. Many believed the stoppage to be premature and thought Overeem should have came home with the W. Jairzinho entered a matchup of the scariest men in the Heavyweight division when he was then matched up with Francis Ngannou. Ngannou is widely known as the scariest puncher in the UFC and was the first massive test for Rozenstruik. When he stepped into the octagon on that fateful night in May 2020, he lasted 20 seconds. Ngannou separated him from consciousness with a bullrush of strikes. It was the first loss of his career and a step back from the title picture. He has since rebounded with a TKO win over former Champion Junior Dos Santos, but had some troubles with JDS in the first round. Rozenstruik still needs to prove he can hang with the big dogs after a controversial win over Overeem and a devastating loss to Francis. If he can beat Gane, he will earn himself a shot at another big name in the division. Maybe Derrick Lewis?

Ciryl Gane - #7 UFC Heavyweight

(thescrap.co)

Ciryl Gane is on a hell of a rise through the Heavyweight division. Another respected former professional striker, Gane has shown abilities few and far between at Heavyweight. His striking is incredibly fluid and powerful. He moves like a man much lighter than him and throws unorthodox kicks frequently. He is 4-0 so far in his UFC career and is a major dark horse of the division. Gane feels a bit more established than Rozenstruik did before the Ngannou fight. Rozenstruik had put away some older guys and struggled greatly with Overeem. Gane has ran through all his opponents up to this point. The striker finished his first two UFC opponents, Don’Tale Mayes and Raphael Pessoa, via submission, catching them in an arm triangle choke and heel hook respectively. After beating up another rising prospect, the Canadian Tanner Boser, he was matched up with JDS. A common opponent of himself and Rozenstruik. Gane also finished JDS in the second round, just like Jairzinho, with a nasty elbow from the clinch. Gane has a mystique about him and seems like the next big thing in the division already. If he can finish Rozenstruik, he will place himself fully into the elite in the division. Imagine Gane vs. Derrick Lewis or Alexander Volkov. Craziness!

Nikita Krylov - #8 UFC Light Heavyweight

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Nikita Krylov is a big time veteran of the UFC. He will be making his 14th walk to the octagon this Saturday night. Krylov has been on and off throughout his UFC run, but has always faced the toughest guys in the division. Since returning for his 2nd stint with the company, Krylov has gone 2-2 against the top of the division. He has wins over OSP and rising star Johnny Walker and losses to the Champion Jan Blachowicz and number 1 contender Glover Texeira. Nikita has never been able to break through and win the big name fight in the division. During his first run, he made himself a gatekeeper by frequently beating lower ranked guys and losing high profile fights. His 2nd run seems to be going the same way. This fight with Magomed Ankalaev is another chance for him to finally break through. Many believe Ankalaev is a future contender and has some of the best striking in the division. Krylov needs to prove he didn’t return to the UFC to continue to be a gatekeeper.

Magomed Ankalaev - #11 UFC Light Heavyweight

(essentiallysports.com)

Ankalaev is one of those guys I secretly love, but don’t want to tell anyone about cause I’m cozy on the bandwagon. Magomed’s striking is so crisp and powerful for the UFC 205 pound division. The former Greco-Roman Wrestling standout has transitioned to MMA smoothly and looks like a polished striker already. He is 5-1 in the UFC and on a 5 fight winning streak since losing his debut to Paul Craig. Ankalaev was winning that fight but got caught in a triangle choke and tapped out with literally 1 second to go in the fight. Someone call Chael P! If he had waited another second, he would be 6-0 in the UFC. His last two fights have put him into the eyes of fans and the UFC brass. He knocked out fellow striker Dalcha Lungiambula with an Anderson Silva style front kick to the face that will make you squirm just watching it. He then finished absolute wild man Ion Cutelaba in the first round twice. The first fight was a terrible stoppage so they ran it back, but then Magomed turned his lights off again. I believe Anklaev to be the top prospect in the division and could easily see him as a future champion. A win over Nikita Krylov will put him into the top 10 and into his biggest bout to date.

Montana De La Rosa - Underrated UFC Flyweight

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Montana De La Rosa has shown herself to be a capable contender in the Strawweight division. Since coming off Season 26 of The Ultimate Fighter, she has gone 4-2 to become one of the veterans of the division. Her wins include submission stoppages over Christina Marks, Rachel Ostovich, and Nadia Kassem. While looking impressive, she has stumbled against ranked opponents. Her only two losses are the only 2 times she’s has been granted an opportunity at the rankings. She lost to Andrea Lee and Viviane Araujo, but went the full 3 rounds with both women. Her matchup this weekend with Mayra Bueno Silva is a chance for both women to break through. De La Rosa has shown herself to be capable of hanging around with the best, but has never gotten it done when it really matters.

Mayra Bueno Silva - Rising Flyweight Prospect

(ufc.com)

This Saturday marks the biggest fight of Silva’s young career. She is currently 2-1 in the UFC since earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in August, 2018. All of her UFC wins, including Contender Series, have been vicious first round submissions. She has put away Gillian Robertson and Mara Borella with an armbar in under 3 minutes. Her only stumble in the UFC so far has came against Maryna Moroz, another young prospect of the division. This fight will prove who is more ready to take the next step in their career. Silva has a skill advantage on the ground, but may be at a disadvantage on the feet and lacks the experience of De La Rosa. If she can get this fight to the ground, Silva is one of the most dangerous in the division.

Pedro Munhoz - #8 UFC Bantamweight

(empiresportsmedia.com)

Pedro Munhoz is looking to break a 2 fight skid and get revenge on Jimmie Rivera this weekend. Munhoz has been a staple in the UFC Bantamweight division since his debut in 2014. He is one of the best in the world and has competed against names like Raphael Assuncao, Cody Garbrandt, Rob Font, and Frankie Edgar. Munhoz is 8-5-1 under the UFC banner and has climbed into the top 5 multiple times. He has never been able to secure a title shot however. He has always stumbled at the very, very top of the division. His two split decision losses to Jimmie Rivera and John Dodson, which I do think he rightfully lost, always kept him in about 3rd or 4th place. He is currently on his first 2-fight losing streak in his career after dropping a razor close split decision to Frankie Edgar, which I again think he rightfully lost. Munhoz has to fight his way back to a big name and a rematch with Jimmie Rivera makes sense. Their first fight was 6 years ago and both men are different, more complete fighters. If Munhoz wants to keep his title dreams alive, he must beat Rivera impressively this weekend and avenge one of his earliest Ls.

Jimmie Rivera - #9 UFC Bantamweight

(Esther Lin/mmafighting.com)

Jimmie Rivera is attempting to hit back to back jacks against Pedro Munhoz. Like Munhoz, Rivera has only ever lost to the very best of the division. Rivera’s 3 UFC losses are all to men who either became champion or challenged for the belt. Jimmie entered the UFC as one of the most hyped Bantamweight prospects ever at the time. He was 16-1 with his only loss being a split decision L in his 2nd fight ever. He has shown his skills in other organizations, including Bellator, and looked like a future UFC Champion. When he got to the UFC, he actually started proving everyone right. Rivera won his first 5 fights with wins over Pedro Munhoz, Thomas Almeida, and UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber. This earned him a number one contender fight against the other hottest prospect in the world Marlon Moraes. Before Rivera even got a chance to get going, Moraes TKO’d him in 33 seconds. It was Rivera’s first loss in 6 years and Moraes went on to challenge for the belt. After bouncing back with a win over John Dodson, Rivera lost two fights in a row to currently number 1 contender Aljamain Sterling and current Champion Petr Yan. This was the first two-fight losing streak on his career, but he still wasn’t far from the top. Since then, he got back in the win column against Cody Stamman. Rivera and Munhoz are at similar points in their career, and have pretty similar careers overall. They have both been incredibly close to the top, but have never been given the chance. Rivera has been a bit closer, and holds a win over Munhoz. The winner of this fight will remain relevant in the title picture, the loser may never get their shot.

Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Caceres - UFC Featherweight Veteran

(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)

Alex Caceres has been a fan favorite since coming off Season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter. Caceres has been inconsistent in his career, but has a fan friendly style and always brings the fight to his opponent. He is very well versed on the feet and has an incredibly underrated ground game as well. He is an all around fighter and that has led him to a 12-10-1 record in the promotion with wins over Sergio Pettis, Cole Miller and Chase Hooper. Caceres, like many in this week’s preview, has stumbled with the elite of the division. He has never been able to be taken seriously as a contender in the division because he has been overpowered by most top contenders. His most high profile fights have been losses to Urijah Faber and Yair Rodriguez. Alex has started building himself back up by fighting younger prospect who are just breaking into the elite. He is currently on his first 3 fight winning streak since 2010 and has looked impressive. Caceres can make a case for another decent name with his 13th UFC win Saturday night.

Kevin “I’m in Me Mom’s Car, Vroom Vroom” Croom - UFC Lightweight

(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)

Kevin “The Hard Hitting Hillbilly" Croom, I think my name’s better, is getting his biggest opportunity to date in his 2nd UFC appearance. The longtime MMA veteran made his long awaited UFC debut on short notice against Roosevelt Roberts in September, 2020. Roberts was seen as one of the better prospects at 155 heading into the contest after impressive wins over Brok Weaver and Alexander Yakovlev. Croom didn’t care at all and used his experience to his advantage. He caught Roberts in a standing guillotine from the clinch and submitted him in :31 seconds. It was the most impressive win of Croom’s career and exactly what he needed to do in his UFC debut. The win has since been overturned to a no contest because of a failed drug test for Croom which came back positive for marijuana. But honestly, who gives a shit if Croom smoked a jib before the fight. It was short notice anyways and UFC has since stopped tested for weed. A matchup with Caceres gives Croom an avenue towards a big fight. Alex has built a name throughout his long UFC run that could vault Croom into a big name in the stacked 155 pound division.