UFC Vegas 19 - Fighter Previews

UFC Vegas 19 - Fighter Previews

(tapology.com)

Derrick Lewis - #4 Ranked UFC Heavyweight

(Esther Lin/MMAFighting)

“The Black Beast” returns to the octagon this weekend. Lewis is one of the most entertaining characters in the sport, whether inside the cage or out. His gems include taking his pants off in the octagon, telling Paul Felder he has to shit on live TV, and asking “Where’s Ronda Rousey At?” after KO’ing her fiancee. I honestly love this man. For all the humor he brings, his nickname certainly isn’t a joke. Lewis holds the record for most heavyweight knockouts in UFC history. His UFC record is 15-5 with 11 KOs since joining the promotion in 2014. Lewis was able to capture a Heavyweight Title Shot against Daniel Cormier, but ended up losing. He is now climbing his way back up the division with 3 straight wins. Lewis is coming off a 2nd round KO of veteran submission specialist Aleksei Oleinik. His weakness has always been his ground game, which will be tested by the wrestler Curtis Blaydes. I believe this fight is more important for Lewis than Blaydes. If Derrick loses this fight, he will fall into gatekeeper status in the Heavyweight division. This division has been clogged for so long and with Jon Jones now in the mix, it’s going to be moving slower for the long line of contenders. If Lewis gets the win, he could be looking at a rematch with Ngannou or a bout with the winner of Jones vs. Stipe.

Curtis Blaydes - #2 Ranked UFC Heavyweight

(Jim Young/AP)

Curtis Blaydes is in one of the most frustrating positions in the UFC. Blaydes holds an overall MMA record of 14-2 and has looked like a future champion in the division. The problem is, his only two losses are to the same man, Francis Ngannou. He has now been permanently stuck behind Ngannou and forced to fight contenders or wait for him to fail. Blaydes has taken care of his business, dispatching of 4 straight including former champion Junior Dos Santos and Alexander Volkov. He is now forced to fight somebody below him in the rankings again while he waits for the trio of Stipe, Ngannou, and Jones to figure things out. Curtis has staked his place as the 3rd best Heavyweight in the world, but he is stuck in the mud. He continues to have to take high-risk low-reward fights to keep his spot in the division. Hopefully he can start to get some serious title shot buzz if he beats Lewis this weekend.

Ketlen Vieira - #6 Ranked UFC Bantamweight

(Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC.)

Ketlen Vieira is in a similar situation as last week’s co-main event Maycee Barber. Vieira came into the UFC as an undefeated prospect who was seen as a future threat to the Women’s GOAT Amanda Nunes. She started her UFC run with a 4 fight winning streak, securing wins over former title challengers Sara McMann and Cat Zingano. Her size and impressive ground game seemed like it would be a problem for many women in the division. After beating Zingano, Vieira took a year and a half off from action and returned against fellow prospect Irene Aldana. Aldana was seen as a sizable underdog to Ketlen. She had had a rocky 4-3 UFC record up to that point. But early in the fight, Vieira seemed slow and then BOOM. Aldana caught her right on the chin and put her out cold with 9 seconds left in the first. Vieira was emotional after her first career loss, especially in such devastating fashion. This did not keep her down though. After 4 cancelled fight bookings, 2 with Marion Reneau and 2 with Yana Kunitskaya, her and Yana will finally clash. The list of contenders is short at 135 and Aldana is coming off a loss to Holly Holm. This is a chance for Vieira to jump up in the rankings and get a huge fight in the division with a win.

Yana Kunitskaya - #7 Ranked UFC Bantamweight

(Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)

Yana Kunitskaya was given the ultimate push heading into the UFC. She had built her name in Invicta and secured their Bantamweight Championship before being selected to face, then champion, Cris Cyborg for the Featherweight Belt. The UFC Women’s Featherweight division was so shallow at the time, still is btw, that contenders were often chosen from whoever is doing well in Invicta. That division doesn’t even have rankings and doesn’t even possess 20 fighters on the roster. Yana lost to Cyborg, as everyone not named Nunes does, but was now officially a UFC name. Following the loss, she immediately dropped down to her natural weight and the more exciting division, Bantamweight. Since dropping down, Yana is 3-1 in the UFC and has looked like the impressive tae-kwon do specialist we saw in Invicta. She holds wins over ranked fighters like Lina Lansburg and Marion Reneau. Like I said about Ketlen, the division is very shallow with contenders. Most of them have already gotten starched by Nunes. This is the biggest fight of Yana’s career and a chance to find herself in her 2nd UFC title fight.

Darrick Minner - UFC Featherweight, but Who spells Derrick/Derek like That?

(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.)

Darrick “My Name is Spelled Weird” Minner has gotten off to a decent start in the UFC. People love my nicknames, it's a whole thing.

He got his chance to impress the UFC brass on Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2019. He lost to Herbert Burns on that night and was not awarded a UFC contract. He went back down to the regional scene and picked up 2 first round finishes before being called to fight Grant Dawson on less than a weeks notice. Minner lost that night too, but his willingness to scrap earned him another shot in the promotion. His "win or go home" fight was against TJ Laramie in September 2020. Laramie was seen as a solid prospect after his win on Contender Series just a month earlier. As you probably guessed since I’m writing about him, Minner held his own and then some against Laramie. Darrick finished the young prospect with a guillotine choke in just 52 seconds. After 35 career fights, Minner can finally say he has a UFC win. He now faces Charles “Boston Strong” Rosa in a matchup of hard headed veterans. Minner has the ability to make a name for himself as a fan friendly brawler, but he must mix in enough wins to keep his spot on the roster.

Charles Rosa - UFC Featherweight and Devoted Bostonian

(USA Today Sports)

Charles Rosa has grown up as a fighter in the UFC. He entered the promotion in as an 8-0 undefeated prospect in 2014. He was given long-time veteran Dennis “Conor’s Toughest Opponent” Siver in his debut. Which should be a nod towards the UFC thoughts about Rosa at the time. Unfortunately, he was not ready for the quick jump in competition and dropped all 3 rounds to Siver. Since then, Rosa turned into a gatekeeper of the 145 pound division. His losses have come to future contenders Yair Rodriguez, Shane Burgos, and Bryce Mitchell. His wins have come against lesser fighters like Manny Bermudez and Kevin Aguilar. Bonafide gatekeeper. But this next fight isn’t a gatekeeper fight. Unless Dana has big eyes for Darrick Minner. It is more a fan friendly matchup of styles. It could be considered a “who actually has a future in the UFC here” fight. Rosa has shown his ability to compete with some of the best in the world. If he can dispatch of Darrick Minner, maybe he finds himself back in there with another up and coming star.

Aleksei Oleinik - #10 Ranked UFC Heavyweight

(@UFC)

Aleksei Oleinik deserves respect just from his record alone. 59-14-1. Yeah, enough said. Oleinik has been strangling people for money since 1996. I was negative 3 in ’96. Aleksei has been in the ring with the who’s who of legendary MMA heavyweights. He holds UFC wins over Mark Hunt, Travis Browne, and former Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum. His patented Ezekiel Choke has finished 5 men in just the UFC alone. He has had his chance to climb the ranks in the division, but has stumbled at the very top. He has lost to Curtis Blaydes, Alistair Overeem, and Derrick Lewis in his last outing. Now Oleinik must play the gatekeeper role to keep his status among the top 10. Welcoming Chris Daukaus to the big boys is risky for Aleksei. He can remain the scariest old Russian dude in the division with a win, a loss may mark a turn in the road for “The Boa Constrictor.”

Chris Daukaus - UFC Heavyweight and Philly Po-Po

(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.)

Chris Daukaus is working his second job on Saturday night. The Philadelphia Police Officer is taking time off to train for the biggest fight on his life. Daukaus has looked impressive since entering the UFC. He has racked up 2 first round finished in 5 months and has looked like a new player in the division. In his first fight, he KO’d Parker Porter in a “battle of the bodies” Heavyweight clash. Roy Nelson would have been proud. He then finished Rodrigo Nascimento in just 45 seconds. Now the UFC wants to know what they’ve really got. A top 10 contender probably isn’t what Daukaus expected, but he is capable of getting the win. If he can launch himself into the top 10, he might have to chill out with the 9-5 and start going for the belt.

Nassourdine Imavov - UFC Middleweight Correctly Nicknamed “Russian Sniper”

(Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC.)

Nassourdine Imavov is riding a 6 fight winning streak and looked impressive in his UFC debut. He defeated Jordan Williams in an exciting clash of Middleweight prospects. Now, he’s got one of Dana’s favorites across the octagon. Imavov is going to have to use his striking background to prove he is the more exciting young star in the Middleweight division.

Phil Hawes - UFC Middleweight and Previously Mentioned Dana White Fav

(Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC.)

Phil Hawes has been so close to UFC success for a long time. His first taste of the octagon came when he lost in the preliminary round of The Ultimate Fighter Season 23 to eventual winner Andrew Sanchez. He then went 1-1 before earning a shot on Dana White’s Contender Series. He was the big prospect featured on the card and was a heavy favorite over Miley Cyrus’ Valentine Julian Marquez. Unfortunately for Hawes, and Dana, Phil was knocked out with a sick head kick and was obviously not awarded the contract. Hawes has become more consistent since his first Contender Series loss. He went 3-0 before being awarded a second chance on the show. I’m telling you, Dana likes this guy. Hawes made good of his second chance and beat Khadzhimurat Bestaev at 1:18 of the first round. Dana then gave him a main card spot on UFC 254 for his debut. Man crush. But Hawes took the most of Dana’s kinda weird affection and knocked out Jacob Malkoun in 18 seconds. Now, his loss to Marquez seems like a thing of the past and Dana has finally figured out a way to get this man some hype. He can continue his rise and keep Dana’s boner going a bit longer with a win on Saturday.

Andrei Arlovski - Former UFC Heavyweight Champion and Certified Scary Dude

(Esther Lin/MMAFighting)

Andrei Arlovski continues his legendary UFC career against Tom Aspinall this Saturday. Arlovski has fought literally everyone you could possibly think of in his career. Tim Sylvia, Fabricio Werdum, Fedor, “Bigfoot” Silva, “Rumble” Johnson, Stipe, and Overeem are just a few to share the octagon with Arlovski over the years. He made his UFC debut at UFC 28 in November, 2000. Arlovski has been in the UFC 20 years! He was the Heavyweight Champion during his first run with the company, then returned in his later years and almost reached the belt again. He went on a 4 fight winning streak from June 2014 to September 2015 with wins over Travis Browne and Frank Mir. Arlovski is now in a different part of his career. He has been fighting young up and comers as of late and draws another this weekend. He is currently on a 2 fight winning streak and is looking for his 20th UFC win against Aspinall.

Tom Aspinall - UFC Heavyweight with MEAN Boxing

(talksport.com)

Tom Aspinall has been supremely impressive in his first 2 UFC outings. The Brit has only spent 2 minutes and 20 seconds in the octagon in 2 fights. Thats a lot of 2s. He crumpled Roy Nelson All-Belly First Team member Jake Collier with a mean right hand in just 45 seconds in his first fight. He then did the same thing to Alan Baudot 2 months later. He has won 7 fights in a row and looks to get his biggest win ever Saturday. Adding a name like Andrei Arlovski would be massive for Aspinall in the short and long term. He will look to be aggressive and put Andrei away quickly in this fight.