UFC Vegas 21 - Fighter Previews

Leon Edwards - #3 UFC Welterweight

(Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC.)

Leon “Rocky” Edwards may be one of the most slept on fighters in the UFC. Edwards has been elite since joining the UFC in 2014. He has compiled a record of 10-2 inside the octagon with wins over Vicente Luque, Donald Cerrone, and former UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos. Edwards also has an 8 second KO of Seth Baczynski on his resume.

(Jeff Bottari/Getty Images)

His only losses are a controversial split decision to Claudio Silva in his debut and a unanimous decision loss to Champion Kamaru Usman early in each man’s career. Since the loss to Usman, Edwards has won 8 straight fights. This streak is the 2nd longest in the division, behind only the Champion’s 13 wins.

(USA Today Sports)

Edwards has begun to get forgotten about in the Welterweight division. He hasn't fought since a unanimous decision win over Dos Anjos in July, 2019. Edwards has had 4 fights cancelled and has been difficult to match up with. He was initially slated to fight Tyron Woodley in his home country of England. It would have been a massive showcase for Leon and his biggest fight ever. That card was the first one to be cancelled because of Covid restrictions. The same Covid restrictions stopped Edwards from moving to the United States and competing in Vegas. The Woodley fight eventually was given to Gilbert Burns, who won it and was awarded a title shot. Based on Woodley’s recent performances, many, including myself, believe it could’ve easily been Leon in that Title Shot.

Since then, Leon has shot himself in the foot a bit. He refused multiple fights against people because they were lower than him in the rankings. He even turned down Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson because he is #5. “Wonderboy” is one of the biggest names in the division and would’ve been a massive fight for Edwards. Leon was eventually punished by the UFC by being taken out of the rankings. He quickly accepted a fight with the hottest star in the sport Khamzat Chimaev, despite Chimaev being ranked #15. The Chimaev fight gathered a ton of fan hype and was one of the most talked about upcoming fights heading into the 4th quarter of last year. Fast forward to today and that fight is now been cancelled and rebooked 3 times. Leon got Covid, then Chimaev got Covid, and now Chimaev has unfortunately been hospitalized due to the virus. Instead of booking it for a 4th time, the UFC decided to move on when Edwards told them he wanted to remain on the March 13th card, no matter who they find for him to fight. Quite the personality change from the guy who turned down “Wonderboy.” Edwards is still as elite as they come in the division and has been a handful for everyone not named Kamaru Usman. A win this weekend keeps him in the hunt and in the good graces of UFC brass.

Belal Muhammad - #13 UFC Welterweight

(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)

Belal “Remember the Name” Muhammad was the man to step up in the absence of Chimaev. Muhammad is a UFC vet who is often overlooked when considering gritty contenders. He is 9-3 in the UFC and 18-3 overall, the same record as Edwards. He has been very impressive throughout his run and has publicly expressed his belief in himself to become Champion. Belal feels frustrated that he is never mentioned as a contender, and he should. He has impressive wins over Randy Brown, Lyman Good, and Diego Lima and is currently riding a 4 fight winning streak.

(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.)

His few losses are the only thing keeping Belal’s name out of the hunt. He has fallen to Alan Jouban in his UFC debut, Vicente Luque, and Geoff Neal. To try and stick up for Muhammad, Jouban is a rugged debut, Luque throws absolute bombs, and Geoff Neal is one of the brightest stars in the sport who just Main Event’d his first show. Belal is stepping into the biggest fight of his career on 3 week's notice. It is a chance for him to prove the evolutions in his game and break into the top 10. Remembering this man’s name will be a lot easier if he takes out Leon Edwards on Saturday.

Misha Cirkunov - #11 UFC Light Heavyweight

(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)

Misha Cirkunov had a tad bit of hype at the beginning of his run. He entered the UFC as an accomplished grappler with a record of 9-2 in MMA. He is known for his submission and ground control skills. Misha’s first 4 UFC appearances went as planned, with stoppages over Daniel Jolly, Alex Nicholson, Ion Cutelaba, and Nikita Krylov. Cirkunov mauled all 4 of these men and looked like a real problem at 205.

This is until he fought Volkan Oezdemir. Volkan entered the UFC as one of the most hyped prospects at 205 in years, but disappointed in a controversial Split Decision win over Ovince St. Preux in his debut. The UFC decided to book two of their hottest contenders against each other for one spot in the top of the division. Misha entered #7, and that’s the highest he’d ever get. Oezdemir set a massive spark under his name with a 28 second KO win. This was Cirkunov’s first loss in 5 years. Since then he has alternated wins over his next 4, going 2-2. His wins include submissions of Patrick Cummins and exciting up and comer Jimmy Crute. He has lost to #1 contender Glover Teixeira and Johnny Walker. Misha has a chance to potentially get back into the top 10 with a win, a loss could leave him without a number next to his name.

Ryan Spann - #13 UFC Light Heavyweight

(Mauro Pimentel/AFP)

Ryan Spann has been inconsistent since getting his shot in the big show. He was first given a shot to impress on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017. He was the Main Event of the episode and a favorite to be awarded the contract. His first showing in front of Dana didn’t go too well. Spann was KO’d in 15 seconds by Karl Roberson, who moved down to Middleweight after receiving the contract. Spann went back to the regional scene to reevaluate his game after the loss. He won 3 in a row and was awarded another shot on Contender Series. This time, Spann was a massive favorite to win and against his opponent Emiliano Sordi. Ryan did just that and finished Sordi with a guillotine choke in just 26 seconds.

(Elliot Howard/DWCS LLC. via Getty Images)

He started his official UFC run with 3 impressive wins, including stoppages over Devin Clark and the legendary UFC Hall of Fame Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Spann’s next appearance was against Sam Alvey. Alvey is a UFC vet, but Spann was expected to win. He did, but he didn’t. The judges gave Spann a Split Decision in what should’ve been his first loss since 2017. But life always finds a way to correct itself, and Ryan was KO’d by Johnny Walker in the first round in his following fight. Fans still aren’t sure what they have in Spann. He has stumbled against high level competition and has shown cardio issues. Misha Cirkunov will be a huge test for him and a solid barometer to where he's at in the division.

Dan Ige - #9 UFC Featherweight

(ufc.com)

Dan Ige is one of the more successful products of Dana White’s Contender Series so far. He is coming off a loss to Calvin Kattar in his first UFC Main Event on Fight Island last July. Ige is seen as one of the better up and comers at 145 and the UFC brass believe him to be elite. He is 14-3 in the sport and 6-2 under the UFC banner. Since earning a contract on the Contender Series, Ige has wins Kevin Aguilar, Mirsad Bektic, and Edson Barboza. The last 2 men being ranked opponents in the division.

(essentiallysports.com)

Ige has climbed to #9 in a very short time. He was scheduled for a bounce back fight against fellow rising star Ryan Hall, but Hall had to pull out with injury. Some fans believe Ige’s hype to be a fluke, as 2 of his last 3 wins were highly contested Split Decisions. If he can get big win over Gavin Tucker, he will show himself to be a staple in the top 10 at 145. He’s also expecting a baby, so shoutout to his family!

Gavin Tucker - Tatted Up UFC Featherweight

(@UFC)

Gavin Tucker has stepped in on 3 weeks notice to replace jiujitsu expert Ryan Hall against Dan Ige. It’s sort of a theme of this card. Tucker has been calling for a top 15 opponent for a while, and he’ll take one however he can get one. To his credit, Tucker has looked very impressive in his 5 UFC appearances. He is 4-1 with wins over Sam Sicilia, Justin Jaynes, and Billy Quarantillo. His only loss came against a very smart veteran is Rick Glenn. The loss was the first, and only, of Tucker’s career.

(Getty Images)

It looks to me that Gavin has grown since the loss, securing his only 2 UFC stoppages following the L. Tucker can break into the top 10 with a win. Stepping in on short notice usually pays off, either you win the fight, or the UFC likes you and will give you a good fight off the loss. If he were to win, watch out for this guy. He could be a dark horse to climb the rankings.

Jonathan Martinez - Quiet UFC Featherweight

(Kyle Tereda/USA Today Sports)

Martinez has been flying under the radar so far in the UFC. He is 4-2 through is first 6 and looks to have the potential to break through. When he is at his best, Martinez is an aggressive striker with crisp everything. Crisp boxing, crisp kicks, and a crispy fade. His unorthodox style has led him to 2 stoppages by knee. He is coming off his 2 best wins in the UFC over Frankie Saenz and Thomas Almeida. His only two losses were to Andre Soukhamthath in his debut, and a loss that he really won against Andre Ewell. Martinez is on a 5 fight winning streak in my book and has shown himself to be a problem for anyone not in the top 15. When DC asked him to call someone out after his last win, he refused, in a very quiet tone. He is a soft spoken and humble killer who could climb the rankings soon. If he isn’t gonna use his words, he need a big statement win to take his stock over the top.

Davey Grant - UFC Featherweight, I like the name Davey. It’s better than Dave

(USA Today Sports)

Davey Grant has shown flashes of brilliance since coming off Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter. Grant made it to the Final, but lost to Team Alpha Male’s Chris Holdsworth by submission. Since then, Grant has gone 3-2 in the promotion. His most impressive win came against Marlon “Chito” Vera in his first fight after losing TUF. Chito has gone on to be ranked top 10 in the division, and Grant beat him 3-0 on all 3 judges scorecards. This is one of the reason’s why Davey’s inconsistency has been so frustrating. He lost his next two fights by submission after the win over Chito and looked his worst immediately following his best performance. He has since rebounded with 2 wins in a row heading into his scrap with Martinez. Grant has to find a way to go on a run. If he can win on Saturday and turn this 2 fight winning streak into 4 or 5, he could see himself back in there with a top 15 opponent.

Matheus Nicolau - UFC Flyweight on the Comeback Trail

(Nicolau's Facebook)

Matheus Nicolau is returning to the UFC after a two fight hiatus away from the company. UFC fans were first introduced to Nicolau on Season 4 of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. He was eliminated in the semi-finals of that Season, but was given a shot in the UFC anyways. He started his run 3-0 with wins over Louis Smolka and Former UFC Flyweight Challenger John Moraga after moving down to the Flyweight division. Matheus looked like a solid prospect at 125, which was an increasing shallow division. It looked like he could only be 2 or 3 wins away from a Title Shot. Nicolau was matched up with Dustin Ortiz, another veteran of the Flyweight Rankings. Ortiz handed Nicolau his first loss since TUF with a first round head kick TKO. This loss, along with an Anti-Drug suspension, was enough for the UFC to cut Nicolau. But, a full suspension served and 2 more wins on the regional scene were enough for his return. He is coming back to a hot prospect in Manel Kape. Nicolau was scheduled to face Tagir Ulanbekov twice, but Ulanbekov had to pull out both times. Kape entered the UFC as a massively hyped prospect, but lost his first fight to Alexandre Pantoja. A win for Nicolau will likely springboard him into the top 10. It’s like he never left. Still don’t do drugs though kids.

Manel Kape - UFC Prospect Who Lost His Steam

Manel Kape entered the UFC with a lot of buzz. I likened his situation to Michael Chandler’s. Kape was an established Champion of another organization who was receiving the royal treatment upon his arrival. He was immediately slated to be the backup for the UFC Flyweight Championship. This means Manel made weight in case someone else didn’t or got hurt in the lead up to the fight. Or if someone test positive for Covid. Unfortunately for Kape, everyone made weight and he was forced into a normal UFC debut. That “normal” debut came against #5 Alexandre Pantoja on Fight Island in February. Kape was seen as a favorite against the #5 ranked fighter in the world in his debut. I’m telling you, the hype was real. Sadly, Pantoja controlled the majority of the fight and beat Kape in every area.

(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.)

The loss sent his stock down tremendously, but taking this fight on short notice is a good call. He is stepping in on 2 week’s notice to fight Matheus Nicolau and restore some glory to his name. A win in crucial for Kape here, which is rare in a short notice fight. Another loss will completely wipe out the hype he was given when entering into the promotion.

Eryk Anders - Fun, but Inconsistent, UFC Middleweight

(Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

Eryk Anders came out with a bang to start his UFC career. Anders entered the UFC as the LFA Middleweight Champion with an undefeated record on 7-0. He won the LFA Belt by beating Brendan Allen, who is now ranked in the UFC Middleweight division. His first two UFC appearances went exactly according to plan. Eryk KO’d UFC veteran Rafael Natal and starched Markus Perez, another former LFA Champion. These two wins, surprisingly, earned Anders his first UFC Main Event against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and human urine drinker Lyoto Machida. Machida had a bit of success at 185, but was on a 3 fight losing streak when he was matched with Anders. It was a crossroads fight for “The Dragon” and the biggest bout of Anders career.

In a very, very weird fight, the judges awarded a Split Decision to Machida. The fight was super slow as Machida had to respect the size of Anders and Anders had to respect the technique of Machida. It was one of those fights were no one wins. Out of the 23 media members in attendance, 16 of them scored the fight for Anders. Since the loss but kinda not loss to Machida, Eryk has bounced up and down from Middleweight to Light Heavyweight, but hasn’t found much success in either division. He is 2-2 at Middleweight and 1-2 at Light Heavyweight. I’m not sure why he can’t decide on a division, but if he keeps losing its not going to matter. He is back at 185 this weekend. After starting his career with great hype to his name, Anders may now be one or two losses away from defending his old LFA title.

Darren Stewart - “The Dentist?” What a nickname!!

(londonfightstore.com)

Darren Stewart is another formerly super hot prospect who has disappointed inside the octagon. Stewart has been involved in some tough scraps, but has never strung enough wins together to be taken seriously as a contender. He arrived in the UFC undefeated at 6-0, but lost his first 3 appearances including his debut at Light Heavyweight. Since his less than stellar start, Stewart has looked better, going 5-3 in his next 8. 2 of his 3 recent losses have been by Split Decisions against ranked opponents. When Stewart is at his best, he can fight and beat top 15 competitors, but his ability to repeat his best has kept him back. Winning against Eryk Anders will allow Stewart some more time to prove himself amongst the best in the world.