UFC Vegas 22 - Fighter Previews

(tapology.com)

Derek Brunson - #7 UFC Middleweight

(MMA Fighting)

Derek Brunson has been apart of the Top 10 in the UFC’s Middleweight Division for about 7 years now. He has shown an ability to hang with the elite of the division and string together wins. If you ask the average fan, they may describe Brunson as a gatekeeper. Out of his 5 UFC losses, 4 of them were to future or past Champions or Title Challengers. A win over Brunson has certified contenders as legit for years now, which could be seen as a compliment to Derek. Brunson is 12-5 since joining the UFC in December 2012. He holds wins over Chris Leben, Uriah Hall, Lyoto Machida, and most recently against rising star Edmen Shahbazyan. Brunson has continuously been inches away from a Title Shot, but has never been able to win the big one. Since his loss to the current Champ Israel Adesanya in November, 2018, he has won 3 straight fights and is on a mission to prove he isn’t a gatekeeper. It’s his first 3 fight winning streak since he won 5 straight from August, 2014 to September, 2016. Brunson is once again thrown into the gatekeeper role against hot prospect Kevin Holland this Saturday. Another win for Derek will have him knocking on the door of another Top 5 opponent. Also he’s 1-0 with bleach blonde hair, so maybe he brings it back.

Kevin Holland - #10 UFC Middleweight

(USA Today Sports)

What’s my MF’ing name? It’s Kevin Holland! Well that’s not my name, that’s his name. But you get it! Kevin Holland had a case to be Fighter of the Year in 2020. He was the first fighter since Roger Huerta to go 5-0 in a calendar year, and Holland did it in 7 months. He started the year with a bounce back win over Anthony Hernandez by TKO in :39 seconds. This was coming off his first UFC loss at Middleweight to Brendan Allen. Since the Hernandez stoppage, Holland has also finished Joaquin Buckley, Charlie Ontiveros, and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. His KO of Jacare was a contender for KO of the Year. He KO’d Souza from bottom guard. With punches! That’s nuts! He will now be looking to break into the top 7 with a win over Brunson. Holland isn’t afraid to trash talk, whether outside the octagon or in it. His nickname from Dana White and the Fans is “Big Mouth.” This may sound like an insult, and probably started out as one, but it is now a monicker Holland embraces. He has full conversations with his opponents while fighting them. It’s really something to see. He has been trash talking Brunson and calling him out since before the Souza win. Holland recognizes the opportunity he has. An impressive finish could put him one fight away from a Title Shot.

Gregor Gillespie - #15 UFC Lightweight and Certified “Best Fisher” in the UFC

(Esther Lin/MMA Fighting)

Gregor Gillespie is returning to the octagon after a year and a half long layoff in the co-main event this Saturday. Gillespie has looked like a solid prospect and a dominant wrestler in the UFC Lightweight division. He is 6-1 in the promotion and 13-1 in MMA overall. His UFC wins include stoppages of Jordan Rinaldi, Vinc Pichel, and Yancy Medeiros. His dominating style and quirky personality made him a hit amongst fans and the UFC was looking to push Gregor through the rankings. After going 6-0 with 5 finishes, UFC matched him up with Kevin Lee. Lee is a former Title Challenger and mainstay in the Top 15 at Lightweight. Gregor still entered the fight a slight -165 favorite to beat Lee. That didn’t not go as planned. Lee landed a BEAUTIFUL head kick that stiffened Gillespie 2 minutes and 47 seconds into the first. It was Gregor’s first MMA loss ever. Now we get to see how he will bounce back. He has taken the KO well and has said he is moving forward without worry. He is still a future contender at Lightweight, but he needs a win this weekend to get his confidence back. Look for the master fisherman to reel in a W this weekend. Wow that was corny.

Brad Riddell - UFC Lightweight and Solid Australian Scraper

Brad Riddell is getting his chance to break into the top 15 this Saturday. The City Kickboxing member is 3-0 in the UFC with wins over Magomed Mustafaev and Alex da Silva. All of his wins have came by decision, but Riddell is far from a boring fighter. His UFC debut win over Jamie Mullarkey was Fight of the Night and a Fight of the Year Contender. Riddell loves to mix it up on the feet and throw bombs. He has crisp boxing, kickboxing, and muay thai. He's riding a 6 fight winning streak coming into the bout with Gillespie and has looked like a future stud of the division. This bout will be a battle of Gregor’s grappling and Riddell’s striking and relentless pace. Brad has been unbreakable in the octagon and will look to bring another banger of a fight this Saturday night.

Tai Tuivasa - UFC Heavyweight Always Down for a Shoey

Tai Tuivasa broke into the UFC with a bang. The Australian bomb thrower entered the UFC with an unblemished record of 7-0 with 7 KO’s on the regional scene. Once he was under the bright lights, he didn’t let up. He began his UFC run with 2 more first round stoppages. His charisma in the octagon and on the mic was quickly growing into a budding fan base for Tuivasa. He then defeated former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski by Unanimous Decision and was beginning to climb the thin Heavyweight ranking early in his career. The biggest fight of his career came next against another Former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Junior Dos Santos. In just 3 fights, Tai had earned the #11 spot in the Rankings and a Main Event in his home country. The UFC were really banking on this dude being the next big thing at Heavyweight. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned for Tai that night. He suffered his first career loss to JDS by TKO in the 2nd round. Junior showed he was at a different level skill wise than Tuivasa and showed Tai wasn’t ready for the upper echelon of the division. Since the JDS loss, Tai has gone on a skid. He lost the next 2 fights to Blagoy Ivanov and Sergey Spivak. He has since bounced off the 3 fight skid with a win over an aging Stefan Struve. Tai was only a couple fights away from a Heavyweight Title Shot not long ago, now he has to capture the magic of his early UFC run to get himself back into the rankings. Maybe we’ll get to see a Shoey if he wins. A Shoey is when you chug a beer out of someones shoe. It’s kinda gross but he likes it I guess.

Harry Hunsucker - Debuting UFC Heavyweight with the BEST NAME EVER

(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.)

Harry Hunsucker?!?! He sounds like a villain from a children’s book. And I love it! Mom….Harry Hunsucker pushed me down the slide at school today! Okay that’s enough. Hunsucker is stepping up big time to save this fight. Tuivasa was supposed to fight Don’Tale Mayes, but Mayes was not cleared to fight by the UFC medical staff. Hunsucker recently lost to Jared Vanderaa on Dana White’s Contender Series, but is using his cajones to get another shot. If Hunsucker can pull the major upset, he may be looking at another big name in the UFC Heavyweight division. But seriously, I love this guys name.

Adrian Yanez - Exciting UFC Bantamweight Prospect

(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)

Yanez is making his 2nd UFC appearance on this Saturday's main card. Adrian broke into the UFC with a 39 second KO of Brady Huang on the Contender Series in August 2020. He turned his momentum around with an impressive UFC debut. He pieced up Victor Rodriguez in his first official UFC appearance just two months after his Contender Series bout. He showed super crisp striking and took out Rodriguez with a head kick just 2 minutes and 46 seconds into the First Round. Yanez has shown incredible comfort on the feet and an ability to finish the fight at all times. He comes forward and melts people with his technique and power. Adrian has won 5 straight and will look for his 2nd straight UFC win this weekend.

Gustavo Lopez - Veteran UFC Bantamweight

(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.)

Gustavo Lopez will be entering the UFC for the 3rd time against Adrian Yanez, but he is a veteran of the overall fight game. Lopez is 12-5 since making his professional debut in 2012. His 10-4 record with 8 stoppages was enough to get Lopez a chance in the UFC. Looking back on his debut, he didn’t draw the luckiest hand. He was given Merab Dvalishvili in his first bout. Gustavo has a heavy underdog in the fight and for good reason. Merab has since gone on to break into the Bantamweight Top 15 and show himself as one of the most dominant grapplers in the division. But Lopez didn’t get down. He got himself back into the octagon just 3 months later and secured his first UFC win with a rear naked choke finish of Anthony Birchak. Lopez is looking to show his veteran savvy and make a run up the rankings. A win over a hot prospect like Yanez will a great way to get the ball rolling.

Max “Pain” Griffin - Wishy Washy UFC Welterweight

(theathletic.com)

Max Griffin has been a midcard mainstay for the UFC’s Welterweight Division for years. He has some very impressive victories to his resume, but has lacked the consistency to build on them. Griffin is 4-6 in the UFC, but has hung around because of his competitiveness and the names amongst those 4 wins. Griffin has shared the octagon with some of the best in the division, but has often fallen short. He holds losses to Colby Covington, Thiago Alves, and Alex Morono. His wins include a stoppage of Erick Montano, and decision over Zelim Imadaev, and a decision win over Mike Perry. The latter being the most impressive of the 3. Griffin has been painfully inconsistent and may be fighting for his place on the roster this weekend. If he can show the Max Griffin that beat Mike Perry and went toe to toe with Thiago Alves, he’ll be fine. But that Max Griffin has been few and far between throughout his run.

Kenan Song - Dynamite Handed UFC Welterweight

(conandaily.com)

Kenan Song has looked like a problem since joining the UFC. He entered the promotion 12-4, but had already shared the ring with Brad Riddell and UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya. Song was a seasoned veteran before facing off with Bobby Nash in his debut. Song entered the fight as a moderate favorite and made quick work of Nash, finishing him in just 15 seconds. Since the win, Song has compiled a UFC record of 4-1 with 3 TKOs. He recently picked apart Callan Potter and put him away in the first round in what may have been his best performance yet. Interestingly enough, Song’s only UFC loss came to Alex Morono, who also defeated Griffin. This fight is a perfect barometer for Song's trajectory. If he can take out a veteran like Griffin, he will be looking at a real pathway towards the top 15.

Cheyanne Buys - Dana’s New Favorite Strawweight

(MMA Fighting)

Cheyanne Buys is one of the hottest prospects currently in the UFC Strawweight Division. Dana hasn't shut up about her since she earned a contract on the Contender Series in August, 2020. Buys is 5-1 as a professional and was dominant in her showcase in front of UFC brass. She was scheduled to fight fellow prospect Kay Hansen is a battle of Dana’s two loves, but Hansen had to pull out. Buys will get a chance to prove herself as a real force at 115 if she can pull out a win on Saturday. Also her husband is fighting on the undercard, which is cool. He might have to have some words with Dana if he gets handsy.

Montserrat Ruiz - UFC Strawweight Newcomer

(tapology.com)

Montserrat Ruiz is stepping into Kay Hansen’s place to challenge Cheyanne Buys in her debut. Ruiz is coming from Invicta FC, where she went 1-1 in their Strawweight division. She is 9-1 as a pro and was most likely on her way to the big show anyways. Ruiz will look to spoil Dana’s party Saturday night with a very well rounded attack and raw aggressiveness. This fight with Buys is by far the biggest of Ruiz’s career. Maybe she’ll catch Dana’s eye with a big win.