‘UFC Fight Night 205: Lemos vs. Andrade’ fight-by-fight preview, Prelims

During last weekend’s event, every time Brendan Fitzgerald read the promo for Saturday’s fight card at the UFC Apex, an involuntary smile landed on my face and I felt myself getting excited.

He only mentioned one fight, the main event, and yet there I was, sitting alone in my office, grinning like an idiot because that main event – a clash between Brazilian power punchers Amanda Lemos and Jessica Andrade – is one of the most interesting fights of 2022, and I knew from starting prep on this week’s slate that the rest of the card is full of intrigue and talent as well.

Fitz would read the promo and I would smile.

In a handful of days, Fitz will call the action, and I will be smiling, and you will be, too, because Saturday’s lineup is loaded with goodness. We start with the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 205.

Louis Cosce vs. Preston Parsons

Welterweights making their second octagon appearances clash here as Louis Cosce and Preston Parsons each go in search of their initial UFC victory.

Cosce earned passage to the biggest stage in the sport with an impressive first-round stoppage win over Victor Reyna on the fourth season of Dana White’s Contender Series. The victory pushed his record to 7-0 with seven finishes, but after a good start in his debut, Cosce faded down the stretch and was put away by Sasha Palatnikov midway through the final round.

Parsons got tagged in for a short-notice assignment opposite Daniel Rodriguez last July and landed on the business end of a one-sided exhibition, succumbing to a torrent of unanswered strikes in just under four minutes. The 26-year-old Florida native had won four straight prior to that contest and seven of his previous eight bouts, including a victory over streaking lightweight Ignacio Bahamondes, and will look to bounce back here.

Both fighters have 100-percent finishing rates and neither has seen the scorecards through 20 combined fights, so the chances are high this one ends inside the distance.

Jordan Wright vs. Marc-Andre Barriault

Middleweights eager to rebound from stoppage losses in their most recent outings meet in this one as Jordan Wright takes on Marc-Andre Barriault.

Wright has alternated wins and losses since arriving in the UFC, scoring quick finishes over Ike Villanueva and Jamie Pickett, while suffering a similar fate in matchups against Joaquin Buckley and Bruno Silva. The Antoni Hardonk protege has clear power and an impressive array of kicks, and is looking to show he can hang with the mid-pack set in the middleweight division.

Barriault finally got into the win column in 2021, picking up victories over Abu Azaitar and Dalcha Lungiambula after starting his UFC tenure with three losses and a no contest verdict. But he got blitzed and stopped in 16 seconds by Chidi Njokuani in February, and now returns to Las Vegas aiming to rebound quickly and get things moving in the right direction again.

This should be an all-action affair for as long as it lasts, as Wright has never seen the third round and Barriault has never been averse to getting into a striking match. Someone is getting finished here.

Dwight Grant vs. Sergey Khandozko

Veteran Dwight Grant looks to rebound from a split-decision loss last time out in his first start of 2022, while Sergey Khandozko returns to action for the first time since the tail end of 2019 in this welterweight engagement on Saturday’s prelims.

The 37-year-old Grant has gone 3-3 since matriculating to the UFC following a second-round stoppage win on Season 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series. He edged out Stefan Sekulic on the scorecards at UFC 261 to begin last year, but then landed on the unhappy side of a similar split decision verdict in his October bout with Francisco Trinaldo, once again leaving him working to start building some momentum.

Khandozko made a pair of appearances inside the octagon in 2019, earning a unanimous decision win over Rostam Akman in June before dropping a unanimous decision to Rustam Khabilov five months later. He’s been out of action since and had two bouts scuttled last year due to health issues, so it will be interesting to see how Honda responds to the time away when he steps in against Grant this weekend.

Will the DWCS grad get back in the win column or can Khandozko return from more than two years on the sidelines with a dominant, victorious effort in his Las Vegas debut?

Tyson Pedro vs. Ike Villanueva

Action shifts to the light heavyweight division in this one, as Australia’s Tyson Pedro makes his long-awaited return to action opposite gritty veteran Ike Villanueva.

Pedro began his UFC career with first-round stoppage wins over Khalil Rountree Jr. and Paul Craig before getting stopped himself in three of his next four outings. He’s been sidelined thanks to myriad injuries and ailments since his December 2018 loss to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, but is finally healthy and still just 30 years old, making him an intriguing figure to track in the 205-pound weight class.

After winning four straight to earn a call to the octagon, Villanueva has gone 1-4 on the big stage, dropping a second-round stoppage win over Vinicius Moreira between tandem two-fight skids. The respected Houston native has never been afraid to mix it up and take a shot to land one, so it will be interesting to see if he can push Pedro and find a finish of his own in this one.

Pedro showed a ton of promise early in his UFC career, but setbacks, serious injuries, and three years without an appearance make him a huge question mark as he finally makes his return. Villanueva is a perfect litmus test for the affable Australian, who will certainly be buoyed by the current success of his brother-in-law, surging heavyweight contender Tai Tuivasa.

Aoriqileng vs. Cameron Else

Aoriqileng and Cameron Else clash here in a flyweight battle that could very well set the tone for the rest of the evening inside the octagon.

Following a pair of entertaining appearances in 2021, Aoriqileng enters his sophomore year on the UFC roster still in search of his first victory. He gave his all in a fun scrap against Jeff Molina at UFC 261 in April before getting edged out on the scorecards by Cody Durden in November, showing heavy hands and a willingness to wade into the fire in order to land.

Else earned some quality finishes prior to arriving in the UFC, stopping Paddy Pimblett, Dylan Tuke, and Aidan James on the way to amassing a 9-4 record with nine first-round finishes. He dropped his promotional debut to Kyler Phillips in a bantamweight scrap in October 2020 but returns here at flyweight in hopes of getting back to his finishing ways.

Else has never been out of the second round and he’s facing a guy nicknamed “The Mongolian Murderer,” so yeah, I think it’s safe to say this should be a wildly entertaining, action-packed affair for as long as it lasts.

Marcin Prachnio vs. Philipe Lins

Polish veteran Marcin Prachnio looks to build on a breakthrough 2021 campaign this weekend as he welcomes Philipe Lins back to the light heavyweight division.

Prachnio began his UFC tenure with a trio of first-round stoppage losses, but he reversed course last year, registering a unanimous decision win over Khalil Rountree Jr. in January before felling Ike Villanueva with a body kick in June. The last time Prachnio won consecutive fights, it grew into a seven-fight run of success, and you best believe he’s looking to do something similar here.

After logging his last six appearances at heavyweight, Lins moves back down to the 205-pound weight class in hopes of securing his first UFC win. The Brazilian veteran dropped a decision to Andrei Arlovski in his promotional debut in May 2020 and was stopped by Tanner Boser six weeks later in his sophomore outing, but hasn’t competed since, sending him into this one as a huge question mark.

Can Prachnio keep the good times rolling or will Lins finally break into the win column himself?

Dean Barry vs. Mike Jackson

Saturday’s opener takes place in the welterweight division, as Irish newcomer Dean Barry squares off with the returning Mike “The Truth” Jackson.

Team Ryano’s Barry is just 4-1 in his mixed martial arts career but arrives on a three-fight winning streak, having collected each of those victories in the opening round. Last time out, the 29-year-old finisher needed just 21 seconds to dispatch Drew Lipton, and now he makes the transition to the biggest stage in the sport in hopes of maintaining his finishing ways.

Jackson is the third member of the “CM Punk Triangle” in the UFC, having lost to Mickey Gall in the “Winner Faces Punk” fight back in February 2016 before sharing the cage with the current AEW standout at UFC 225. Originally a unanimous decision win for the Houston native, the bout was ruled a no contest after Jackson tested positive for marijuana in his post-fight screening, meaning he arrives in Las Vegas still looking for his first MMA victory.

Will Barry continue making quick work of the opposition now that he’s in the UFC or can Jackson spoil his debut and snag a victory of his own?

This story first published at UFC.com.