The first Fight Night event of the second quarter brings us back to the UFC Apex for a 14-fight affair capped by an outstanding rematch in the welterweight division.
After an outstanding initial three months of action inside the octagon and a stupendous night of fights last weekend at UFC 273 in Jacksonville, Saturday’s return home to Las Vegas is an excellent way to keep the ball rolling in April with UFC on ESPN 34.
Here’s a look at what’s on tap this weekend on the night’s main card.
Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad 2
More than five years and a dozen fights each since their first meeting, Vicente Luque (21-7-1 MMA, 14-3 UFC) and Belal Muhammad (20-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) meet for a second time, with a place near the top of the list of welterweight contenders hanging in the balance.
Luque, who won the first meeting at UFC 205 by first-round knockout, has earned 10 victories against two defeats since that night in New York City, entering Saturday’s rematch on a four-fight winning streak where he’s finished all four opponents. What’s most impressive about the Brazilian’s current run of success is that he’s finished in quicker fashion with each step up the competitive ladder, progressing from the third round to the second round in beating Niko Price and Randy Brown before submitting Tyron Woodley in the first last March and Michael Chiesa 30 seconds faster at the start of August.
Not to be outdone, Muhammad has gone 10-1 with one no contest verdict in his 12 fights since losing to Luque the first time around, entering off back-to-back victories and riding a seven-fight unbeaten streak. A relentless pressure fighter who weaponizes his pace inside the octagon, Muhammad is coming off the two best performances of his career — unanimous decision wins over Demian Maia and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson where he wore down and wore out the former title challengers.
This is a fascinating rematch between two outstanding, surging contenders with very different styles, so it’s going to be interesting to see which one is able to dictate the terms of engagement and control things this weekend. There is a bit of congestion building at the top of the welterweight division at the moment, but the winner will very much be on the short list of contenders as we head towards the second half of the year and the return of champion Kamaru Usman.
Caio Borralho vs. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev
Members of the Dana White’s Contender Series class of ’21 clash in the co-main event as Caio Borralho (10-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Gadzhi Omargadzhiev (13-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) go head-to-head for graduating class bragging rights in the 185-pound weight class.
Borralho didn’t get a contract after grinding out a win over CFFC middleweight champ Aaron Jeffrey at the end of September, but he stuck around Las Vegas and made the most of his second opportunity to impress the UFC brass, moving up in weight and securing a first-round finish of Jesse Murray to garner a call to the octagon. The 29-year-old Brazilian has earned seven straight victories and is unbeaten in his last ten fights as he readies to make his promotional debut this weekend in a familiar setting.
Unbeaten in 13 professional appearances, the 29-year-old Omargadzhiev only needed one attempt — and less than one round — to convince Dana White & Co. that he deserved the opportunity to compete in the UFC middleweight division. Paired off with lanky Brazilian Jansey Silva, the unbeaten Russian got the fight to the canvas and secured a tap with a kneebar late in the opening stanza to earn his invite to the biggest stage in the sport.
Miguel Baeza vs. Andre Fialho
It’s a potential welterweight firefight here as Miguel Baeza (10-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and Andre Fialho (14-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) lock horns inside the octagon.
Baeza began his professional career with 10 consecutive victories, including punching his ticket to the UFC on Dana White’s Contender Series and earning stoppage wins in his first three UFC appearances. But he’s come up against it in his last two outings, dropping a decision to top-15 fixture Santiago Ponzinibbio last June before getting stopped by Khaos Williams in mid-November.
Four straight stoppage wins including a pair of victories over UFC vets put Fialho on the promotion’s radar in 2021, and in January, the Sanford MMA man got called up on short notice to face Michel Pereira. After starting well, Fiahlo ended up on the wrong side of the results, but acquitted himself nicely and should be even better with a full camp under his belt this time around.
This has the potential to be an explosive meeting between two strikers with established power and something to prove. It wouldn’t be at all surprising to see this bout produce a bonus of some kind at the end of the night.
Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Wu Yanan
Mayra Bueno Silva (7-2-1 MMA, 2-2-1 UFC) makes the move up to bantamweight, where Chinese veteran Wu Yanan (12-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC) is ready to welcome her to the division this weekend.
Following a five-fight stint at flyweight where she went 2-2-1, Bueno Silva moves up to the 135-pound weight class looking to snap her two-fight run without a victory. The 30-year-old Brazilian held her own with streaking contender Manon Fiorot last time out, and earned impressive submission wins over Gillian Robertson and Mara Romero Borella earlier in her career, so it will be interesting to see what a change of scenery will do for her here.
Wu has dealt with a number of opponent changes and fight cancellations during her four-year, four-fight UFC tenure, including having two fights fall through since her loss to Joselyne Edwards last January. Still only 25 years old, she’s been training with the crew at Jackson Wink in Albuquerque ahead of this one, and is one of those young fighters that could suddenly take a major step forward at any time.
Will changing divisions give Bueno Silva the fresh start she’s looking for or can Wu snap her two-fight slide and secure a second UFC victory?
Pat Sabatini vs. TJ Laramie
Pat Sabatini (16-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC) looks to build on his impressive rookie campaign as he makes the first start of his sophomore year on the UFC roster opposite returning Canadian TJ Laramie (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) this weekend.
The 31-year-old Philadelphia native and former CFFC featherweight champ posted three wins in as many appearances in 2021, sandwiching a submission finish over Jamall Emmers between decisive decision wins over Tristan Connelly and Tucker Lutz. A no-nonsense grinder with a sharp grappling acumen and sound fundamentals, Sabatini is the type of experienced, unflappable competitor that could quickly ascend the ranks in the 145-pound weight class if he keeps stacking victories.
Stepping in for fellow Canuck Gavin Tucker, Laramie competes for the first time in more than 18 months after losing all of last year to various injuries and ailments. The DWCS grad was a highly regarded prospect on the Canadian regional circuit and holds a win over current featherweight hopeful Charles Jourdain, but he was submitted in just 52 seconds in his promotional debut last time out, making him a major question mark heading into this one.
This is an interesting matchup as Sabatini looks to keep things rolling and show he merits a step up in competition, while Laramie gets the chance to make up for his debut setback and then some by halting the Philadelphian’s winning ways on somewhat short notice. Featherweight is always flush with talent and the competition is always tight, so it should be fun to see how this one plays out come Saturday night.
This story first published at UFC.com.
