UFC 299 is in the rear view and UFC 300 is only a few weeks away. For now, we have ourselves a breather as the octagon returns to the APEX for a run-of-the-mill Fight Night card.
Don’t blame UFC Vegas 88‘s heavyweight headliners Tai Tuivasa and Marcin Tybura for the lack of buzz around this card. They’re unlikely to need five rounds to deliver the goods, so the night should end with a highlight-reel finish at the very least.
Tuivasa is freshly motivated to stop the second three-fight losing streak of his UFC career, while Tybura is no stranger to playing the spoiler. If Tuivasa isn’t careful, this could be the last time we look at him as a dark horse contender.
Outside of the main event, we have a smorgasbord of names on the main card, with The Ultimate Fighter 29 winner Bryan Battle stepping into a co-main event spot against Ange Loosa, light heavyweight lifer Ovince Saint Preux taking on Kennedy Nzechukwu, Christian Rodriguez moving up to featherweight to face dedicated finisher Isaac Dulgarian, a rematch between bantamweights Pannie Kianzad and Macy Chiasson, and an unpredictable middleweight contest between Gerald Meerschaert and Bryan Barberena.
There might not be a lot on the line Saturday when it comes to the rankings, but there’s still plenty of entertainment to be had.
What: UFC Vegas 88
Where: UFC APEX in Las Vegas
When: Saturday, March 16. The seven-fight preliminary card begins at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by a six-fight main card at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
(Numbers in parentheses indicate standing in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings)
Tai Tuivasa (8) vs. Marcin Tybura (9)
It’s not quite time to abandon all your Tai Tuivasa stock.
True, the hard-hitting Australian’s days of flirting with title contention are probably over, but becoming the next Derrick Lewis is still a more-than-attainable goal. And nothing would be more Lewis-like than randomly smashing Marcin Tybura in a mostly meaningless main event.
Tybura has been a mainstay in the heavyweight rankings and for good reason. He’s versatile, he fights smart, and he knows how to grind out a decision. That last skill is unlikely to matter in the slightest against Tuivasa, who goes to the scorecards about as often as he passes on a chance to do a shoey. Tybura is in trouble then as he doesn’t have the power to put Tuivasa down nor the submission skills to threaten him on the ground (Tybura has never forced a tap from any of his UFC opponents).
That’s not to say that Tybura’s wrestling can’t neutralize Tuivasa, but like Lewis, he has made good use of his athleticism to explode out of some potentially hairy situations on the ground. I doubt Tybura keeps Tuivasa down and that means I like Tuivasa’s chances to land a knockout punch within the first two rounds.
Pick: Tuivasa
Bryan Battle vs. Ange Loosa
As peculiar as it is to see these relatively unknown names in the penultimate position on the card, the placing isn’t without merit.
Bryan Battle is trending in the direction of being a trusted action fighter, with four of his first five UFC wins coming by way of knockout or submission. When Battle won the TUF 29 middleweight tournament, he received a fair bit of hype and has looked worthy of it since dropping down to 170 pounds. Battle is still working to find consistency, but he has natural finishing instincts that can’t be taught.
On the other side this matchup, Ange Loosa is developing a reputation as a fighter that will drown you with the sheer volume of techniques he throws out there. Loosa is light on his feet with fast hands and though there isn’t always a ton of pop behind those punches, he strings together combinations beautifully. A sharp Loosa could put Battle on his backside early.
This is Battle’s fight to lose so he can’t wait for Loosa to come to him. Loosa’s best chance at victory is putting the pressure on Battle early and never letting him get out of the starting gates. Fortunately for Battle, he typically doesn’t take long to lock in, so I see him taking the advantage in Round 1 and not relinquishing it. Then in Round 2, he makes key adjustments, foils Loosa’s attempts to change the pace with his wrestling, and finds a fight-ending submission.
Pick: Battle
Ovince Saint Preux vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
Ovince Saint Preux has been a tried-and-true warrior for the UFC, but he’s distinctly in the twilight of his career. He’s a month away from his 41st birthday and the hours he’s spent in the octagon and in the gym have taken their toll on him as evidenced by an increased frequency in knockout losses. Being matched up against Kennedy Nzechukwu isn’t likely to reverse this trend.
We all know that “OSP” has the skills to compete and he always shows up in shape. It’s been a struggle for him to find that extra gear in recent years, which is one reason why the results haven’t been there. That’s in contrast to Nzechukwu, who usually takes a round to properly get going. When he does, it’s typically lights out for the opposition.
That leaves the door open for Saint Preux to surprise Nzechukwu in Round 1, so the veteran pulling off an upset finish would only be a minor one in my eyes despite the odds saying otherwise (Nzechukwu is currently the biggest favorite on the card at -550 according to DraftKings). This one likely goes past the first five minutes though and that’s good news for Nzechukwu, who scores a KO in Round 2.
Pick: Nzechukwu
Christian Rodriguez vs. Isaac Dulgarian
It’s great to see Christian Rodriguez moving up to featherweight as his past two trip-ups at the scale have proven he’s not ready to consistently make the 135-pound limit yet. He could be a factor at bantamweight in the future, but for now eliminating the complications of a hard cut is what is best for him.
With Isaac Dulgarian, we don’t know what we have with him yet as he’s rarely been in the cage for more than two minutes. His game plan is as simple as it gets: Come forward, tackle, and punch, punch, punch, and punch some more. Can’t complain as it has worked to the tune of a 6-0 record, all by first-round knockout or submission.
In these instances, I have to lean towards the fighter who has shown they can go the distance, and that’s Rodriguez. By all means, if you’re picking Dulgarian to continue his hot streak and score another fast finish, I don’t blame you. But Rodriguez has shown some serious grit and maturity beyond his years that has me liking his chances to outlast Dulgarian and take this one on the scorecards.
Pick: Rodriguez
Pannie Kianzad vs. Macy Chiasson
When Pannie Kianzad and Macy Chiasson met in the finals of The Ultimate Fighter 28, Kianzad had the reputation of the veteran ready to take that next step into the UFC, while Chiasson had come out of nowhere to emerge as an intriguing prospect after running through the first two rounds of that season’s tournament (including a first-round finish of future PFL champion Larissa Pacheco).
Chiasson continued her hot streak in the finals, submitting the more experienced Kianzad to win a contract, but that result didn’t dictate their futures. Kianzad has become one of the toughest outs at 135 pounds, while Chiasson has struggled with inconsistency and inactivity. This is a crossroads fight for these two women, who could still contend for a title in MMA’s thinnest division.
When they first fought, Kianzad seemed underprepared for Chiasson’s physicality. I doubt she makes the same mistake twice. It’s also fair to assume that Chiasson’s weight-cutting issues have affected her performances and Saturday marks her first time stepping into the cage as a bantamweight in three years. All of that adds up to Kianzad striking her way to a decision win and earning a measure of revenge.
Pick: Kianzad
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Bryan Barberena
Let’s just be straight here: I have no clue what to make of Bryan Barberena at middleweight.
When he fought Makhmud Muradov in London last summer, I assumed his move up to 185 pounds was just a case of Barberena making life easier by not having to worry about traveling and cutting weight. For now, he’s sticking around at a heavier weight class, and he’s been given an opponent whose style is about as far from Muradov’s as you can get.
Gerald Meerschaert is a healthy-sized middleweight and that could be Barberena’s downfall in this matchup. Once Meerschaert takes Barberena down, it will take a ton of effort from “Bam Bam” to stand up let alone defend against submissions. On the other hand, Barberena can end this fight on the feet with one good flurry.
Again, I’m puzzled as to what Barberena’s long term plan is here (assuming there is one) and they’ve given him a winnable fight, but he’s too vulnerable on the ground for me to pick. Meerschaert gets the tap-out and moves one step closer to 30 career submission wins.
Pick: Meerschaert
Mike Davis def. Natan Levy
Josiane Nunes def. Chelsea Chandler
Ode Osbourne def. Jafel Filho
Joshua Culibao def. Danny Silva
Cory McKenna def. Jaqueline Amorim
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