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Rafael dos Anjos and Kevin Lee meet on Saturday as part of a duel for the UFC Rochester main tournament which will have major consequences for the next stage of their career.
While back Anjos has already proven how competitive he can be after climbing a division two years ago, this will be Lee's first fight against ultra-light weight. Lee has long campaigned for a 165-pound division, an idea that Dana White practically rejected. Therefore, if he has to settle for 170, the Anjos back win will be essential to convincing everyone (including himself) that the welterweight is the right place for him.
For his part, back Anjos will try to avoid a third consecutive loss, which would be the longest skid of his career of 14 years and a half. He must defeat Lee to stay in the title composition at 170 pounds.
The co-main event originally planned between welterweight Vicente Luque and Neil Magny was wasted when Magny announced that he had failed a USADA test earlier this year. week, dropping Luque on the map and placing a fight between Antonio Carlos Junior and Ian Heinisch in the penultimate place. . Carlos Junior emerged as a dark horse at 185 pounds, after winning five consecutive bouts, including three throttling at the back, while Heinisch impressed in his UFC debut last November with a win. unanimous against Cezar Ferreira.
In other main card games, former featherweight champions Invicta FC, Megan Anderson and Felicia Spencer collide, Luque replaces Derrick Krantz, replacing on short notice, lightweights Charles Oliveira and Nik Lentz meet in a fight trilogic, and light accessories specialist Davi Ramos faces newcomer Austin Hubbard.
What: UFC Rochester
Or: Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY
When: Saturday, May 18th. The preliminary map of the seven battles begins at 5 pm AND on the ESPN + streaming service and the main map of six fights continues at 20 hours. AND on ESPN +.
To date, the formula for defeating the light welterweight version of Rafael dos Anjos is clear: hard struggle, relentless pressure and maintaining the chin position tonight. This is essentially the approach used by Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman to stifle the "RDA" and the results have been undeniably positive for them.
Can Kevin Lee perform the same strategy?
Lee was a big heavyweight, but he is not the same size or size as Covington or Usman. He also did not demonstrate that he shared their endless endurance. However, one could argue that Lee's cardio suffered a hard blow due to his exhausting cuts at 155, so maintaining his energy when he enters the final rounds will be an important factor to watch.
It's so hard to keep Anjos back at rest, even for someone like Lee, who is a beast at the top of control. And a longer fight could help Dos Anjos as he has spent 25 difficult minutes in four of his last six bouts (though he lost three of those clashes). In the event that Lee would be alongside Anjos back, he showed too many defensive deficiencies in his shot to be able to trust him to win this battle.
Unless Lee can effectively fight against Anjos against the cage and on the mat or catch Dos Anjos with something early, I see Dos Anjos winning at points here.
To choose: Dos Anjos
Antonio Carlos Junior seems to have overcome the problems of consistency that have affected his debut at the UFC (bumping on wood). That said, for a guy who has won five straight wins, matchmakers are not doing him any favors by matching him to Ian Heinisch, a relative unknown who quietly built a 12-1 record in competition mainly in the senior levels of the MMA regional. .
In Heinisch's last fight with Cezar Ferreira, he proved he could keep in touch with a veteran by using his fight to keep the fight standing and defeat his victory. He will have to use a similar game plan against "Shoeface", which is not as effective as Ferreira on the feet, but is much more deadly on the court. If Heinisch decides to mix the tune-ups to keep Carlos Junior in his homework, he will have to be very careful not to fall prey to one of Carlos Junior's python-like strangulations.
Short and controlled combinations on the feet will be the key to Heinisch succeed here. If he lets Carlos Junior take it too easily, it will be a complete turn for him. "Shoeface" is just too loud to mess around when it comes to wrestling.
I like Heinisch to survive Carlos Junior and make another difficult decision.
To choose: Heinisch
Undefeated in six professional fights, Felicia Spencer could give Megan Anderson some regrettable memories of Holly Holm. Spencer is nowhere near as accomplished as an attacker like Holm, but it's entirely possible that she follows the example of "The Preacher's Daughter" and uses a steady regime of layoffs to neutralize the Anderson's exciting offense. Anyone who has seen Spencer can tell you that she is a real featherweight brute. She will try to reduce the distance, to tie up Anderson and make it ugly.
It's frustrating not being able to see what Anderson can do inside the Octagon. His fight with Holm saw him overwhelmed by a more experienced opponent. His fight with Cat Zingano ended prematurely when a kick from Anderson caused an injury to the eye. She was a demolition ball in Invicta and there are many reasons to think that her ability to effectively use her ruffled limbs can still make her a champion of the UFC.
The race begins Saturday, as Anderson's top-scoring effort will allow him to score from distance and bring Spencer closer. She will find an arrival on the first or second lap.
To choose: Anderson
Vicente Luque against Derrick Krantz
There are several physical and stylistic similarities between Vicente Luque and Derrick Krantz, making it a risky fight for Luque. Fortunately, during his war with Bryan Barberena at UFC Phoenix, Luque proved he was doing well in the deep waters and was not just a favorite.
"D-Rock" has been doing damage in the LFA for quite some time and without the fact that he is taking care of this fight less than a week in advance, Luque is an ideal partner for him, from point of view of pure entertainment value. Krantz won 21 fights by knockout or by submission, Luque did not need scorecards in any of his eight wins in UFC.
While it's fun to choose Krantz to shock the world here, especially if he can lure Luque into a slugfest with coins, it does not make sense to choose him when he has almost no time to to prepare for Luque, who is not the type to ignore an adversary in all circumstances.
To choose: Luque
Uh … third verse identical to the first?
Count me among the many people who wonder why this confrontation even takes place. Not necessarily because it's a blatant imbalance, but because Charles Oliveira has so little to gain from still beating Nik Lentz. And he has a lot to lose, including a series of wins over four fights in which the talented grappler is on the verge of becoming a legitimate contender.
Although Oliveira won his return match in May 2015 when submitting the third round, it was not a fight. Lentz saw everything in the cage and it was always difficult to put away. Having nothing to lose, he will bring Oliveira into action right from the opening bell and make life a hell for "Do Bronx" at the beginning.
Do not expect Oliveira to weaken. It's only a matter of time until he finds an opportunity to knock down Lentz or even guard him so he can play his unparalleled submission game. This constant threat will give Oliveira the advantage as long as it lasts.
Both films produced Fight of the Night performances in their previous two games. Repeating this again is a lot to ask, but it should be a fun ending with Oliveira extending his record for most UFC bid wins.
To choose: Oliveira
Davi Ramos has not yet been truly tested inside the Octagon since it has moved to lightness. He will have his hands full with the first Austin Hubbard. The way Ramos will manage here will greatly help the match leaders to determine if he is ready for a progression in the competition.
Hubbard brings solid boxing to the table. He will punish Ramos' body if "The Tasmanian Devil" is careless in his tinkiness or if he lets Hubbard cut the cage. Ramos is not afraid to get up and bump, but he will be much more inclined to make it a grappling fight. If he removes Hubbard, he can use the product Elevation Fight Team, known for his excellent cardio.
As mentioned, this is a test for Ramos, who has bulldozed his last two opponents. I do not see it happening here, although I see it win, whether through late submission or decision.
To choose: Ramos
undercard
Aspen Ladd def. Sijara Eubanks
Desmond Green def. Charles Jourdain
Michel Pereira def. Danny Roberts
Grant Dawson def. Michael Trizano
Patrick Cummins def. Ed Herman
Trevin Giles def. Zak Cummings
Julio Arce def. Julian Erosa
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