Ian Machado Garry has lengthy been the one taking purpose on the high of the welterweight rankings. Now, he finds himself defending his spot in opposition to one of many hottest fighters within the division.
Carlos Prates has gained 4 straight fights, recorded 4 straight knockouts, and gained 5 straight $50,000 bonuses, and he seems to be to increase all these streaks when he takes on Garry- – No. 6 within the MMA Preventing International Rankings – within the UFC Kansas Metropolis essential occasion on Saturday. It’s a step up for Prates, who’s coming off of highlight-reel victories in opposition to veterans Neil Magny and Li Jingliang.
The thrill atop their division presently revolves round champion Belal Muhammad defending in opposition to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 on Might 10, and the likelihood that Muhammad’s shut good friend, UFC light-weight champion Islam Makhachev, may transfer to 170 kilos ought to Della Maddalena emerge victorious. That chance muddles the contender image, to not point out the presence of different viable challengers resembling Sean Brady, Shavkat Rakhmonov (presently sidelined with an damage), and the winner of the just-announced UFC Atlanta essential occasion between former champion Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley.
One factor is for certain, whoever impresses in Saturday’s headliner gained’t be removed from a title shot no matter how the remainder of the division shakes out over the subsequent few months.
In different essential card motion, one-time mild heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith makes his last stroll to the octagon when he takes on Zhang Mingyang, Giga Chikadze defends his tenuous maintain on the featherweight from David Onama, Michel Pereira seems to be to bounce again from a disappointing loss when he meets Abus Magomedov in a middleweight bout, and extra.
What: UFC Kansas Metropolis
The place: T-Cell Middle in Kansas Metropolis, Mo.
When: Saturday, April 26. The eight-fight preliminary card begins at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+, adopted by a six-fight essential card at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
(Numbers in parentheses point out standing within the MMA Preventing International Rankings)
Ian Machado Garry (6) vs. Carlos Prates
It won’t be the sexiest side of fight sports activities, however Saturday’s essential occasion is all about distance management.
Ian Machado Garry fancies himself an elite technical striker and he’s definitely backed that up. He’s wonderful at avoiding injury, which is considerably necessary once you’re coping with Carlos Prates, whose knockout energy I’d describe as “insane” to make use of a technical time period. Prates has as lethal a left hand as any fighter in current reminiscence and it gained’t take many to place Garry down.
So it falls upon Garry to combine issues up and spend as little time within the pocket with Prates as potential. Not solely can Prates rating from vary, he’s additionally nice at slipping pictures inside and establishing his personal energy strikes (did I point out his left hand?). Garry can completely win a placing battle, however each minute on the toes is enjoying with hearth.
Garry must go to his grappling when the openings current themselves. It is a five-round struggle and he ought to have the sting in cardio, having gone a tough 25 minutes twice in his profession. Prates has zero expertise preventing previous Spherical 3.
In a warfare of attrition (assuming Garry avoids the massive kibosh early), Garry wears Prates down and submits him within the fourth.
Choose: Garry
Anthony Smith vs. Zhang Mingyang
Anthony Smith, no matter occurs subsequent, we salute you.
By no means a world beater or a blue-chip prospect by any stretch of the creativeness, Smith not solely established himself as a light-weight heavyweight contender within the UFC, he fought for the title and was one ethical quandary away from taking the title from Jon Jones by way of disqualification. Remember, Smith was 27 fights into his professional profession when he made the transfer over from Strikeforce and 36 fights in when he began his second UFC run that has lasted for nearly a decade.
Full disclosure, I’ll all the time have a passion for Smith as he was the primary interview I ever did as a part of the MMA Preventing crew. He was nonetheless a middleweight and barely a blip on the informal fan’s radar, so seeing him blossom right into a headlining fighter and a mainstay of UFC broadcasts has been a pleasure to look at. I salute you, “Lionheart.”
I’m additionally choosing in opposition to you.
Win or lose, Smith goes out on his personal phrases and we must always all respect that. I’m simply going with the apparent selection within the youthful, much less battle-worn Zhang. A Smith win ought to shock nobody because it wasn’t that way back Zhang was going through far inferior competitors and this may very well be a bridge too far for the 26-year-old. I’m guessing his uncooked capacity will get him by and results in an knockout within the first.
Choose: Zhang
Giga Chikadze (14) vs. David Onama
I think about the most important query about this matchup you all have is that this: “Giga Chikadze continues to be ranked?”
Sure, it’s been some time since Chikadze has appeared really worthy of a high 15 rating (his knockout of Edson Barboza? August 2021!), however his solely UFC losses are to Arnold Allen and Calvin Kattar, so there’s no disgrace in that and I’d argue few featherweights have damaged out of a dense center of the pack to take his spot. I may very well be incorrect, however that’s my take.
Regardless, the reality shall be identified tonight as he fights the harmful David Onama. We’re nonetheless ready for Onama to place all of it collectively, however he’s beginning to determine who he’s: A quick fighter with enhancing boxing and high quality takedown protection. He’ll need to work arduous to get previous Chikadze’s extra seasoned placing. Thankfully for Onama, output just isn’t a problem and he presents loads of issues for Chikadze in his personal proper.
Despite the fact that I’m going with Onama by resolution, I nonetheless count on this to be a detailed one.
Choose: Onama
Michel Pereira (15) vs. Abus Magomedov
We acquired a greater thought of Michel Pereira’s ceiling in his loss to Anthony Hernandez. Pereira has by no means been identified for his excellent cardio, so “Fluffy” was his kryptonite and it turned evident that Pereira won’t be constructed for MMA marathons.
That deficiency may rear its ugly head in opposition to Abus Magomedov, who’s comfy going the space to win a struggle. He has lots of defensive weaknesses that Pereira can exploit, so Magomedov needs to be at his conservative finest if he desires to keep away from being on the incorrect finish of a spotlight right here.
With respect to Magomedov, he’s precisely the form of opponent that Pereira is constructed to fashion on. Not a menace to push the tempo, hittable, and a step slower within the standup. I like Pereira to placed on a classic efficiency right here, snatching the win and retaining his dim title hopes alive.
Choose: Pereira
Randy Brown vs. Nicolas Dalby
This battle of seasoned welterweights has splitty metropolis written throughout it.
There’s not loads separating Randy Brown and Nicolas Dalby, two veterans who’ve seen all of it and are fashions for the trendy MMA fighter. Placing? They do this. Wrestling? They do this. Grappling? They do this. Cardio? They’ve acquired it. That is wonderful matchmaking, simply don’t count on it to be assured sparks, since each fighters are so well-rounded they’ll be stifling one another’s makes an attempt to drag away on the scorecards at each flip.
Brown’s creativity and dimension are sufficient to place him excessive on this matchup, although Dalby will do all the pieces he can to make the struggle uncomfortable. Search for Brown to be a step forward for 3 rounds, scoring simply sufficient to win over a few judges and get again on the profitable monitor.
Choose: Brown
Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz
Our essential card opener ought to finish in a end with Ikram Aliskerov exhibiting off his knockout prowess or Andre Muniz breaking out his unimaginable grappling recreation. Alternatively, this might get actual middleweighty.
Simply image a situation the place Aliskerov is standoffish as a result of worry of a takedown and the place Muniz is endlessly feinting and altering ranges in worry of an Aliskerov KO blow. You possibly can see it, can’t you? Isn’t it fantastic?
With that jinx out of the way in which, I’m going with Aliskerov to place palms (and kicks and probably knees) on Muniz. Aliskerov strikes amazingly nicely for a 185er and he generates energy energy shortly. As a lot because it sucks to level this out, Muniz hasn’t fought in over 500 days and he turned 35 this previous February, so no matter athletic shortcomings he had up to now will solely be additional emphasised now.
Aliskerov by first-round knockout.
Choose: Aliskerov
Preliminaries
Matt Schnell def. Jimmy Flick
Evan Elder def. Gauge Younger
Chris Gutierrez def. John Castaneda
Da’Mon Blackshear def. Alatengheili
Malcolm Wellmaker def. Cameron Saaiman
Jaqueline Amorim def. Polyana Viana
Timmy Cuamba def. Roberto Romero
Joselyne Edwards def. Chelsea Chandler
