Ian Machado Garry has lengthy been the one taking goal on the prime of the welterweight rankings. Now, he finds himself defending his spot towards 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 increase all these streaks when he takes on Garry- – No. 6 within the MMA Preventing World Rankings – within the UFC Kansas Metropolis foremost occasion on Saturday. It’s a step up for Prates, who’s coming off of highlight-reel victories towards veterans Neil Magny and Li Jingliang.
The excitement atop their division at the moment revolves round champion Belal Muhammad defending towards Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 on Could 10, and the chance 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 akin to Sean Brady, Shavkat Rakhmonov (at the moment sidelined with an harm), and the winner of the just-announced UFC Atlanta foremost occasion between former champion Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley.
One factor is for positive, 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 foremost card motion, one-time gentle heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith makes his remaining 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 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 Heart 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 foremost card at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
(Numbers in parentheses point out standing within the MMA Preventing World Rankings)
Ian Machado Garry (6) vs. Carlos Prates
It won’t be the sexiest side of fight sports activities, however Saturday’s foremost occasion is all about distance management.
Ian Machado Garry fancies himself an elite technical striker and he’s actually backed that up. He’s wonderful at avoiding harm, which is considerably essential if you’re coping with Carlos Prates, whose knockout energy I might describe as “insane” to make use of a technical time period. Prates has as lethal a left hand as any fighter in latest 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 doable. Not solely can Prates rating from vary, he’s additionally nice at slipping photographs inside and establishing his personal energy strikes (did I point out his left hand?). Garry can completely win a hanging battle, however each minute on the ft is taking part in with fireplace.
Garry must go to his grappling when the openings current themselves. This can be 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 conflict of attrition (assuming Garry avoids the large kibosh early), Garry wears Prates down and submits him within the fourth.
Decide: 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. Consider, 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 keenness for Smith as he was the primary interview I ever did as a part of the MMA Preventing staff. 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 observe. I salute you, “Lionheart.”
I’m additionally selecting towards you.
Win or lose, Smith goes out on his personal phrases and we must always all respect that. I’m simply going with the plain alternative within the youthful, much less battle-worn Zhang. A Smith win ought to shock nobody because it wasn’t that way back Zhang was dealing with far inferior competitors and this might be a bridge too far for the 26-year-old. I’m guessing his uncooked capacity will get him by way of and results in an knockout within the first.
Decide: 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 remains to be ranked?”
Sure, it’s been some time since Chikadze has appeared actually worthy of a prime 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 might be mistaken, however that’s my take.
Regardless, the reality shall be identified tonight as he fights the damaging 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 should work laborious to get previous Chikadze’s extra seasoned hanging. Happily for Onama, output is just not a difficulty and he presents loads of issues for Chikadze in his personal proper.
Although I’m going with Onama by choice, I nonetheless count on this to be an in depth one.
Decide: Onama
Michel Pereira (15) vs. Abus Magomedov
We bought a greater concept 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 towards Abus Magomedov, who’s snug going the gap to win a struggle. He has a number of defensive weaknesses that Pereira can exploit, so Magomedov must be at his conservative greatest if he needs to keep away from being on the mistaken finish of a spotlight right here.
With respect to Magomedov, he’s precisely the form of opponent that Pereira is constructed to type 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.
Decide: Pereira
Randy Brown vs. Nicolas Dalby
This battle of seasoned welterweights has splitty metropolis written throughout it.
There’s not so much separating Randy Brown and Nicolas Dalby, two veterans who’ve seen all of it and are fashions for the fashionable MMA fighter. Hanging? They do this. Wrestling? They do this. Grappling? They do this. Cardio? They’ve bought 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 measurement are sufficient to place him excessive on this matchup, although Dalby will do every part 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.
Decide: Brown
Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz
Our foremost card opener ought to finish in a end with Ikram Aliskerov exhibiting off his knockout prowess or Andre Muniz breaking out his unbelievable grappling recreation. Alternatively, this might get actual middleweighty.
Simply image a situation the place Aliskerov is standoffish as a result of concern of a takedown and the place Muniz is endlessly feinting and altering ranges in concern of an Aliskerov KO blow. You’ll be able to 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 presumably knees) on Muniz. Aliskerov strikes amazingly properly 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 previously will solely be additional emphasised now.
Aliskerov by first-round knockout.
Decide: 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
