Fight Preview   The co-main event of this weekend’s UFC Fight Night at The Apex features Bryce Mitchell and Dan Ige, two of the best featherweights in the world. Since his defeat to Ilia Topuria, Mitchell has been embroiled in controversy, but Ige is ready to reclaim his position as a dark horse contender in the category.   The odds are in Bryce Mitchell’s favor, thus he should win the battle, right? He has a strong ground game, an area where Ige has traditionally been weak. But I’m going to cautiously support Mitchell.   He’s been out of commission

  Fight Preview   On the undercard of this weekend’s UFC Fight Night from The Apex in Las Vegas, Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson-Gomez will battle it out in a strawweight bout for the chance to revive their flagging careers. For the second time in as many years, Rodriguez and Waterson-Gomez will square off against one another, and both will be fighting to keep from falling farther behind in their respective series.   Waterson-Gomez is in a bleak situation. The fact that “The Karate Hottie” deserved to win over Luana Pinheiro at UFC 287 doesn’t change the fact that she

  Fight Preview   This weekend sees the return of a UFC Fight Night event to the UFC APEX, and the lineup promises to be packed with action across several weight classes. This welterweight matchup between former TUF champion Bryan Battle and AJ Fletcher is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.   Battle, now 28 years old, has a 9-2 professional MMA record with three TKO/KO wins and four submissions. He was the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 29. He is 6 feet, 1 inch tall with a 77-inch reach and favors the orthodox fighting style.   Battle has fought five

  Fight Preview   This Saturday night at UFC Vegas 79, Charles Jourdain and Ricardo Ramos will square off. The 27-year-old Jourdain is an odd commodity in the UFC. On the one hand, he’s a highly skilled kickboxer who likes to pick battles that everyone will enjoy. However, his record of 5-5 is cause for alarm. Ramos comes into the main event riding a two-fight win run and a 7-3 record in the championship division.   In the ring, Jourdain believes he is more capable than his record indicates. However, the reality is that Jourdain either does extremely well or

  Fight Preview   On the day Mexico celebrates its independence, Alexa Grasso is the last line of defense for her fellow citizens. The year, which began with Mexico boasting three UFC champions, has since gone worse. Grasso is fighting Valentina Shevchenko, the biggest export of the women’s flyweight category, on her own to defend her UFC title. Shevchenko vs. Grasso 2 headlines this Saturday night called “Noche UFC.”   Grasso surprised everyone by defeating Shevchenko via fourth-round submission at UFC 285 in March. This was Mexico’s third consecutive month with a UFC champion. Yair Rodriguez won the interim featherweight

  Fight Preview   The co-main event of UFC Noche is a Welterweight contest between Jack Della Maddalena and Kevin Holland, the victor of which will face a top-10 opponent in the division.   While Jack has won 15 straight bouts, Holland is 4-1 in his last five at 170 pounds, including 2-0 in the last two. Both fighters are extremely skilled and original strikers who can finish the bout at any time, making this a strong candidate for Fight of the Night.   Kevin Holland is an accomplished long-range striker who has developed his grappling skills throughout his UFC

  Fight Preview   Taking on Terrence is Raul Rosas Jr. This weekend’s Noche UFC program at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas features a three-round bantamweight bout between Mitchell and an opponent to be determined. Rosas, a sensation, will have to perform well against Mitchell, a physically imposing opponent, if he wants to bounce back from an upset loss in his previous match.   The 18-year-old grappler Raul Rosas looked out of his depth against Christian Rodriguez at UFC 288, derailing the hype train just as it was about to leave the station. When Rodriguez stopped his grappling and

  Fight Preview   The 24-year-old “Golden Boy” Daniel Zellhuber made his UFC debut after defeating fellow MMA fighter Lucas Almeida in a Dana White Contender Series unanimous decision. Since then, Zellhuber has a 1-1 record under the bright lights, with both fights going the full twelve rounds. Christos “The Spartan” Giagos, who is nearly a decade older and has a 6-6 record in the UFC, has a roughly even split between finishes and decisions.   There was anticipation for Zellhuber’s debut in the UFC. He is a tall, long-strided kickboxer who employs range, timing, and dynamism to pick apart

  Fight Preview   UFC newcomer Fernando Padilla, at age 26, defeated UFC veteran and journeyman Julian Erosa in their first bout. Padilla has won 13 of his 15 fights via knockout and lost only four times by decision. He faces up against Kyle “The Monster” Nelson, another aggressive fighter. Nelson, who is 32 years old, won a decision in June to get back on the winning track.   The significance of Padilla’s battle with and victory over Erosa goes beyond simply defeating a UFC veteran. Padilla and Erosa are both skilled fighters with comparable fighting styles, but Padilla has

  Fight Preview   While Israel Adesanya was hoping to face Dricus du Plessis, they were unable to make the fight happen. At UFC 281, his longtime rival Alex Pereira defeated him in the middleweight division, ending his streak.   In his first mixed martial arts bout, he was knocked out, but five months later, at UFC 287, he showed incredible courage by returning for a rematch. He knocked out the Brazilian in the second round to win back his championship and is now making his sixth title defense.   Sean Strickland is his next dangerous opponent. No one predicted