UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot
Erin Blanchfield lands a jab on Taila Santos. Credit: MMA Mania.
The UFC returns to New Jersey to put on yet another fantastic Fight Night card. In the co-main event, two of the most exciting fighters in the Welterweight division go toe-to-toe when Vicente Luque takes on Joaquin Buckley. In the main event, we’ll see two of the best female fighters in the world face off for a chance at the title when Erin Blanchfield faces off against Manon Fiorot. This entire card is loaded with excellent matchups and true finishers and should be great from top to bottom. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.
Chidi Njokuani vs. Rhys McKee
Chidi Njokuani lands ground and pound on Marc-Andre Barriault. Credit: MMA Mania.
Welterweight Bout
Chidi Njokuani: 22-10-0, 14 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Rhys McKee: 13-5-1, 10 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.
Njokuani has won two of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Dusko Todorovic (12-4-0) and Marc-Andre Barriault (16-7-0). He’s a patient Muay Thai striker, always keeping his guard high and constantly attacking with his lead leg. He constantly feints and stays composed, always looking for openings to unleash combinations. Training at Janjira Muay Thai, Njokuani has excellent knees in the clinch and can land significant damage without much space. He’s very defensively sound, having defended 60% of significant strikes attempted on him. Despite not having the longest UFC tenure, he’s been fighting at the top level of the sport for nearly a decade, having spent four years in Bellator. The majority of Njokuani’s knockouts have come in the first round, and he’s most dangerous early on.
Rhys McKee lands a jab on Ange Loosa. Credit: MMA Junkie.
McKee has won three of his last five bouts and is looking to score his first UFC victory after a brief detour back to Cage Warriors. He’s a patient striker who always remains technical and pushes a consistent pace. He’s constantly throwing his jab, gauging distance, and looking to set up combinations. McKee varies his shots and angles, attacking the head and body evenly. Training at Next Generation NI, he favors volume to power but won’t often throw long combinations, typically throwing a few straight shots before returning to range. He does most of his damage with his hands but does an excellent job mixing in kicks, never telegraphing anything. McKee is always looking to methodically and efficiently break down his opponents while absorbing as little damage as possible.
Bill Algeo vs. Kyle Nelson
Bill Algeo cracks Joanderson Brito with a jab. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Featherweight Bout
Bill Algeo: 18-7-0, 4 KO/TKO, 7 Sub.
Kyle Nelson: 15-5-1, 5 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.
Bill Algeo has won four of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Joanderson Brito (16-3-1), Alexander Hernandez (14-7-0), and TJ Brown (17-11-0). He uses a karate-like style on the feet, often keeping his hands down and throwing various strikes to both the head and body. Training at Algeo MMA & Kickboxing, he has excellent head movement, hand speed, and solid kick power. Algeo is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with an efficient wrestling game to back it up. He’s skilled on his back and on top, willing to throw ground and pound and pursue submissions, with six wins via rear-naked choke on his record. He’s also shown good takedown defense and clinch work, defending 56% of takedowns attempted on him. Algeo also seems to gain confidence as the fight continues but gets less technical and can be drawn into brawls.
Kyle Nelson throws a front kick at Blake Bilder. Credit: ESPN.
Nelson has won two of his last five outings with one draw and has UFC victories over Polo Reyes (8-9-0), Blake Bilder (8-2-1), and Fernando Padilla (16-5-0). He’s a powerful striker who’s always coming forward and never slows down. He fights behind his jab, throwing it with plenty of power, and is efficient with his striking, rarely wasting energy. Nelson does an excellent job of mixing in kicks, constantly throwing leg kicks and sneaking head kicks at the end of combinations. He has solid footwork, regularly cutting off the cage before entering the pocket to unload looping hooks and overhands. Training at House of Champions, he’s averaging over one takedown landed per fifteen minutes and is very strong in the clinch. Nelson throws everything with power and excels at landing kicks on his opponent while they’re attempting a strike.
Nursulton Ruziboev vs. Sedriques Dumas
Nursulton Ruziboev throws a right hand at Brunno Ferreira. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Middleweight Bout
Nursulton Ruziboev: 35-8-2, 13 KO/TKO, 20 Sub.
Sedriques Dumas: 9-1-0, 4 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.
Ruziboev is on a nine-fight win streak and has a UFC victory over Brunno Ferreira (11-1-0). On the feet, he throws a lot of single shots with plenty of power and loves to throw flashy spinning kicks. He’s constantly pressuring forward and will typically pursue takedowns early, often using his wild offense to set up his wrestling. Ruziboev has a dangerous submission game and can finish the fight on top and his back. He’s highly active on the ground and never stops moving, but he is much more of a wild man than a technician and can put himself in bad spots. Training at Renzo Gracie Philly, he’s always looking to finish the fight, often choosing not to defend takedowns to pursue a kimura instead. Ruziboev has heavy ground-and-pound and is excellent at changing grappling positions, especially reversing position from bottom to top.
Sedriques Dumas lands a takedown on Abu Azaitar. Credit: MMA Aldia.
Dumas has won four of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over Abu Azaitar (14-4-1) and Cody Brundage (10-5-0). He’s a technical striker constantly looking to counter his opponent with big punches. He’ll regularly throw kicks at range and has excellent distance management. He prefers power to volume, typically throwing single shots and naked kicks while fighting behind his jab. Dumas has a solid takedown game and decent top control but is much more comfortable on his feet. He’s accurate, never overextending or wasting significant energy. Although he won’t move around too much, he keeps his head off the centerline and remains elusive. He’s averaging just 24 significant strikes per fight in the UFC and is at his best in a technical kickboxing match.
Chris Weidman vs. Bruno Silva
Chris Weidman lands a right hand on Alessio Sakara. Credit: MMA Nation.
Middleweight Bout
Chris Weidman: 15-7-0, 6 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.
Bruno Silva: 23-10-0, 20 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.
Weidman has won one of his last five fights and has UFC victories over former UFC champions Anderson Silva (34-11-0), Vitor Belfort (26-14-0), and Lyoto Machida (26-12-0). He’s a well-rounded veteran with fantastic wrestling, technical boxing, and excellent cardio. He’s a patient striker, constantly feinting and throwing out his jab to draw reactions out of his opponent. Weidman has outstanding punches with his lead hand and will remain technical throughout the fight. Training at Longo-Weidman MMA, he’s averaging over three takedowns landed per fifteen minutes and is a tenacious grappler. He has great chain wrestling, heavy top pressure, and is constantly looking to advance position and posture up. Weidman is fighting for the second time since brutally breaking his leg in 2021 and looking to score his first win since the injury.
Bruno Silva rains down ground and pound on Wellington Turman. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Silva has found victory in three of his last five bouts, with knockout victories coming over Brad Tavares (20-10-0), Jordan Wright (12-5-0), and Andrew Sanchez (15-7-0). He is a brawler who loves to engage in the pocket and pressure forward, throwing looping shots. Training at Evolucao Thai, he throws every shot with power, pursues a finish at all times, and often ducks his head to unleash overhands. Silva does an excellent job of varying his attacks, regularly opening combinations with shots to the body before going to the head. He always starts the fight guns blazing and is most dangerous early on, holding 14 first-round knockout wins. He is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt but rarely initiates grappling exchanges and doesn’t want to spend much time on the mat, usually trying to get up as soon as possible. Despite his black belt, seven of his ten career losses are by submission, so Silva definitely would prefer to keep it on the feet.
#11 Vicente Luque vs. Joaquin Buckley
Vicente Luque locks in a D’arce choke on Michael Chiesa. Credit: MMA Mania.
Welterweight Bout
Vicente Luque: 22-9-1, 11 KO/TKO, 8 Sub.
Joaquin Buckley: 17-6-0, 12 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.
Luque has found victory in three of his last five bouts and holds wins over #2 ranked Welterweight Belal Muhammad (23-3-0), former UFC Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley (19-7-1), and #10 ranked Lightweight Jalin Turner (14-7-0). He is a heavy-handed striker who throws everything with power while remaining accurate. He fights behind his jab and throws everything with purpose, never telegraphing shots or wasting energy. Luque has excellent low kicks and does a great job mixing them into combinations. He can lead the dance or counter-strike but loves to brawl and will eat a shot to land one. He holds black belts in BJJ and Luta Livre and has extremely dangerous chokes. Although Luque won’t often chase takedowns, he regularly finds himself in top position due to knockdowns.
Joaquin Buckley lands a right hook on Alex Morono.
Buckley has found victory in three of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over Alex Morono (23-9-0), Albert Duraev (16-5-0), and Andre Fialho (16-8-0). He is a highly aggressive striker with serious power in both hands. He perpetually moves and pursues a finish, throwing every shot with bad intentions and often mixing in kicks at the end of combinations. Although Buckley has power in all his shots, he does his best work with his kicks, never telegraphing them and throwing them from anywhere. Training at Murcielago MMA, he throws everything in combination and pushes a frantic pace, willing to throw wild attacks like flying knees and spinning kicks. His UFC finishes have all come in round 2 or later, so he gets increasingly dangerous as the fight continues. He’s averaging over one takedown landed per fifteen minutes and has decent takedown defense, but he seems most comfortable on his feet.
#2 Erin Blanchfield vs. #3 Manon Fiorot
Erin Blanchfield submits Molly McCann with a kimura. Credit: DraftKings Network.
Women’s Flyweight Bout
Erin Blanchfield: 12-1-0, 2 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.
Manon Fiorot: 11-1-0, 6 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.
Blanchfield is on a nine-fight win streak and has UFC victories over #5 ranked Flyweight Jessica Andrade (25-12-0), #15 ranked Flyweight Miranda Maverick (15-5-0), and Molly McCann (14-6-0). She’s a well-rounded fighter, possessing excellent technical kickboxing and fantastic grappling. Having started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 7, she possesses a black belt and is visibly experienced and highly comfortable on the ground. Blanchfield is tough to shake off, has excellent control, and often seems one step ahead of her opponent on the ground. Training at Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, she has excellent wrestling and averages nearly three takedowns landed per fifteen minutes in the UFC. She is constantly advancing position when she does get it to the floor. On the feet, she works behind her jab and usually throws in combination. Blanchfield has a solid arsenal of kicks and throws all of them quickly, and she has some especially dangerous high kicks.
Manon Fiorot cracks Mayra Bueno Silva. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Fiorot is on an 11-fight win streak and has UFC victories coming over #3 ranked Bantamweight Mayra Bueno Silva (10-3-1), #6 ranked Flyweight Katlyn Cerminara (18-6-0), and #7 ranked Flyweight Rose Namajunas (13-6-0). She is an efficient, karate-style fighter with serious power and speed. She uses her lead leg excellently, constantly throwing side and head kicks without telegraphing. Fiorot is in perpetual motion and has solid output, but is very accurate and throws everything purposefully. Training with the Boxing Squad, she has excellent footwork and effortlessly moves in and out of the pocket. On average, she lands more than double the strikes she absorbs and has defended 69% of the strikes attempted on her in the UFC. Fiorot has landed at least one takedown in five of her six UFC wins, has excellent wrestling, and will rain down devastating ground and pound when on top.
Best Bets
Chidi Njokuani Moneyline: Rhys McKee has had a tough go of it in the UFC and has yet to find a win. Unfortunately, I don’t think that’ll change this weekend. Njokuani is more powerful, technical, and experienced than McKee, and while I don’t necessarily expect a finish, I expect a sound victory.
Nursulton Ruziboev by KO/TKO: I won’t lie; I desperately want to see Dumas get knocked out. I wouldn’t say I like his style, and with his legal issues outside the cage, I don’t think he has much of a right to even be in the UFC. Beyond that, Ruziboev is an absolute marauder on the ground and the feet, and Dumas has a relatively slow, plodding style. I expect Ruziboev to come forward with power punches and put Dumas away, preferably early.
Erin Blanchfield Moneyline: Despite some of the hate this main event has received online, this is an absolute banger between two possible future champions. While both are well-rounded, Blanchfield is more well-versed and experienced everywhere, whereas Fiorot is more of a striker than anything else. I’m not confident enough to guarantee a finish (although I expect one), but I believe Blanchfield has the skills to walk away with a win and a title shot.
