UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs Gamrot Preview
Rafael Fiziev throws a kick at Brad Riddell. Credit: MMA Mania.
This Saturday, we’ll see a tale as old as time in MMA: Striker vs. Grappler, when Rafael Fiziev and Mateusz Gamrot face off and try to insert themselves into the Lightweight title picture. Preceding that, we get another Striker vs. Grappler matchup with bearings on a title picture between Bryce Mitchell and Dan Ige. Rounding out this card are a handful of highly skilled scrappers and finishers looking to add some fireworks to this Fight Night card.
Ricardo Ramos vs. Charles Jourdain
Ricardo Ramos chokes out Eduardo Garagorri. Credit: DraftKings Network.
Featherweight Bout
Ricardo Ramos: 16-4-0, 4 KO/TKO, 7 Sub.
Charles Jourdain: 14-6-1, 8 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.
Ramos has won three of his previous five fights and has UFC wins over Bill Algeo (17-7-0), Journey Newsom (10-5-0), and Aiemann Zahabi (10-2-0). He is a well-rounded yet wild fighter, preferring spinning and jumping attacks to orthodox striking. He favors power over volume, not typically throwing a ton with his hands but putting a lot into the shots he throws. Ramos will come out guns blazing and has eight of his 11 finishes in round one, making him most dangerous early on. He averages nearly three takedowns landed per fifteen minutes and has excellent wrestling, especially in the clinch. Training with Team Alpha Male, he takes the back quickly and constantly pursues chokes, even in standing positions. Ramos isn’t the most accurate striker but can do severe damage if he lands, proven by his two victories via spinning back elbow in the UFC.
Charles Jourdain launches a jumping kick at Nathaniel Wood. Credit: Covers.com
Jourdain has won three of his last five and holds wins over Kron Gracie (5-2-0), Lando Vannata (12-7-2), and Dooho Choi (14-4-1). He has never been in a boring fight and always leaves everything in the cage. He has excellent kickboxing and uses a solid variety of attacks, often mixing kicks into punch combinations. Jourdain is comfortable in a slower-paced, technical striking battle but also loves to throw caution to the wind and attempt wild attacks like flying knees and spinning kicks. He never telegraphs his shots and constantly attacks from different angles, making him unpredictable. Training at BTT Canada, he holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is willing to engage in grappling exchanges, although he won’t typically initiate them. Jourdain has found more than half of his finishes after round one and is always dangerous.
Bryan Battle vs. A.J. Fletcher
Bryan Battle lands a shot on Tresean Gore. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Welterweight Bout
Bryan Battle: 10-2-0, 3 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.
A.J. Fletcher: 10-2-0, 4 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.
Battle has won four of his last five bouts and has UFC wins over Gabe Green (11-5-0), Takashi Sato (16-7-0), and Tresean Gore (5-2-0). He is a diverse striker who’s constantly throwing and looking for openings to land tight, straight shots. Training at Carolina Combat Sports, he has a great variety of kicks and often mixes them into combinations, throwing everything with purpose and accuracy. Battle has great head movement, footwork, and a solid chin, often absorbing nearly as many significant strikes as he lands. Although he’s a fast starter, he tends to heat up as the fight continues, with five of his eight career finishes coming in the second round. He is willing to grapple and occasionally pursues takedowns but seems more content doing most of his work on the feet despite having more submissions than knockouts. With two devastating first-round KOs in his last three fights, Battle has proven extremely dangerous on the feet.
A.J. Fletcher submits Themba Gorimbo with a guillotine choke. Credit: MMA News.
Fletcher has won three of his last five fights, with his lone UFC win coming over Themba Gorimbo (11-4-0). He’s a well-rounded, powerful fighter who’s comfortable wherever the fight goes. On the feet, he constantly moves and uses his striking efficiently, never wastes energy, and stays behind his jab. Per 15 minutes, Fletcher is averaging about two takedowns landed and one submission attempt per fifteen minutes in the UFC and holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He is an intelligent grappler who advances quickly and methodically, landing ground and pound whenever he has an opportunity. Training at Gladiators Academy, he tends to set up his grappling with his striking, letting his opponent get comfortable on the feet before shooting in for a takedown. Fletcher has never been finished and has shown he’s calm in deep waters, making him dangerous at all times.
#8 Marina Rodriguez vs. #12 Michelle Waterson-Gomez
Marina Rodriguez blasts Mackenzie Dern with a right hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Women’s Strawweight Bout
Marina Rodriguez: 16-3-2, 6 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Michelle Waterson-Gomez: 18-11-0, 3 KO/TKO, 9 Sub.
Rodriguez has won three of her last five fights, with her best wins coming over #3 ranked Strawweight Yan Xiaonan (17-3-0), #7 ranked Strawweight Mackenzie Dern (13-3-0), and #10 ranked Strawweight Amanda Ribas (11-4-0). She is an excellent striker, using a technical Muay Thai style to batter her opponents. She carries significant power in her hands for the weight class, often landing big shots with her right hand, and has a solid arsenal of kicks. Rodriguez can throw with volume and power, averaging about 79 significant strikes in her last five fights. Training at Thai Brasil, she has excellent hand speed and is averaging nearly five significant strikes landed per minute in her UFC tenure. She never throws single strikes, typically blitzing forward and throwing in combination. Rodriguez rarely initiates grappling exchanges but has shown solid takedown defense and has a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Michelle Waterson-Gomez lands a spinning kick on Angela Hill. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Waterson-Gomez has won one of her last five bouts and holds UFC wins over #13 ranked Strawweight Angela Hill (15-13-0), #15 ranked Strawweight Karolina Kowalkiewicz (15-7-0), and Paige VanZant (8-5-0). She holds a black belt in karate, and it’s apparent in her style, using perpetual motion and a steady dose of lead leg kicks. She fights behind her jab and always remains technical, throwing every shot tight and straight. Waterson-Gomez has lightning-quick kicks and mixes them into combinations well, never telegraphing her shots. Training at Jackson-Wink MMA, she’s averaging just over one takedown landed per fifteen minutes in the UFC and is a solid grappler. She has heavy top pressure, a slick submission game, and great defensive wrestling, having defended 72% of takedowns attempted on her in her promotional tenure. Waterson-Gomez has excellent cardio and can push the same pace across 25 minutes, let alone fifteen.
#10 Bryce Mitchell vs. #12 Dan Ige
Bryce Mitchell lands an elbow on Edson Barboza. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Featherweight Bout
Bryce Mitchell: 15-2-0, 0 KO/TKO, 9 Sub.
Dan Ige: 17-6-0, 5 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.
Mitchell has won four of his last five outings and has wins over #13 ranked featherweight Edson Barboza (23-11-0), Andre Fili (22-10-0), and Charles Rosa (14-8-0). Mitchell is a high-level grappler, averaging over three takedowns landed and nearly two submission attempts per fifteen minutes in the UFC. With both a wrestling background and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Mitchell typically gets the fight to the mat quickly. He has excellent top control on the ground and always pursues a finish, whether ground and pound or a submission. Training at Barata MMA, Mitchell has one of three wins via twister in UFC history and is most dangerous early, with eight of his nine career submissions coming in round one. On the feet, Mitchell constantly moves, cuts off the cage well, and shows decent power in his hands. He tends to use feints and technical boxing, but he will throw the occasional flashy kick.
Dan Ige lands a right hand on Nate Landwehr. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Ige has found victory in two of his last five bouts and holds wins over #13 ranked Featherweight Edson Barboza (23-11-0), Nate Landwehr (17-5-0), and Damon Jackson (22-5-1). He is a brawler with serious power inside the pocket and excellent technical boxing. He uses great footwork and constantly varies his attacks, going to the head and body evenly. While Ige primarily uses his hands to land damage, he also possesses powerful kicks, which he’ll often throw naked or at the end of combinations. He throws every shot with power and deadly intent and has one-shot knockout ability. Although more known for his striking, he has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has landed a takedown in seven of his nine victories in the UFC. While Ige won’t often initiate grappling exchanges, he has shown great defensive grappling and is always active on the ground, never staying in one spot.
#6 Rafael Fiziev vs. #7 Mateusz Gamrot
Rafael Fiziev throws a kick at Justin Gaethje. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Lightweight Bout
Rafael Fiziev: 12-2-0, 8 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Mateusz Gamrot: 22-2-0, 7 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.
Fiziev has won four of his last five fights and has UFC wins over #11 ranked Lightweight Rafael Dos Anjos (32-15-0), #13 ranked Lightweight Renato Moicano (17-5-1), and Brad Riddell (10-4-0). He is a dangerous striker who constantly pressures forward and always pursues a knockout. Averaging about 70 significant strikes landed in his last five outings, he has volume along with power and throws everything in combination. Training at Kill Cliff FC, Fiziev is highly technical, fights behind his jab, and quickly moves in and out of the pocket without taking much damage. He has very efficient striking and rarely misses shots, but is also defensively sound, possessing excellent head movement and elusive footwork. With a background in Muay Thai and a pro kickboxing record of 39-8, he won’t typically initiate grappling exchanges but has defended 90% of the takedowns attempted on him in the UFC. Fiziev has a massive arsenal of attacks and can land spectacular moves like flying knees and spinning kicks.
Mateusz Gamrot floors Scott Holtzman with a right hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Gamrot has won 4 of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over #8 ranked Lightweight Arman Tsarukyan (20-3-0), #12 ranked Lightweight Jalin Turner (13-7-0), and #15 ranked Lightweight Diego Ferreira (18-5-0). He is an incredibly well-rounded fighter and is dangerous wherever the fight goes. On the feet, he’s constantly moving and staying at range, remaining patient, and picking his shots. Gamrot favors power to volume, throwing every shot to finish his opponent. Training at American Top Team, he is averaging over four takedowns landed per fifteen minutes and has defended 90% of takedowns attempted on him. He is a tenacious wrestler, refusing to give up on takedowns and never staying still on the ground, whether on top or bottom. A former KSW champion, “Gamer” has excellent cardio and can push a consistent pace across fifteen minutes.
Best Bets
Bryan Battle vs. A.J. Fletcher to Not Go the Distance: There’s a total of 28 fights between these two men, with a combined seventeen finishes. Both have round-one finishes in the UFC and are coming off finish victories. They’re both very well-rounded and will push a heavy pace, and I expect one of them to go down before the final bell.
Marina Rodriguez by Decision: This is a bizarre fight: Rodriguez defeated Waterson-Gomez via unanimous decision just two years ago. I have no idea how these two even got matched up again, but I’d be shocked to see this play out differently than their first meeting.
Rafael Fiziev Moneyline: This is about as classic of a matchup as exists: striker vs. grappler. Of course, both are well-rounded, but it seems Gamrot has a clear advantage on the ground while Fiziev has a clear advantage on the feet. Fiziev has exhibited fantastic takedown defense in the UFC, and I believe he can keep this fight standing where he’s most comfortable. If Gamrot can’t find a way to take it to the mat, it could be a short night at the office for him.
