UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Albazi Preview
Brandon Moreno lands a stinging left hook on Alexandre Pantoja. Credit: MMA Fighting.
The UFC heads to Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada, with an exciting Fight Night card. There are plenty of fantastic matchups throughout, all filled with fighters looking to score a highlight victory in front of a packed crowd. In the co-main event, we’ll witness a top-five matchup of women’s Flyweights with possible title implications when Erin Blanchfield takes on Rose Namajunas. In the main event, we’ll see another top-five matchup, instead of men’s Flyweights, between former champion Brandon Moreno and the red-hot Amir Albazi. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.
Mike Malott vs. Trevin Giles
Mike Malott drops Adam Fugitt with punches. Credit: Insiders Betting Digest.
Welterweight Bout
Mike Malott: 10-2-1, 4 KO/TKO, 6 Sub.
Trevin Giles: 16-6-0, 6 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.
Malott has won four of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Mickey Gall (7-6-0), Adam Fugitt (10-4-0), and Yohan Lainesse (9-3-0). He’s dangerous on the feet with a solid kicking game and one-shot knockout power. He’s highly technical and accurate, throwing every shot with purpose and plenty of power. Malott has excellent footwork and typically throws in combination, supplying his opponent with a healthy dose of hooks and overhands. Training at Niagara Top Team, he’s a solid grappler with great wrestling and tremendous pressure on top. He’s landing, on average, about three takedowns per fifteen minutes and has a dangerous submission game, particularly chokes. Similar to his striking, Malott stays technical and patient on the ground, looking for openings and quickly advancing position.
Trevin Giles fires a left hand at Preston Parsons. Credit: MMA Junkie.
Trevin Giles has won two of his last five bouts and has wins over #9 ranked Middleweight Roman Dolidze (14-3-0), Preston Parson (11-5-0), and James Krause (28-9-0). He is an aggressive boxer on the feet, constantly looking to explode forward with huge, hook-heavy combinations. He has good power in both hands and seemingly never puts punches out there to touch his opponent, throwing every punch with fight-ending intentions. He’s a talented grappler, averaging over one takedown landed per fifteen minutes, and has solid top control. He will typically resort to ground and pound but has submission ability and will pursue chokes. Training at W4R Training Center, he relentlessly pursues the finish and is willing to engage in the fight anywhere to find it. Giles always leaves it all inside the Octagon, with just 23% of his professional fights going the distance.
Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
Marc-Andre Barriault fires a head kick at Eryk Anders. Credit: Insiders Betting Digest.
Middleweight Bout
Marc-Andre Barriault: 16-8-0, 10 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Dustin Stoltzfus: 15-6-0, 2 KO/TKO, 6 Sub.
Barriault has won two of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Julian Marquez (9-5-0), Jordan Wright (12-5-0), and Eryk Anders (16-8-0). He’s a brawler, preferring to hang in the pocket and get the job done with his hands. He has solid power in both hands and regularly mixes in damaging leg kicks in his constant pursuit of a finish. When the fight hits the ground, Barriault has shown decent top control and heavy ground and pound, constantly looking to posture and rain down shots. He has solid defensive wrestling, having defended 67% of takedowns attempted on him in the UFC. Training at Kill Cliff FC, he has impressive cardio and can push a heavy pace, averaging about 95 significant strikes landed in his last five victories. Despite this, Barriault still seems to favor power over volume, throwing every shot with fight-ending intentions.
Dustin Stoltzfus secures a blast double-leg takedown on Dwight Grant. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Stoltzfus has won two of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Dwight Grant (11-6-0) and Punahele Soriano (10-4-0). He’s a solid wrestler with impressive power who’s always willing to engage in the pocket. He won’t rush on the feet, favoring power to volume and tending to throw kicks at range. Stoltzfus has good distance management and is always coming forward, often using his striking to close the distance and pursue takedowns. He’s averaging over two takedowns landed per fifteen minutes and is capable of brutal slams. Training at Xtreme Couture, he advances quickly on top and has solid top pressure, rarely letting his opponent out from under him. Stoltzfus has heavy ground and pound and a slick submission game, holding a victory via twister on his record.
Caio Machado vs. Brendson Ribeiro
Caio Machado lands a damaging kick to the body of Mick Parkin. Credit: MMA Junkie.
Light Heavyweight Bout
Caio Machado: 8-3-1, 4 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.
Brendson Ribeiro: 15-7-0, 9 KO/TKO, 6 Sub.
Machado has won three of his last five bouts and is looking for his first UFC victory. He’s a heavy-handed brawler with a solid grappling background. He’s a fast starter, getting his hands going immediately, typically unloading with looping hooks and overhands. Machado throws every shot with power and constantly comes forward and attacks, often using his striking to reach the clinch. Training at FKP MMA Vancouver, he has excellent takedown defense and can defend shots along the fence and in open space. He advances quickly in top position, constantly looking to posture up and rain down ground and pound. Although Machado is always willing to brawl, he has two wins by armbar in his last five appearances and can finish the fight anywhere.
Brendson Ribeiro brutally finishes Bruno Lopes with ground and pound. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Ribeiro has won three of his last five outings and is looking to score his first UFC victory. He’s a wild scrapper with solid power and dangerous submissions. He throws everything with power, fighting behind his jab before unloading long, looping hooks. He has heavy kicks and throws them constantly, regularly mixing leg kicks into combinations. Training at Brazilian TKO, Ribeiro is an explosive grappler and can land powerful takedowns even when on the back foot. He can survive in deep waters on his back, has solid scrambles and reversals, and has heavy pressure in top position. He stays patient on top, not putting himself in bad spots while looking to land ground and pound. Ribeiro has found four of his six submissions via guillotine and will regularly pursue chokes if it hits the mat.
#11 Derrick Lewis vs. Jhonata Diniz
Derrick Lewis lands an incredible flying knee on Marcos Rogerio de Lima. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Heavyweight Bout
Derrick Lewis: 28-12-0, 23 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Jhonata Diniz: 8-0-0, 7 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.
Lewis has won two of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #3 ranked Heavyweight Alexander Volkov (38-10-0), #5 ranked Heavyweight Curtis Blaydes (18-5-0), and #8 ranked Heavyweight Marcin Tybura (25-9-0). Famous for his kill-or-be-killed approach, he is arguably the most powerful puncher in the Heavyweight division. Training at Silverback Fight Club, he has a unique, patient style, often going from 0-100 in the blink of an eye. Along with his punching power, Lewis has a surprising arsenal of flashy attacks, particularly jumping kicks and flying knees. He doesn’t often initiate grappling exchanges and is well known for his non-technical wrestling style of “just getting up,” but he can do severe damage if he gets to top position. He’s incredibly resilient and is never truly out of a fight, especially since he only needs to land one clean shot to find a finish. Lewis is the record holder for UFC knockouts with 15 and looks to add to that number every time he fights.
Jhonata Diniz cracks Karl Williams with a stiff left hook. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Diniz is undefeated and has UFC victories over Karl Williams (10-2-0) and Austen Lane (13-5-0). He’s a former professional kickboxer with a record of 29-7 and fifteen knockout wins. He throws everything with power and can produce a knockout with a single clean shot. Diniz constantly presses forward and cuts off the cage well, often closing the distance to unload hooks. He remains technical throughout and varies his shots well, attacking the head, body, and legs. Training with the Santa Fe Team, he throws bombs but won’t telegraph and does an excellent job of mixing kicks into combinations. Diniz has six first-round knockouts in MMA and eight in kickboxing and is most dangerous early on.
#3 Erin Blanchfield vs. #5 Rose Namajunas
Erin Blanchfield stuns Jessica Andrade with a straight right hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Women’s Flyweight
Erin Blanchfield: 12-2-0, 2 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.
Rose Namajunas: 14-6-0, 2 KO/TKO, 6 Sub.
Blanchfield has won four of her last five bouts and has UFC victories over #8 ranked Flyweight Jéssica Andrade (26-13-0), Miranda Maverick (16-5-0), and Molly McCann (14-7-0). 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 has 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 Silver Fox BJJ, she has excellent wrestling and averages about two takedowns landed per fifteen minutes in her UFC tenure. She is constantly advancing position when she does get it to the mat. She works behind her jab on the feet 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.
Rose Namajunas lands a damaging right hand on Weili Zhang. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Namajunas has won three of her last five outings and has UFC victories over Strawweight champion Zhang Weili (25-3-0), #8 ranked Flyweight Jéssica Andrade (26-13-0), and #10 ranked Flyweight Amanda Ribas (12-5-0). She’s a well-rounded fighter with a solid kickboxing game and excellent Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Training at Genesis Training Center, she has sneaky power, a sturdy chin, and has proven her ability to go five rounds without slowing or getting sloppy. Holding black belts in both Taekwondo and Karate, Namajunas has very educated feet and crisp boxing. Averaging over one takedown landed per 15 minutes, she is willing to engage in grappling exchanges and has great top control to complement her excellent submission game. Six of her last ten bouts have been for titles against some of the fiercest competition in the sport, making her prepared for nearly anything. She’s been awarded six bonuses and has five finishes in the promotion, almost always leaving everything in the cage.
#2 Brandon Moreno vs. #3 Amir Albazi
Brandon Moreno chokes out Deiveson Figueiredo. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Flyweight Bout
Brandon Moreno: 21-8-2, 5 KO/TKO, 11 Sub.
Amir Albazi: 17-1-0, 5 KO/TKO, 9 Sub.
Brandon Moreno has won three of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #1 ranked Flyweight Brandon Royval (17-7-0), #4 ranked Flyweight Kai Kara-France (25-11-0), and #5 ranked Bantamweight Deiveson Figueiredo (24-3-1). Training at Brazilian Warriors BJJ, he uses crisp boxing and extended combinations to damage his opponents. He remains patient and looks for openings but is more than willing to throw down and brawl in the pocket. Moreno has excellent top control and a slick submission game on the mat, particularly chokes. He also has excellent takedown defense, often working out of challenging positions and returning to his feet. He has fantastic cardio and can easily push a consistent pace across 25 minutes. Moreno has earned seven performance bonuses in his promotional tenure and is never in a boring fight.
Amir Albazi lands a glancing uppercut on Kai Kara-France. Credit: MMA Mania.
Albazi is on a six-fight win streak and has UFC victories over #4 ranked Flyweight Kai Kara-France (25-11-0), Alessandro Costa (14-4-0), and Malcolm Gordon (14-8-0). He is a well-rounded fighter who’s most comfortable on the mat. He’s landing, on average, three takedowns and over one submission attempted per fifteen minutes and is a dominant wrestler. Training at Xtreme Couture, Albazi has excellent takedowns and is very hard to shake off, always staying active and pursuing a finish on top. He’s also dangerous on his back and advances position very quickly on the ground. On the feet, he uses technical boxing, constant forward pressure, and great head movement to damage his opponent. Albazi makes excellent use of feints and doesn’t telegraph his shots, always fighting behind his jab and usually holding the center of the cage.
Best Bets
Machado vs. Ribeiro to Not Go the Distance: One of the more interesting matchups on the card, both men have gone 0-2 in their promotional tenure and are attempting to secure their first UFC victory. Regardless of the fighters, typically, when two fighters are in a position where they’re fighting to keep their job, it’s going to get wild. With that situation in mind, these fighters have twenty-three wins between the two of them, with a combined 17 first-round finishes. I expect both fighters to take plenty of risks, throw caution to the wind, and ultimately, for someone to earn a finish along with their first UFC win.
Lewis vs. Diniz to Not Go the Distance: If you’re familiar with Lewis, you probably know how most of his fights end. Lewis has only seen the judges scorecards once in his last ten outings, and you know every time he’s in the octagon, somebody is going to sleep, one way or another. His opponent, Diniz, has only gone to decision a single time in his brief career and earned all but one of his knockouts in the first round. Typically, the only scenario where Lewis goes to a decision is when facing a grappler, and Diniz is a former professional kickboxer, so I don’t anticipate many takedown attempts from him. While I have no idea who will take this one, I’m highly confident somebody will be getting knocked out.
Brandon Moreno Moneyline: As usual, I admit my bias as a massive fan of Brandon Moreno. Regardless, I do believe he wins this fight. Albazi is an excellent, well-rounded fighter and offers an interesting puzzle at Flyweight, where there aren’t a ton of dominant wrestlers. Although he’s run through a few UFC opponents, he struggled significantly against top contender Kai Kara-France, especially with his grappling, landing just one of his nine attempted takedowns. While Albazi did win this fight by split decision, he absorbed 99 significant strikes and was even taken down twice, exposing cracks in his armor. Although Moreno has a different style to Kara-France, he’s a much more skilled grappler than KKF and also an excellent striker. While I believe Moreno can match Albazi on the ground, he has a definite advantage on the feet, where I think he can outpace and overwhelm him. I expect Moreno to deny Albazi’s takedowns, push a heavy pace, and put himself back into the win column.
