UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. Cortez Preview
Rose Namajunas cracks Zhang Weili with a right hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.
The UFC returns to Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, with an excellent Fight Night card. In the co-main event, two highly-potent finishers will collide when Santiago Ponzinibbio takes on Muslim Salikhov. In the main event, we’ll see an established legend, Rose Namajunas, face off with quickly rising prospect Tracy Cortez. From the prelims to the main card, there are excellent fights throughout that are sure to create highlights. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage
Abdul Razak Alhassan knocks out Niko Price with a left hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Middleweight Bout
Abdul Razak Alhassan: 12-6-0, 12 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.
Cody Brundage: 10-6-0, 5 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.
Alhassan has won two of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Niko Price (16-7-0), Alessio Di Chirico (13-7-0), and Claudio Ribeiro (11-5-0). He is an explosive, dangerous striker who prefers power to volume and is always coming forward. He constantly throws looping shots and hooks, often loading up and hunting for the one-shot knockout. Alhassan has a dangerous kicking game, usually throwing them without setup and with massive power. All his professional wins have come via finish, with eleven coming in round one. Training with Elevation Fight Team, he has a black belt in Judo, is very strong in the clinch, and can land throws and trips when in close. Alhassan averages just under one takedown landed per fifteen minutes but is usually comfortable keeping the fight standing.
Cody Brundage rains down ground and pound onto Tresean Gore. Credit: MMA Mania.
Brundage has won two of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over Tresean Gore (5-2-0), Dalcha Lungiambula (11-6-0), and Jacob Malkoun (8-3-0). He is a powerful wrestler with solid power in his hands. He’s averaging over two takedowns landed and nearly one submission attempted per fifteen minutes. Brundage is willing to fight on the feet and throws everything with power, often ducking his head to throw counterstrikes. He uses a great variety of attacks and is a creative striker, with him most commonly throwing overhands and hooks. Training at FactoryX Muay Thai, he often shoots early and has solid takedowns, usually securing them quickly. Brundage is exceptionally explosive and unpredictable, holding one-shot knockout power and regularly jumping guillotines.
Julian Erosa vs. Christian Rodriguez
Julian Erosa lands a flying knee on Nate Landwehr. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Featherweight Bout
Julian Erosa: 29-12-0, 11 KO/TKO, 13 Sub.
Christian Rodriguez: 11-1-0, 3 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.
Erosa has won three of his last five outings and has wins over Hakeem Dawodu (13-4-1), Charles Jourdain (15-8-1), and Nate Landwehr (18-5-0). He utilizes an awkward style on the feet, staying upright with his hands down and throwing lots of looping hooks from strange angles. He is seemingly always moving forward, whether to initiate a grappling exchange or land strikes and has the cardio to easily do so over three rounds. Erosa is willing to get into brawls on the feet, gladly hanging in the pocket and exchanging combinations. Training at Xtreme Couture, he averages over one takedown landed per fifteen minutes and is a slick submission artist, with two UFC victories via D’arce choke, one of which was standing. He has proven to be a bit of a slow starter but heats up as the fight goes on. Erosa has found 75% of his finishes after the first round and is always dangerous.
Christian Rodriguez chokes out Joshua Weems. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Rodriguez has won four of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Raul Rosas Jr. (9-1-0), Joshua Weems (10-3-0), and Cameron Saaiman (9-2-0). He’s a well-rounded scrapper with excellent counterstriking and a slick submission game. He’s constantly pressuring forward, looking to draw punches out of his opponent to land counterstrikes. Rodriguez always looks to close the distance, regularly throwing step-in elbows and knees. He’s averaging over one takedown landed and over one submission attempted per fifteen minutes. Training at Roufusport, he has excellent transitions and reversals on the ground, always placing himself in an advantageous position. Rodriguez has consistently been matched up with other top prospects, with three of his promotional victories coming over undefeated fighters.
Gabriel Bonfim vs. Ange Loosa
Gabriel Bonfim submits Trevin Giles with a guillotine choke. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Welterweight Bout
Gabriel Bonfim: 15-1-0, 3 KO/TKO, 12 Sub.
Ange Loosa: 10-3-0, 5 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Bonfim has won four of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over Mounir Lazzez (11-3-0) and Trevin Giles (16-6-0). He always comes out guns blazing, throwing bombs, and looking for an early finish. Fighting behind his jab, he uses crisp boxing and consistently throws in combination, possessing excellent speed and power in his hands. Bonfim loves to engage in the pocket and tends to headhunt but won’t get sloppy, always keeping his guard high and his punches tight and straight. He has a deadly submission game, can find chokes from seemingly anywhere, and has fantastic takedowns. Training at Cerrado MMA, he advances with lightning speed on the ground and always pursues a finish. Bonfim has finished all his professional wins and pushes a crazy pace from the first bell to the last.
Ange Loosa blasts Rhys McKee with a right overhand. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Loosa has won three of his last five outings with one no-contest and has UFC victories over AJ Fletcher (10-3-0) and Rhys McKee (13-6-1). He’s a powerful, technical striker who can land damage anywhere, any time. He’s always willing to eat a shot to land one, absorbing, on average, about 83 significant strikes per fight in his promotional tenure. Loosa throws every shot straight and tight, regularly lunging forward to unload 1-2 combinations. He’s averaging over two takedowns landed per fifteen minutes and has brutal ground and pound. He remains technical throughout, fighting behind his jab and always keeping his hands high. Loosa won his first six professional fights by first-round finish and is at his most dangerous early on.
Drew Dober vs. Jean Silva
Drew Dober unloads a brutal left hand onto Rafael Alves. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Lightweight Bout
Drew Dober: 27-13-0, 15 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.
Jean Silva: 13-2-0, 10 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.
Dober has won three of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #15 ranked Lightweight Bobby Green (32-15-1), Terrance McKinney (15-7-0), and Nasrat Haqparast (17-5-0). He is an excellent striker with a Muay Thai background and a black belt in Taekwondo. He always stays technical and throws all his punches tight and straight, rarely throwing looping shots. Dober throws everything with knockout intentions and carries his power across all three rounds. Training with Elevation Fight Team, he has excellent head movement and varies his shots, attacking the head and body evenly. He’s willing to brawl in the pocket but doesn’t get sloppy, has solid footwork, and is always coming forward. Dober does a great job of moving in and out of the pocket, throwing kicks at range, and landing damaging combinations in close.
Jean Silva fires ground and pound at Charles Jourdain. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Silva is on a ten-fight win streak and has UFC victories over Westin Wilson (17-9-0) and Charles Jourdain (15-8-1). He’s a flashy striker with power in both hands who constantly hunts for a knockout. He starts slow, looking for openings and throwing heavy, single shots. Silva can get wild on the feet, fighting with his hands low, talking trash, and attempting spinning and jumping attacks. Training with Fighting Nerds, he heats up as the fight continues, gradually increasing his forward pressure and output. His best shots are his right straight and lead hook, and he’ll constantly look to set up either. Silva has only left the first round twice during his win streak and has the power to produce a flash knockout at any time.
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Muslim Salikhov
Santiago Ponzinibbio catches Miguel Baeza with a right overhand. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Welterweight Bout
Santiago Ponzinibbio: 30-7-0, 16 KO/TKO, 6 Sub.
Muslim Salikhov: 19-5-0, 13 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.
Ponzinibbio has won two of his last five bouts and has wins over #12 ranked welterweight Neil Magny (29-10-0), Miguel Baeza (10-4-0), and Alex Morono (24-10-0). Training at American Top Team, Ponzinibbio is an impressive striker with serious power, always using a solid variety of attacks to get the job done. Ponzinibbio has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a solid submission game, but he’s unlikely to take the fight to the mat. He remains technical throughout a fight and is comfortable fighting at range and in the pocket. Averaging about 85 significant strikes landed per fight in his last five bouts, Ponzinibbio has a great chin, solid cardio, and can push a consistent pace across 15 minutes. Fifteen of his 22 career finishes have come in the first round, so he’s very dangerous early in the fight.
Muslim Salikhov lands a spinning kick on Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. Credit: MMA Junkie.
Salikhov has won two of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Franciso Trinaldo (28-9-0), Andre Fialho (16-9-0), and Nordine Taleb (15-7-0). He holds the rank of Master of Sport in Wushu Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) and a pro kickboxing record of 185-13 with 76 wins by knockout. He’s an incredibly dangerous striker, possessing solid power and excellent technical skills. Salikhov has an impressive arsenal of kicks, particularly his array of spinning attacks that he loves to throw. Training at Berkut FC, he’s also very defensively sound, having defended 62% of significant strikes attempted on him in his promotional tenure. He is willing to grapple and averages just over one takedown landed per fifteen minutes, typically raining down devastating ground and pound when in top position. Salikhov is highly experienced and very tough to put away, always coming forward and looking to do damage throughout the fight.
#6 Rose Namajunas vs. #11 Tracy Cortez
Rose Namajunas lands a side kick on Amanda Ribas. Credit: MMA Mania.
Women’s Flyweight Bout
Rose Namajunas: 13-6-0, 2 KO/TKO, 6 Sub.
Tracy Cortez: 11-1-0, 1 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Namajunas has won three of her last five outings and has wins over former UFC Strawweight champions Jessica Andrade (26-12-0), Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-5-0), and Zhang Weili (25-3-0). She’s a well-rounded fighter with a solid kickboxing game and excellent Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Training at 303 Training Center, she has sneaky power, a sturdy chin, and has proven her ability to go five rounds without slowing. 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 nine 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.
Tracy Cortez tags Justine Kish with a right hand. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Cortez is on an 11-fight win streak and has UFC victories over #15 ranked Flyweight Jasmine Jasudavicius (10-3-0), Melissa Gatto (9-2-2), and Stephanie Egger (8-5-0). She's a talented grappler with solid hands and is comfortable wherever the fight goes. She’s averaging over two takedowns landed per fifteen minutes and has landed a takedown in all her UFC appearances but one. Cortez has heavy top control and stays patient in top position, never putting herself in comprising positions. Training at Fight Ready, she does most of her work on the feet inside the pocket, throwing in combination and favoring volume to power. She has excellent cardio and pushes a consistent pace, fighting behind her jab and remaining technical throughout. Cortez has landed, on average, over 60 significant strikes per fight in her promotional tenure and is willing to eat a shot to land one.
Best Bets
Cody Brundage Moneyline: One of the more explosive matchups on the card; both fighters are very dangerous. What truly separates the two is their grappling. While Alhassan has a black belt in Judo, he’s struggled when facing powerful wrestlers in the UFC. In five of his six losses in the promotion, he was taken down more than three times and outstruck on the stat sheet. While Brundage is not a volume fighter, he is a powerful wrestler willing to shoot early. If he can take the fight to the mat early on, Alhassan is likely to gas and become more susceptible to takedowns and being controlled. Assuming Brundage doesn’t decide to have a crazy brawl, he should be able to grapple his way to victory.
Drew Dober Moneyline: A bit of an odd matchup; Silva is stepping in on two weeks' notice after fighting at UFC 303. While he hardly absorbed damage in that bout, he’s now facing an exceptionally dangerous, powerful opponent. With this being just the third UFC appearance for Silva, it’s unlikely he’s faced an opponent with the skill, power, or chin of Dober. Now a decade-long veteran of the UFC, Dober has seen it all in one of the most dangerous divisions in the sport. Given the fact that he’s on a full training camp and much more experienced, I expect Dober to be too much too soon for Silva. I expect this fight to devolve into a brawl quickly, one I believe Dober will get the better of and secure the win.
Rose Namajunas by Submission: Another short-notice matchup, Cortez is stepping in on just under two weeks’ notice into her first main event spot. While she’s proven exceptionally well-rounded and durable, this is an enormous jump in competition. In her sixth UFC appearance, she will be taking on a former multi-time champion with an exceptional resume in the first 5-round fight of Cortez’s young career. In contrast, seven of Namajunas’s last nine fights were five rounds, and she’s been facing top-level competition for over a decade. She has a technical advantage nearly anywhere in this fight; I expect Namajunas to win the exchanges on the feet, forcing Cortez to grapple and allowing Namajunas to find a submission victory.
