UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs. Namajunas
Rose Namajunas tags Zhang Weili with a right hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.
The UFC remains in Las Vegas to put on yet another stellar Fight Night. In the co-main event, we’ll see the classic wrestler vs. striker matchup when Karl Williams takes on Justin Tafa. In the main event, two well-established veterans, Amanda Ribas and Rose Namajunas, will collide to try and climb the ranks. This entire card is loaded with strikers, scrappers, and all sorts of trained killers looking to make their name. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.
Fernando Padilla vs. Luis Pajuelo
Featherweight Bout
Fernando Padilla throws a front kick at Julian Erosa. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Fernando Padilla: 15-5-0, 5 KO/TKO, 8 Sub.
Luis Pajuelo: 8-1-0, 7 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.
Padilla has won three of his last five fights and has a UFC victory over Julian Erosa (28-12-0). He’s a crisp striker who’s constantly coming forward and throwing combinations. He’s a lengthy fighter for the division at 6’1” and uses it well, always fighting behind his jab and keeping his opponent on the outside. Training at Team Oyama, Padilla is constantly looking to close the distance and let his hands go, often throwing kicks at range before crashing in. Despite having more submissions than knockouts, he’s content staying on the feet and won’t typically pursue takedowns. He’s willing to eat a shot to land one and has an excellent chin, having never been finished. Padilla has secured ten of his thirteen finishes in the first round and is most dangerous early on.
Luis Pajuelo lands a big right hand on Heber Pereyra. Credit: Peru21.
Pajuelo has won all his last five bouts and is making his UFC debut. He’s a brawler, always pressuring his opponent and pursuing a knockout. He throws everything in combination, pushing a heavy pace from the starting bell. He rarely throws kicks, doing most of his damage with his hands, throwing every shot with power, and always coming forward. Pajuelo is at his best in a dogfight, slugging it out inside the pocket and landing brutal hooks. Training at Contacto Livre, he keeps his head off the centerline and regularly varies his shots, attacking the head and body. Pajuelo has finished four of his eight career fights in round one and comes out guns blazing.
Billy Quarantillo vs. Youssef Zalal
Billy Quarantillo blasts Spike Carlyle with a left hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Featherweight Bout
Billy Quarantillo: 18-5-0, 8 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.
Youssef Zalal: 13-5-1, 4 KO/TKO, 6 Sub.
Quarantillo has won three of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Gabriel Benitez (23-12-0), Alexander Hernandez (14-7-0), and Damon Jackson (22-6-1). He’s a well-rounded scrapper with fantastic cardio and is always willing to throw down. He’s relentless on the feet, always coming forward, throwing leg kicks, and staying behind his jab. Quarantillo is averaging over one takedown landed, and one submission attempted per fight in his promotional tenure. Training at Gracie Tampa South, he’s a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and strong off his back and top position with excellent scrambles and reversals. He improves as the fight continues and carries his power across all fifteen minutes. He’s landed, on average, 94 significant strikes in his last five fights and constantly pushes the pace.
Youssef Zalal lands a kick on Ilia Topuria. Credit: Essentially Sports.
Zalal has won three of his last five fights with one draw and has UFC victories over Jordan Griffin (18-9-0), Austin Lingo (9-3-0), and Peter Barrett (11-6-0). Returning to the UFC after two years on the regional scene, he’s a well-rounded fighter with solid wrestling and technical kickboxing. He’s constantly moving, using his footwork to hold the center and keep his opponent on the outside. Zalal has excellent elbows and knees and won’t get sloppy, never telegraphing attacks. Training at FactoryX Muay Thai, he has excellent takedowns and is averaging over two takedowns landed per fifteen minutes in the UFC. He won’t force anything on the ground, remaining patient and keeping himself in advantageous positions. Zalal has never been finished in his career and is willing to engage the fight anywhere.
Payton Talbott vs. Cameron Saaiman
Payton Talbott lands a brutal right hand on Reyes Cortez Jr. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Bantamweight Bout
Payton Talbott: 7-0-0, 5 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Cameron Saaiman: 9-1-0, 6 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Talbott is undefeated and has a UFC victory over Nick Aguirre (7-2-0). He is an excellent technical striker who’s constantly coming forward and throwing in combination. At 5’10, he’s lengthy for the division and uses it well, throwing long, straight shots to damage his opponent. Talbott does an excellent job mixing kicks into his combinations and varies his shots well, attacking the head and body evenly. He fights behind his jab and has excellent distance management, using great footwork and head movement to remain unscathed. Training at Reno Academy of Combat, he remains technical throughout the fight and gets increasingly dangerous, with all his finishes coming in the second or third round. Talbott has an excellent chin, tending to eat shots and continue marching forward unphased.
Cameron Saaiman stuns Mana Martinez with a left hand. Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.
Saaiman has won four of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Terrence Mitchell (14-4-0), Mana Martinez (10-5-0), and Steven Koslow (6-1-0). He’s an excellent kickboxer with fantastic speed and solid grappling. He throws everything in combination, regularly mixing in kicks and never telegraphing. He pushes a heavy pace across all fifteen but has solid cardio and remains technical throughout. Saaiman does a great job varying his shots, attacking the head and body evenly, and constantly landing brutal body kicks. Training at CIT Performance Institute, he’s averaging one takedown landed per fifteen minutes and has excellent top pressure and ground and pound. Saaiman is incredibly fluid with everything he does, mixing all his skills at all times.
Edmen Shahbazyan vs. AJ Dobson
Edmen Shahbazyan locks in a rear naked choke on Jack Marshman. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Middleweight Bout
Edmen Shahbazyan: 12-4-0, 10 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
AJ Dobson: 7-2-0, 3 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.
Shahbazyan has won one of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Brad Tavares (20-10-0), Dalcha Lungiambula (11-6-0), and Darren Stewart (16-9-0). He’s a technical kickboxer with significant power and great footwork. He fights behind his jab, favors power to volume, and constantly adds kicks to the end of combinations. He has excellent footwork and distance management and can go in and out of the pocket without absorbing much damage. Shahbazyan has solid offensive grappling, landing, on average, over two takedowns per fifteen minutes, and has brutal ground and pound. Training at Xtreme Couture, he favors power to volume and always seeks a knockout. Ten of Shahbazyan’s eleven finishes have come in the first round, and he’s at his best early on in the fight.
AJ Dobson scores a submission victory over Hashem Arkhaga. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Dobson has won three of his last five fights and has a UFC victory over Tafon Nchukwi (6-4-0). He’s a well-rounded fighter who comes out guns blazing, often exchanging strikes on the inside or shooting for a takedown at the start. He has a very upright stance on the feet and throws lots of single shots, holding good power and speed in his hands. Dobson remains technical throughout the fight, keeping his shots straight and tight and using his length well. His best route to victory is through his wrestling, currently holding 75% takedown accuracy in the UFC and wild, heavy ground and pound. He has excellent top control and is very urgent on top, constantly pursuing a finish. Dobson has good cardio and can push a heavy pace across 15 minutes.
Karl Williams vs. Justin Tafa
Karl Williams throws a right hand at Lukasz Brzeski. Credit: DraftKings Network.
Heavyweight Bout
Karl Williams: 9-1-0, 3 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.
Justin Tafa: 7-3-0, 7 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.
Williams is on a six-fight win streak and has UFC victories over Chase Sherman (16-12-0) and Lukasz Brzeski (8-4-1). He’s a dominant wrestler with considerable power in his hands and excellent takedowns. He won’t usually waste much time on the feet, typically shooting and securing takedowns early. Williams is very explosive and can perform big slam takedowns at will. He has heavy ground and pound and a smothering top presence, always working and maintaining position. He’s tenacious and willing to work for a takedown, usually controlling his opponent in the clinch along the fence before bringing it to the mat. Williams has landed nine takedowns in just two bouts in the promotion and will relentlessly try to take it to the mat.
Justin Tafa cracks Austen Lane with a left hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Tafa has won three of his last five fights with one no-contest and has UFC victories over Parker Porter (14-9-0), Harry Hunsucker (7-6-0), and Austen Lane (12-4-0). With a style reminiscent of his training partner Mark Hunt, he loves to brawl and has one-shot knockout power. He has an excellent chin and constantly throws bombs, often opening combinations with leg kicks. Training at NTG Fight, Tafa is a patient striker who will look for openings but is willing to eat one to land one. He has never been taken down in the UFC or attempted a takedown, so he prefers to keep it on the feet. He has finished all of his wins, and in UFC fights that left the first round, he averaged 80 significant strikes landed. Tafa has shown he has the cardio to go 15 minutes, but two of his three career losses have come by decision, so he’s at his best early on.
#8 Amanda Ribas vs. Rose Namajunas
Amanda Ribas lands a spinning kick on Luana Pinheiro. Credit: MMA Mania.
Flyweight Bout
Amanda Ribas: 12-4-0, 3 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.
Rose Namajunas: 12-6-0, 2 KO/TKO, 6 Sub.
Ribas has won three of her last five outings and holds wins over #8 ranked Flyweight Viviane Araujo (12-5-0), #9 ranked Strawweight Mackenzie Dern (13-5-0), and Virna Jandiroba (19-3-0). She is a technical Muay Thai striker constantly moving and fighting behind her jab. She has fast, accurate hands and excellent clinch striking, damaging her opponents with flurries of elbows and knees. Everything Ribas throws is straight and tight, never overextending or throwing looping shots. Training with the Ribas Family, she has excellent footwork and throws a solid variety of strikes to the head and body. Ribas has black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo and averages about two takedowns landed per fifteen minutes. Ribas is an excellent defensive grappler, defending 88% of takedowns attempted on her.
Rose Namajunas throws a jab at Carla Esparza. Credit: Telecom Asia.
Namajunas has won three of her last five outings and has wins over former UFC Strawweight champions Jessica Andrade (25-12-0), Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-5-0), and Zhang Weili (24-3-0). 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 eight bouts have been for titles against some of the fiercest competition in the sport, making her prepared for nearly anything. This will be Namajunas’ second venture to Flyweight after spending her whole career at Strawweight.
Best Bets
Fernando Padilla Moneyline: While neither of these fighters is particularly established, this is one of the most exciting matchups on the main card. Both push the pace and want to spend most of the fight in a phone booth. Ultimately, though, Padilla is much more technically skilled, and I expect him to have many openings to damage Pajuelo.
Cameron Saaiman Moneyline: This is another fantastic striker vs. striker matchup; I expect this to be a barnburner. Talbott is very talented and has a lot of potential, but he is also very unproven and has yet to face any real high-level competition. Saaiman is also young in his career, but he has already fought four times in the UFC and faced some solid opponents. Saaiman’s conditioning, experience, and speed will secure him a victory.
Rose Namajunas Moneyline: There are some things I can’t stop myself from doing, and one of them is betting on Thug Rose. Despite my bias, this is by far the most winnable matchup she has received in years. There’s no disrespect to Ribas; she’s well-rounded and skilled but not quite championship caliber. Rose is, on paper, better everywhere than her opponent, and I think this will be a bounce-back victory for her.
Bonus Bet
Billy Quarantillo Moneyline: I wasn’t entirely confident enough to call this one of my best bets, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t show some love to Billy Q. He pushes a much higher pace than his opponent; Zalal is really at his best in a technical kickboxing or grappling match. Quarantillo turns every fight into a dogfight, and having been out of the UFC for a bit, I don’t think Zalal is prepared for that.
