UFC Vegas 84 – New Blood: Three more to spark 2024

The primary Final Preventing Championship (UFC) first card of 2024 is sticking to what’s grow to be the usual formulation: a bunch of cancelations and newbies sourced from Contender Series and Legacy Preventing Alliance (LFA). On this version of “New Blood,” the sequence forcing me again to actuality after the vacations, we checkout two Contender Collection graduates and a regional Flyweight champ making a delayed debut at UFC Vegas 84 this weekend (Sat., Jan. 13, 2024) inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jean “Lord Murderer” Silva

Weight Class: Featherweight
Age: 27
File: 11-2 (8 KO, 2 SUB)
Notable Victories: Kevin Vallejos, Valdemir Cardoso

Seven consecutive first-round finishes carried Silva to Contender Collection, the place he battled undefeated Argentinean wunderkind, Kevin Vallejos. Although he entered because the underdog, violent efforts within the second and third rounds earned Silva each his first choice win and the prospect to hitch teammate, Caio Borralho, contained in the Octagon.

He steps in for Gabriel Silva on lower than one month’s discover.

“Animated” could be one phrase to explain Silva. He’s a extremely cellular swap hitter, consistently feinting and/or taunting earlier than bursting in with some variation of the 1-2. Forgive me the cliche, however he places every part into each shot — even when he misses, you’ll be able to virtually see the smoke coaching from his fists. Whereas he’s obtained a profound fondness for flying knees and a looping proper hand to the physique that makes me wistful for John Lineker’s heyday, his elbows are the featured attraction. He makes intensive use of the “spearing” elbows Paul Felder famously used to rearrange Alessandro Ricci’s face and his degree elbows are each bit as deadly, as Vallejos realized when Silva blasted him upwards with a knee and instantly chopped him down with an elbow.

Silva is clearly an athletic marvel and a real terror when he flips the swap and begins mauling. My concern is that his recreation is extraordinarily reliant on his sturdiness and fast-twitch reflexes. His chin is at all times there for the taking when he unloads; his protection consists of both pulling his head again if he sees the counter coming or placing on his earmuffs. He doesn’t examine low kicks, he doesn’t defend his face together with his free hand when punching, and he’s inconsistent about utilizing his jab regardless of having a real head-snapper.

Don’t get me improper, he’s been devastatingly efficient thus far. It’s only a model with an expiration date. Additionally, he must cease attempting to coax the ref into stopping the battle when he’s going for the kill. He did that in each the fights I watched and it’s not a great behavior.

There’s not a lot latest footage of his grappling, sadly. He shut down Vallejos’ takedowns properly sufficient, and whereas he doesn’t get fairly low sufficient on his personal degree modifications, he did hit a really cool high-crotch slam on Vallejos earlier than successfully letting him up. With somebody like Borralho on his aspect, I don’t think about his floor recreation being a legal responsibility.

Although I don’t peg him as a title contender, Silva’s going to placed on some actual exhibits in UFC. He’s additionally going to completely murk debut foe Westin Wilson, who doesn’t have the vary administration abilities to maintain Silva at bay or the protection to outlive his offense.

Tom “Large Prepare” Nolan

Weight Class: Light-weight
Age: 23
File: 6-0 (4 KO)
Notable Victories: Bogdan Grad, Adam Cook dinner

After making his novice debut at simply 16 years outdated, Nolan racked up a 6-1 file earlier than turning skilled in 2020. 5 wins on the Australian circuit despatched him to Contender Collection, the place he wanted simply 83 seconds to knockout Bogdan Grad and declare a UFC contract.

Nolan’s staff definitely picked an acceptable nickname, because the 6’3” big loves nothing greater than operating over opponents. That’s to not say that he doesn’t know how one can use his vary; quite the opposite, he has a pleasant arsenal of kicks, together with the snap kick to the physique that extra tall guys have to make the most of, and throws a really crisp straight left. He simply appears to be in his factor as soon as he’s bullied opponents to the fence, the place he’ll put them in a blender of punches and elbows whereas slamming dwelling knees at any time when they dip their heads.

The effectiveness of his shock-and-awe strategy was on full show in his 2022 end of Metropolis Kickboxing’s Adam Cook dinner. Cook dinner took benefit of Nolan’s overcommitment to attain takedowns and put him in dangerous spots on the bottom, however Nolan basically sapped the life out of him with mauling assaults each time he made it again to his ft. That downright freakish fuel tank of his is a weapon, and a potent one at that.

Whereas I’m not saying he has to show into Wladimir Klitschko, I do assume he’d be well-served dialing it again only a bit. His punching type can disintegrate when he commits to a blitz, leaving his chin uncovered, and he doesn’t at all times defend his chin together with his free hand. His ahead momentum may also depart him open to takedowns, which Cook dinner exploited and more moderen foe Aiden Aguilera tried to use.

That mentioned, he does appear to be getting sharper battle to battle, so the prognosis is sweet.

On the grappling aspect, he’s obtained high quality submission protection and is at all times trying to get again to his ft. Cook dinner put him by means of a unending chain of submission makes an attempt with out ever actually getting near a end. On the identical time, Cook dinner additionally racked up fairly a little bit of again management when Nolan tried to show to his knees and stand. Surviving dangerous positions is vital, after all, however it’s a must to know how one can break free out of your opponent. Simply take a look at Jun Yong Park’s latest loss to Andre Muniz to see what occurs when that side of your grappling is lacking.

To his credit score, Nolan’s stress finally compelled Cook dinner to take worse and worse photographs, permitting him to maintain it standing and plug away for the end.

Offensively, he’s fast to threaten entrance chokes when opponents take poor photographs. He doesn’t appear massively curious about forcing the grappling, although, as he let up Grad after dropping him.

Nolan undoubtedly seems to be like one to observe. His mix of dimension, pace and cardio is one thing to behold. With a pair extra years of seasoning, I wouldn’t be too shocked to see him knock on the door of the Top 15. On the very least, he’ll be far an excessive amount of for debut foe Nikolas Motta, who appears to have misplaced all confidence and sturdiness.

Felipe “Felipinho” Bunes

Weight Class: Flyweight
Age: 33
File: 13-6 (2 KO, 8 SUB)
Notable Victories: Yuma Horiuchi, Yoni Sherbatov

Bunes’ run on the Russian circuit resulted in a 1-3 skid, prompting him to take his skills to LFA. After falling to an obese Jussier Formiga in his promotional debut, he returned to the win column with a cut up choice over Wascar Cruz, then knocked out Yuma Horiuchi for the Flyweight title.

As you would possibly anticipate from somebody who trains with the Pitbull brothers, Bunes is technically sound, well-rounded and darn violent when he desires to be. On the ft, he makes use of an impressive-for-Flyweight, 71-inch attain to potshot with one- and two-punch mixtures to the pinnacle and physique. Regardless of being so lanky, he’s remarkably fast, and he’s additionally glad to bust out spinning methods at a second’s discover alongside the extra conventional punches and low kicks. Ought to opponents get inside, he’s obtained robust clinch knees with which to punish them.

It’s a stout, technically sound putting offense let down by a handful of points. For one, his tall, flat-footed stance leaves him open to low kicks, which Horiuchi exploited to good impact earlier than Bunes lastly timed a examine hook completely. On prime of that, he can again straight up and tends to carry his left hand again low, particularly when sitting down on a heavy proper.

I do additionally need to level out that he can get overly keen on the spinning assaults. He was doing a remarkably good job of shutting down Formiga’s vaunted grappling earlier than a whiffed spinning again kick allowed Formiga to take his again and choke him out Grasso-Shevchenko model.

His grappling seems to be sharp total, as seen when he hit a flying triangle armbar on Yoni Sherbatov when the latter caught a head kick. Formiga, who boasts a few of the greatest again takes in MMA historical past, solely managed to safe dominant place due to the aforementioned spinning again kick giving him a golden alternative. He occasions his entries properly, performs a heavy prime recreation, and may hit some fast again takes of his personal, although he throws much less ground-and-pound than I’d like.

That mentioned, he did have points securing and sustaining place in opposition to a journeyman in Cruz for the primary half of their battle, at one level getting swept after attempting to maneuver from aspect management to mount.

My evaluation? Stable, however unspectacular. Exterior of the spinning methods, there’s nothing massively eye-catching about his recreation both offensively or defensively. He’s additionally 33 years outdated, so it’s unlikely we’ll see the advance mandatory for a title run. Sadly for him, he’ll want it, as debut foe Josh Van has him outclassed when it comes to putting.

His LFA bouts are on Struggle Cross.

LIVE! Stream UFC Vegas 84 On ESPN+

TOP-RANKED LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT REMATCH! Final Preventing Championship (UFC) kicks off its 2024 combined martial arts (MMA) marketing campaign on Sat., Jan. 20, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada, with No. 3-ranked Mild Heavyweight contender, Magomed Ankalaev, operating it again in opposition to No. 7-seeded Johnny Walker after their initial wild encounter went up in smoke. In UFC Vegas 84’s co-main occasion, Light-weight legend, Jim Miller, locks horns with upstart knockout artist, Gabriel Benitez, in an intriguing 155-pound showdown.

Don’t miss a single second of face-punching action!

Do not forget that MMAmania.com will ship LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow protection of your entire UFC Vegas 84 battle card proper here, beginning with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, that are scheduled to start at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining major card stability (additionally on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.

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