UFC 288 has followers buzzing for the return of former flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo, who is ready to problem 135-pound king Aljamain Sterling in the principle occasion.
“Triple C” defeated the likes of former flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, former bantamweight champs Dominick Cruz and T.J. Dillashaw, and Marlon Moraes earlier than retiring. He’s again now, and is able to tackle the “Funkmaster,” who has toppled the likes of Dillashaw, Petr Yan, and Cory Sandhagen, to call a couple of.
The co-main occasion of Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad carries large title implications at welterweight, because the winner may observe Colby Covington in line. “Chaos” is anticipated to problem for the belt towards Leon Edwards.
The principle card additionally options Jessica Andrade vs. Yan Xiaonan at strawweight, Movsar Evloev vs. Diego Lopes and the returning Kron Gracie towards Charles Jourdain.
The UFC 288 motion, set to go down from the Prudential Heart in New Jersey on Saturday, additionally boasts a rock-solid preliminary card. Listed below are among the finest bouts lined up for the undercard:
Drew Dober vs. Matt Frevola
The UFC knew what it was doing when reserving these two lightweights because the prelim card’s principal occasion. Dober and Frevola are each recognized for pushing a torrential tempo and bringing continuous warmth. It will be a shock if this struggle doesn’t lead to a end.
Dober, after a 1-3 (1 no-contest) begin within the UFC, has actually turned his profession round, having since gone 11-4 within the Octagon. Dober has wins over Bobby Inexperienced, Terrance McKinney, Alexander Hernandez, and Nasrat Haqparast. He additionally fought the likes of present light-weight champion Islam Makhachev, Beneil Dariush and Brad Riddell.
The surging Dober is at the moment ranked No. 14 within the deep light-weight division, and he’ll look to guard that spot towards Frevola. “The Steamrolla” is using a two-fight successful streak towards Ottman Azaitar and Genaro Valdez, however his finest win to this point is towards No. 10-ranked light-weight Jalin Turner.
Frevola will look to seize the shape towards Dober that led him to a win towards a top-flight light-weight in Turner again in April 2019.
It is a struggle you don’t wish to miss.
Marina Rodriguez vs. Virna Jandiroba
Two top-10 strawweights with contrasting types are set to conflict on the undercard. No. 5 Rodriguez, who units a frenetic tempo together with her hanging, will tackle grappling specialist Jandiroba, who’s ranked No. 9.
A title shot has simply barely eluded Rodriguez, whose four-fight successful streak was snapped by a TKO loss to No. 3-ranked Amanda Lemos. Rodriguez has wins over Xiaonan Yan, Mackenzie Dern, Michelle Waterson-Gomez, Amanda Ribas, Tecia Torres and Jessica Aguilar. Ought to she wish to earn a title shot inside her subsequent few fights, she’ll must get again within the win column towards Jandiroba.
Jandiroba holds a win over Angela Hill however has misplaced to former UFC strawweight champ Carla Esparza, Dern, and Ribas.
Whereas the MMAth is on Rodriguez’s aspect, Jandiroba will look to grapple her technique to victory.
Ikram Aliskerov vs. Phil Hawes
Ikram Aliskerov attracts a stiff first check for his UFC debut. Aliskerov, who submitted Mario Sousa with a kimura on the Contender Sequence final September, will get the finish-or-be-finished Phil Hawes in his first official struggle with the promotion.
Aliskerov racked up a 13-1 report, largely underneath the Courageous CF banner. He defeated Nah-shon Burrell underneath Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s Eagle FC in his final struggle earlier than the Contender Sequence. His lone skilled loss was by the hands of high UFC contender Khamzat Chimaev.
Hawes is 12-4 with a 4-2 UFC report and presents hazard wherever the struggle goes. He has wins over Deron Winn, Nassourdine Imavov and Kyle Daukaus together with his solely losses coming to top-15 middleweights in Roman Dolidze and Chris Curtis.
What makes this scrap intriguing is Hawes is the right litmus check to gauge the place Aliskerov is at. If he can defeat Hawes, it reveals he’s a high prospect who would quickly be prepared to check the middleweight division’s top-15 in a rush. Hawes, in the meantime, is hungry to show he could make a run for the highest.
Khaos Williams vs. Rolando Bedoya
Hanging dynamo Khaos Williams welcomes one other UFC debutant in Rolando Bedoya, who has proven a well-rounded sport, securing seven wins by determination, 4 by T/KO and three by submission.
Bedoya has compiled a 14-1 report, largely on the Peruvian circuit. Like Aliskerov, he attracts a tricky first check within the UFC. However not like Aliskerov, who’s a slight betting favourite towards Hawes, Bedoya is a average underdog towards Williams.
Williams solely has another skilled struggle than Bedoya, however oddsmakers are strongly leaning on his UFC expertise and power of schedule in comparison with that of the newcomer. Williams has wins over Miguel Baeza, Matthew Semelsberger, Alex Morono and Abdul Razak Alhassan, whereas he has solely come up brief within the UFC towards Randy Brown and Michel Pereira.
Williams will look to get again within the winner’s circle and spoil the debut of the Peruvian.
Devin Clark vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
Clark and Nzechukwu meet in a conflict of sunshine heavyweights who’re seemingly a win or two away from a top-15 match.
Nzechukwu will look to tie his finest UFC successful streak with a 3rd straight win, whereas Clark will look to tie his with a second consecutive win.
Clark, competing within the UFC since July 2016, has fought a who’s who of sunshine heavyweights, together with former champion Jan Blachowicz and Aleksandar Rakic. Clark was the primary at hand a loss to Alonzo Menifield and has wins over Jake Collier, Da Un Jung, and William Knight.
Nzechukwu, in the meantime, took out Ion Cutelaba and Karl Roberson on his two-fight successful streak. He additionally completed Carlos Ulberg in Ulberg’s UFC debut – nonetheless Ulberg’s solely loss.
Featured Picture credit score:
Embed from Getty Images
