Tim Elliot vs Tagir Ulanbekov – 125 pounds – Flyweight

A really fun and compelling crossroads flyweight fight. Tagir is now 2-0 in the UFC, and he will have a big step up in competition in Tim Elliot.

Tagir is primarily a wrestler and will look to get Tim down. Tagir is a pretty classic fighter that you would expect from Khabibs camp.

Tim Elliot typically comes into his fights with a similar strategy, but he has displayed a much more versatile game. And – Tim has been in there with some of the best in the world.

If Tagir can win this one, he will be well on his way to contender status. But I am not so sure he is ready for a guy at this level yet.

Umar Nurmagomedov vs Brian Kelleher – 145 pounds – Featherweight

I REALLY like this fight. Even though the betting line is heavily in Umars favour, and I dont really think betting Kelleher is a great idea – I am still really interested to see what happens. Umar might he legit. He is 13-0, only 26 years old, and if he can stop Kelleher like he did his last UFC opponent – we may have found the next champ out of Khabibs camp.

This division is already so stupid stacked, and this fight against Kelleher will give us a good sense of what we have in Umar.

Marina Moroz vs Mariya Agopova – 125 pounds – Flyweight

The first of two matchup at UFC 272 that will feature former training partners turned rivals!

The rivalry between these two has flown under the radar, which makes since, considering that is a prelim fight between two lesser known flyweights. But the heat is real! These two seem to have a very heated rivalry that, combined with their aggressive styles, should make for a fun fight Saturday.

Kevin Holland vs Alex Oliveira – 170 pounds – Welterweight

I am really looking forward to seeing Kevin Holland make his debut at his appropriate weight class. Its kind of a wonder he did as well as he did at 185. He was really undersized AND he has a style of fighting that does lend himself well to being undersized.

He has a favourable matchup against Cowboy Oliveira. Oliveira has been a staple of the UFC for nearly 10 years, but he is nearing the end of his time in the UFC and is a heavy underdog in this fight against Kevin Holland.

Kevin will be looking to make a statement and reintroduce himself as a welterweight on the PPV main card.

Rafael dos Anjos vs Renato Moicano – 160 pounds – Catchweight

Not the fight we were expecting. For the second time we lost the highly anticipated RDA vs Fiziev bout. This time, the fight fell through when Fiziev caught the ’Vid and the UFC looked for a replacement to keep RDA in the co-main spot.

And after some back and forth on Twitter, we ultimately landed on Renato Moicano. And first of all, it is incredibly badass of Renato to accept this 5 round fight on a less than a weeks notice, while he was on a different continent! Renato looks to have his mojo back after returning to 155. He is 3-1 since moving back up, and his only loss was to Fiziev. But he has won two in a row and he’s looked really good in those two fights. Renato has really clean boxing and has some of the best grappling in the division.

RDA is returning after almost 18 months away, and is looking to start his own two fight win streak after returning to the lightweight division. RDA is 37, and is definitely in the back half of his career. But he is still competing with the best in the world, and has returned to his appropriate weight class. Do not count RDA out yet.

if you do not know, now you do know