UFC Vegas 53
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Alright, another top heavy Apex card. Anyone else getting sick of these? Thankfully we have a banging PPV next week!

Rob Font vs Marlon Vera is a fantastic fight. 135 is truly absurd. And these two are right near the top of the division, with no room for error if they want their chance at the title. And the style matchup will make for an awesome fight.

The rest of the card is lacking intrigue. But lets take a look at the fights I am most looking forward to.

Tatsuro Taira vs Carlos Candelario
Flyweight – 125 pounds

Ok, one of the best fights on this card is the first fight!

I am really interested in getting a look at Tatsuro Taira in the UFC. This kid might be the real deal. He is only 22 years old, and already has a record of 10-0 as a pro and 9-0 as an amateur. And he has stopped his opponents in all but 2 of his pro wins, and he has been fighting real guys over in Japan! He has a bunch of subs on his record, but his striking looks really clean. And powerful. Super interesting to see a kid this young in the UFC.

Flyweight might be the most underrated division in the UFC. There are is a bunch of really good young talent coming up, and Tatsuro Taira will be looking to join that group!

He will have a favourable matchup in Carlos Candelario. Carlos is a solid fighter, he will come forward and bring the fight to Taira. But all indications are that he is not the same level of fighter or athlete.

Jared Gordon vs Grant Dawson
Lightweight – 155 pounds

Interesting matchup here.

28 year old Grant Dawson still has that prospect label. He is 17-1-1 in MMA, 5-0-1 in the UFC. But he hasn’t been able to really take that next step up in UFC competition. His last time out against Ricky Glenn was a fairly memorable and notable performance. It is not often you see a fighter clearly win the first two rounds, and then lose the 3rd 10-8 because they have nothing left.

And that fight against Ricky Glenn is a good representation of why he has had issues getting over that hump. He had an extremely one dimensional attack, and wasn’t able to go the full 15 minutes. You are not going to stand against the average UFC calibre lightweight fighting like that. And you definitely are not going to beat anyone in the top 15.

Dawsons opponent is another solid UFC fighter, Jared Gordon. But if Dawson is going to take that next step he needs to start now. We need to see some progression in his game if he wants to remain a viable prospect in one of the most competitive divisions in the sport.

Andre Fili vs Joanderson Brito
Featherweight – 145 pounds

I am a fan of Andre Fili. He has been in the UFC since 2013! And he has fought some of the best at 145. He has a fan friendly fight style and a well rounded skill set. But he has not been able to string together a consistent run of wins in the UFC. 145 is an absolute shark tank, so there is no shame in being a .500 fighter in that division. If anything, fighters who can stick around as long as Fili have good reason to be proud of their longevity.

Fili will be looking to get back into the win column against a relative UFC newcomer in Joanderson Brito.

Brito first made an appearance on DWCS, winning via technical decision, but dropped his UFC debut to Bill Algeo. Brito will most likely want to take this to the ground and keep Fili guessing.

Fili is clearly UFC caliber, it is not clear Brito is. Should be interesting.

Rob Font vs Marlon Vera
Bantamweight – 135 pounds

Alright now this is a fight. Two of the best in the division. And a clash of styles that should make for a really fun fight.

For a long time it felt like Rob Font was one of the most underrated fighters in the sport. But this is now Rob’s third straight main event! It has been great to see Rob get that spotlight over the last year. It is well deserved. Font has some solid wrestling, and really clean boxing. He is a danger to any 135er in the world.

Marlon Vera has been around for awhile and was always a fan favourite, but it was when he TKO’d Suga Sean that his career really took off. Vera has some really fun striking and a solid ground game. He made a big statement in his last fight with a front kick KO of one of MMAs GOATs, Frankie Edgar.

Both of these guys suffered their most recent loss to another MMA GOAT, and potentially the number 1 contender at 135, Jose Aldo. Both these guys have a fan friendly style. And neither can afford to lose if they are going to fight for a title anytime soon.

This is a must win fight between two really good and exciting fighters. Which is the perfect recipe for an awesome fight. Can’t wait.

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