Dakota Bush vs Viacheslav Borshchev – 155 pounds – Lightweight

The fighter to watch here is “Slava Claus”. Viacheslav Borshchev is coming off a huge KO win in his Contender series fight in October of 2021. He has finished all but one of his pro wins via (T)KO. He fights to finish and is a relentless action fighter. I am skeptical he is well rounded enough to become a true contender in the stacked 155 pound division, but he is fun to watch.

His opponent Dakota Bush will also be looking for his first UFC win after coming up short in his debut. He’s spent most of his pro career in one of the premier feeder organizations, LFA. But he has a tough style matchup ahead of him in Slava Claus.

Joanderson Brito vs Bill Algeo – 145 pounds – Featherweight

I’m mentioning this one because Dana mentioned it in his cheap knockoff version of my series.

Brito won via technical decision on the Contender Series to earn his opportunity in the UFC after nearly 2 years away from the sport. His most recent win before that was a 44 second KO in the LFA. Brito has a well rounded game. He has fight ending power, and the ability to grapple, which is reflected in his record with 5 submission and 5 TKO wins.

His opponent, Bill Algeo, is a 3 fight UFC veteran. He is 1-2 in the UFC and lost via decision to Ricardo Ramos his last time out..

Now – the reason I wasn’t planning on featuring this fight may sound harsh. But there is a pretty simple rule when trying to find the best fights on any given card, good fighters make for good fights. And I am not convinced either of these guys are truly UFC caliber. If this fight doesn’t get finished early, we may be looking at a stalemate. Hope I’m wrong.

Katlyn Chookagian vs Jennifer Maia – 125 pounds – Flyweight

These are two of the best in their division. And will be a rematch of their 2019 contest where Chookagian won a fairly decisive decision 29-28.

However, it is hard to imagine either of them getting another crack at the champ. And if they do, it is even harder to imagine they get it done the second time around. It is also hard to imagine the fight will be much different than their last contest.. But they are top ranked fighters in their division. We’ll see how it goes.

5 ranked Calvin Kattar taking on the quickly rising Giga Chikadze who is ranked 8. Fights like this make me think about that story Ariel tells about Joe Silva, the UFCs first matchmaker. “My job isn’t to build champions, my job is to build contenders.”

And it really feels like the fan base is only considering Giga as the next potential contender in this matchup. When the Featherweight title fight became available, all the talk was about Giga earning the shot with a win. When the title fight is announced, the question becomes, why couldn’t we wait to see if Giga earns the shot?

Why is the higher ranked Calvin Kattar being overlooked? Well, he is coming off a loss. And because we have already seen him against the top of the division. And it was clear that Max Holloway was the better fighter that night, and he came up short to Zabit in 2019. So, we now have him pigeonholed in our minds as a good but not great Featherweight. And the question is soley, just how good is Giga!? We already have a good idea of how good Kattar is, but Giga is still on his climb. Giga is the one who could be the next great contender.

Giga is the rightful favourite in this fight. On paper he is the better striker, and the eye test will tell you that he also has more tools at his disposal on the feet. And momentum is absolutely huge in this sport. Giga is cruising and feeling like the man. Calvin is coming off a year long layoff after a getting an all time beatdown at the hands of Max Holloway. Really feels like everything is setting up for a showcase fight for Giga..

One major advantage that Calvin does carry into this fight is his high-level UFC experience. Giga has one UFC win against a ranked opponent. And that was his last time out against number 9 Edson Barboza.

In 2018 when Calvin Kattar was KOing Shane Burgos on PPV, Giga was fighting opponents with 0 professional fights. Giga’s first two UFC wins were via split decision, and before that he lost to Austin Springer on the Contender Series in 2018!

Giga had been winning fights – but it felt like only a matter of time before he fell short. And I really believed that was going to happen against Barboza. But Giga had far and away his best performance in the octagon and gave me reason to believe he might be for real. And now Giga gets another shot against a ranked opponent.

It feels all but assumed the rising prospect and his kickboxing will be too much the staple of the UFC featherweight division and his boxing. But Calvin is going to come into this contest with confidence he is the better mixed martial artist and he will want to make Giga fight a mixed martial arts bout. I expect to see Calvin mix up his game a lot. And Calvin, based on his experience inside the octagon has every reason to believe he is the better mixed martial artist.

The odds have swelled in Giga’s favour. And this might be a perfect time to bet the line, not the fight.  

Flyweight are always fun. Anytime there are flyweights on the card, you gotta take notice. There is a good chance the matchup will be a fight of the night contender. And that is especially true when Brandon Royval is involved..

Brandon Royval is quickly becoming a fan favourite. And I think we have good reason to believe he is actually Nick and Nates long lost brother. Every Brandon Royval fight seems to not only be one of the best fights of the night, but they are a damn near all time classic! If you have not seen the dual knockdown sequence he had with Kai Kara-France, go find it now.

Royval is not only one of the most exciting fighters in the division (sport!?), but he is also one of the best. He has a very fun, high volume, and unpredictable striking style, and he is dangerous on the ground – 8 of his 12 wins are via submission. Royval is currently ranked 5^th at 125, but he is on a 2 fight losing streak. However, his two losses did come against the top fighters in the division. He lost to the guy that went on to become champ, Brandon Moreno via an injured shoulder. And to number 3 ranked Alexandre Pantoja. In the fight with Pantoja, it looked like Brandon was starting to take over in the 2^nd. It was looking unlikely Pantoja would make it out of the round. But then they get into a grappling sequence and Royval loses via RNC. No shame in that.

Regardless of the level of competition, and the fan fare, being on a 2 fight losing streak is not where you want to find yourself in the UFC. Brandon Royval needs to get this done if he wants to stay near the top of the super competitive Flyweight division. And no matter how fun someone is, you need to win.

Royval will be fighting the very game, and very dangerous Rogério Bontorin. Bontorin is currently ranked 7 at Flyweight and will be hungry for his chance to crack the top 5. Bontorin is a grinder. He fights with a heavy pressure and will take you down or will stand and trade if that is what is working.

I expect Bontorin to be the bigger fighter. And if it is going to go the distance, I’d guess that favours Bontorin and his grinding style. If Royval is winning this fight, if he is at his best, I gotta think he proves emphatically that he is the one who belongs in the top 5 and stops this fight. I am very curious to see how these two perform on Saturday. And it is without a doubt my second favourite fight on the entire card.

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These two are kind of similar.
They are both Dana White Contender series alums, and neither of them had a smooth path from the show to the UFC. Pickett lost twice, in 2017 and 2019, and finally got signed after a win in his 3^rd appearance on the show in 2020. Whereas Holmes won, but Dana wanted Holmes to get more experience. So Dana – makes Holmes the main event of a Fury FC show! Dana never makes fights the night of an event. But he will make a main event for some other promotion by offering a kid who just stepped out of the cage another fight like 5 weeks later. It was weird. But it all worked out, Holmes got a 1^st round KO, and was featured on Dana’s YouTube show ‘Looking for a fight’.

But aside from their DWCS history, these long middleweights are both trying to prove they belong in the UFC.

Jamie Picket has 2 wins in his 6 fights between both the UFC and DWCS. And he continues to get these opportunities, I assume, because people at the UFC see what we all see! There is something more there with Jamie Pickett. If he would just pull the trigger a little more, or be a bit more aggressive? It is hard to put your finger on exactly. But he has been frustrating to watch at times, you feel he has more to show. And in this sport, you need to keep an eye out for those fighters who all of a sudden breakout, fighters that find their confidence or that perfect groove that propels them forward. I hope Pickett can find that groove.

He will be taking on Joseph Holmes, a young Middleweight making his UFC debut and he has a near perfect record. Holmes only loss in MMA came in his pro debut against a very tough opponent via decision on a Bellator show. He was 4-0 as an amateur and has finished all his pro wins. He is 6’4”, has an 80” reach and he is only 26 years old! And something about losing your pro debut almost makes you destined for greatness.. strange how often that happens.

But Holmes is known mostly for his grappling, even though he won his last fight with a clean KO. The thing to watch with Holmes, is how quickly he is improving. Each time out he looks more and more polished.

Both these guys have very little room to fall in the pecking order of the UFC ranks, but they will both go into this fight believing this is the start of their UFC run..

These low profile, high stakes fights between prospects are always great. Looking forward to it.

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Sometimes the UFC makes strange choices when building a card. Brian Kelleher being the 2^nd fight of the night is kinda strange.

This card is lacking notable names, and “Boom” is someone the fans know. He has been on PPV main cards! And he is one of the toughest guys in the Bantamweight division.

Brian Kelleher is a 12 fight UFC veteran, winning 7 of those fights and has bounced up and down between 135 and 145 pounds. Boom is always a tough out – he fights with a heavy relentless pressure that can drown his opponents. He can win via knockout or submission, or he can grind out a decision with chain wrestling. He is the kind of well rounded, experienced fighter that can make for a perfect litmus test for a UFC newcomer.

Boom will be taking on a relative UFC newcomer in Saidyokub Kakhramonov. “SK” is 1-0 in the UFC, winning a short notice fight in his debut with a submission late in the 3^rd against a talented Trevin Jones. SKs previous win was for the CFFC Bantamweight title, winning via KO in the 2^nd round. And between those two fights – I think Saidyokub hurt his opponents with what felt like 50% of his punches. This guy carries some serious power. And he is not afraid to use it. He will walk forward and throw with intent. There is little doubt he will touch Brians chin, its just a matter of how bad. SK also comes from a grappling background, competing in Sambo and judo before beginning his MMA career. He will be capable in any position the fight can go.

Brian’s had issues beating the top guys in the UFC, but so few fighters actually get to that point. It is interesting the UFC is giving Saidyokub Kakhramonov the opportunity so early in his UFC to prove he is one of those guys. Saidyokub Kakhramonov could be interesting, he has lots of skills, and isn’t lacking that killer instinct. But Brian’s experience is going to mean a lot in there, and I do expect him to look like and feel like the bigger fighter. He is hard to finish, and so few guys can go at the pace Boom does over 15 minutes. I am thinking either SK makes a big statement with an early win, or Kelleher makes him quit late. Either way, I am really curious to see how this one ends up playing out. Should be fun either way.

This fight has been canceled! Longtime MMA vet and certified bad ass Kevin Croom has stepped in to take the fight on less than 3 days notice. And I am not mad about it. Kevin Croom is scrappy and he’s got some serious skills – and experience. Kevin Croom has been around the damn block. He’s been filling main cards on top tier pro MMA shows all around the world since 2009. Lots of weight is often put on octagon experience, but Croom has lots of legit high level pro experience, and that means a lot.
Shoutout to Kevin Croom.

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