Women’s Strawweights
Randa Markos (9-7-1, -160) vs. Ashley Yoder (7-4, +140): Yoder has done a solid job of turning around her UFC career, and she gets a big test here. The Californian mostly made her name on the regional scene as a submission threat, but once “The Spider Monkey” got the UFC call, the finishes started to dry up, and it has taken her a while to adjust. Performances against Angela Hill and Mackenzie Dern were solid enough, but Yoder’s first three UFC bouts all ended in a decision loss, making it a bit of a surprise that she got the call for fight No. 4. However, Yoder has made good on the chance. Her bout against Amanda Bobby Cooper was a bit of a mess but ended with a decision victory, and she wrestled her way to a one-sided win over Syuri Kondo in June. As a reward, she draws Markos, who has settled into the middle tier of the strawweight division, even as she always teases the capability of something more. Markos came out of relative anonymity to star on the all-strawweight season of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2014, but her proper UFC career has never gained much momentum. Markos has alternated wins and losses inside of the Octagon, save one draw, which about says it all. She can put together some strong performances and has obvious talent, but it is nearly impossible to know what parts of Markos’ game will be clicking on any given day. Even her trademark aggression abandoned her in her last bout, an interminable affair against Claudia Gadelha. Nevertheless, Markos should still be the favorite going into this fight. Yoder has her own issues with passivity, and Markos does still look to be the stronger wrestler. If this is an off night for Markos, she could easily dive into a submission or give away the fight. The pick is Markos via decision.Advertisement
Lightweights
Rafael Fiziev (6-1, -220) vs. Alex White (13-5, +180): Fiziev looks like an entertaining addition to the UFC’s lightweight roster, but he needs to put together enough wins to stick. Fiziev is a fun kickboxer, but all of his issues came home to roost in his UFC debut. Fiziev likes to watch his work and let his opponents stick around more than he should. That was fine against the weak slate of competition that dotted Fiziev’s pre-UFC career, but Magomed Mustafaev had little problem absorbing what he had to offer and put him away with a spinning back kick to the body. Fiziev looks to make a better impression this time around, and this should be a more forgiving matchup against White, even if “The Spartan” has proven himself to be a tough out. White has mostly been an aimless but dangerous striker throughout his UFC career, though to his credit, he finally showed the beginnings of takedown defense in his last bout against Dan Moret. That will not matter here, as White’s typical lack of defense should let Fiziev land at will. However, given the American’s traditional toughness and Fiziev’s one-shot approach, it's unlikely that the Kyrgyz fighter will overwhelm White to the point of getting a finish in what should still be a showcase fight. The pick is Fiziev via decision.Featherweights
Movsar Evloev (11-0, -190) vs. Enrique Barzola (16-4-1, +165): Two of the UFC’s most underrated featherweights go at it here. Evloev might quietly be the next great Russian prospect, though he has some questions to answer at 145 pounds. As a bantamweight prospect on the Russian scene, Evloev showed a well-rounded game against strong competition but mostly relied on an aggressive wrestling game that may run into some issues against larger competition. Seung Woo Choi, Evloev’s opponent in his UFC debut, was not the man to test him on that front, but Barzola should hopefully offer some stiffer competition. Since winning Season 2 of “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America,” Peru’s Barzola has effectively won seven of his last eight bouts, though his style is not particularly flashy enough to earn a ton of notice. Barzola’s game is usually built off pressure, wrestling and endless cardio, and it will be interesting to see how that interacts with what Evloev has to offer. Barzola just has not happened to face many strong wrestlers during his UFC run. Even if Barzola can keep himself out of danger, Evloev’s aggression should be able to win rounds. More importantly, Barzola is not the type of finisher to take advantage of the Russian’s defensive lapses when he gets too focused on getting in on a takedown. It will be a worthy test, but the pick is Evloev via decision.Heavyweights
Sergei Pavlovich (13-1, -235) vs. Maurice Greene (8-2, +195): Greene cuts an interesting figure. At 6-foot-7, he certainly stands out, and being known as “The Crochet Boss” due to his knitting hobby only adds another angle of weirdness to the proceedings. Inside the cage, Greene is also an odd fighter. Despite his past as a kickboxer, he is not particularly discerning as to what he does on the feet, throwing out techniques seemingly at random that still manage to be effective due to his size and strength. Greene has also managed to subdue three opponents with a triangle choke, despite not seeming particularly graceful from his back. It should not work, but this is the heavyweight division, so Greene is riding a three-fight winning streak as he slowly improves. Pavlovich should serve as Greene’s toughest test to date, as the Russian prospect came to the UFC with a ton of hype, enough so that the promotion immediately matched him with Alistair Overeem. That proved too much for Pavlovich and his one-shot power striking approach, but the Russian rebounded with a scintillating win over Marcelo Golm that showed the type of violence he can bring. If Pavlovich returns to his passive approach, Greene’s size and volume could make things tricky, but if he presses the action at all, he should be able to win exchanges. The Russian has a deceptively long reach that should help close the size gap, while Greene does not do much to take advantage of his size. The pick is Pavlovich via first-round knockout.Women’s Strawweights
Konklak Suphisara (3-1, -120) vs. Aleksandra Albu (3-1, +100): Suphisara, aka “Loma Lookboonmee,” officially puts Thailand on the UFC map and becomes one of the more interesting additions in strawweight’s recent history. Lookboonmee was a muay Thai prodigy and carries that skill over to MMA. While she dropped a quick spring of a bout to fellow muay Thai standout Suwanan Boonsorn, Lookboonmee has had little difficulty picking apart her other opponents on her way to this promotional debut. Albu should be an interesting test, even if the Russian is at a clear skill deficit. Albu had all of one win when she was signed all the way back in 2013 and has managed to have only three fights in the last six years. Despite being a technical mess, Albu is built out of pure muscle, which could provide some problems against a natural atomweight in Lookboonmee. If Albu sells out in every attempt to make this a grind, she should have some surprising success, but Lookboonmee should be able to outquick her and make this a striking clinic. The pick is Lookboonmee via decision.Heavyweights
Jeff Hughes (10-2, -235) vs. Raphael Pessoa (9-1, +195): If nothing else, Hughes at least gets a quick turnaround after the strangeness of his last bout. Hughes has proven to be a fine but not outstanding heavyweight in his brief UFC tenure, and he was tabbed to welcome back Todd Duffee to the Octagon after Duffee’s long layoff. The fight was fun while it lasted, but Duffee complained of an eye poke and being unable to continue. Six weeks later, Hughes returns to the Octagon to take on Brazil’s Pessoa, who is looking to rebound from the first loss of his career against Ciryl Gane. Pessoa is your typical heavyweight brawler, and while he should remain dangerous, this is Hughes’ fight to lose as long as the American survives the initial salvo. Hughes has yet to be finished and picks up as the fight goes on. The pick is Hughes via second-round stoppage.Related Articles
