Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is bringing a bevy of “Prelims” fights to both ESPN and ESPN+ this weekend (Sat., March 30, 2019) when UFC on ESPN 2: “Barboza vs. Gaethje” storms Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. MMAmania.com’s Patrick Stumberg continues the UFC on ESPN 2 “Prelims” party with the second (and final) installment of a two-part undercard preview series below.
Jaws will be jacked, legs will be kicked, and we will all wince in sympathy when Edson Barboza faces Justin Gaethje in a clash of the Lightweight division’s most brutal knockout artists this weekend (Sat., March 30, 2019) at UFC on ESPN 2, which takes place inside Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event will also host a Middleweight clash between the resurgent David Branch and the versatile Jack Hermansson, not to mention a Featherweight banger pitting Muay Thai veteran Sheymon Moraes against knockout machine Sodiq Yusuff.
Four of the seven “Prelims” undercard bouts get a lucky spot on ESPN (check out the ESPN+ portion here). Let’s have a look!
115 lbs.: Jessica Aguilar vs. Marina Rodriguez
Jessica Aguilar (20-7) enjoyed an incredible run from 2009 to 2015, losing only to Zoila Frausto in controversial fashion while defeating the likes of Megumi Fujii and Carla Esparza. She has not had similar success in the Octagon, going 1-3 and recently suffering a submission loss to Weili Zhang.
“Jag” steps in for Alexa Grasso on two weeks’ notice.
Marina Rodriguez (10-01) brought a nine-fight win streak into “Contender Series,” where she dominated and stopped Maria Oliveira to earn a contract. She met Randa Markos in her Octagon debut just over a month later, surviving a rough first round to force a majority draw.
Half of her professional wins have come by knockout.
Even acknowledging that Aguilar has faced some scary opponents in the Octagon, it’s hard not to be disappointed in her UFC run. Beyond her wrestling looking seriously ineffective, her game planning doesn’t seem up to snuff, and she seriously needs good strategy to make up for her limited size.
Aguilar’s poor fight IQ and tendency to get physically outclassed suggests bad things for the 36-year-old. Rodriguez uses her four inches of height and two inches of reach to pile up the one-two combinations at range and punish Aguilar in the clinch.
Prediction: Rodriguez via unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Ross Pearson vs. Des Green
The past few years have been rough sailing for Ross Pearson (20-15), who finds himself 2-6 in his last eight fights. He snapped a four-fight skid with a decision over Mizuto Hirota in Feb. 2018, but lost a bloody “Fight of the Night” to John Makdessi five months later.
“Real Deal” is two inches shorter than Des Green (21-8) and will give up four inches of reach.
“The Predator” started his UFC career strong with a split decision over Josh Emmett, only to fall to powerhouse grinders Rustam Khabilov and Michel Prazeres. He got back on track with a decision over Gleison Tibau, but fell short against an overweight Mairbek Taisumov, though he did do better than “Beckan’s” previous five opponents by lasting the distance.
Pearson’s decline has been strange to follow — his chin’s still there and there are no obvious flaws in his technique to my untrained eye, but it just isn’t working anymore. Though he still has good takedown defense and Green can let fights get away from him, I can’t put faith in Pearson’s ability to execute against top Lightweight competition.
So long as Green doesn’t forget his wrestling, he has the durability and enough striking prowess to hold his own between takedowns. Variety carries him to victory while Pearson fruitlessly searches for the left hook knockout.
Prediction: Green via unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Kevin Aguilar vs. Enrique Barzola
Kevin Aguilar (16-1) asserted his dominance of the LFA Lightweight division with brutal knockouts of Damon Jackson and Thanh Le, but his split decision over Joey Gomez on “Contender Series” wasn’t enough to earn him a UFC contract. “The Angel of Death” got his shot four months later, replacing Arnold Allen on short notice to out-brawl Rick Glenn at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 28 Finale.
Though he and Enrique Barzola (15-3-1) are the same height, Aguilar will have a seven-inch reach advantage.
“El Fuerte” ran the table on TUF: “Latin America” 2, ultimately defeating Mexico’s Horacio Gutierrez on the Finale. He went on to win four of his next five, the lone loss a highly controversial split decision to Kyle Bochniak.
He has knocked out and submitted four foes apiece.
This is a sleeper pick for “Fight of the Night,” I’d say. Both men are entertaining, extremely active, and have distinct avenues of victory. Aguilar’s the more lethal puncher by a huge margin, but has had issues with takedown defense. Barzola, meanwhile, is one of the most prolific takedown artists in the sport, averaging more than six per fight.
It’s not entirely “striker vs. grappler,” as both are more than competent in the other’s area of expertise, but it makes for some difficult prognostication. In a fight that sees plenty of highlight reel moments, I say Aguilar’s crazy reach lets him rack up enough damage with his punches to narrowly offset the time Barzola spends pressing him against the cage or chilling in his guard.
Prediction: Aguilar via split decision
185 lbs.: Kevin Holland vs. Gerald Meerschaert
Though he didn’t get the finish, Kevin Holland (14-4) joined UFC after a successful “Contender Series” stint, only to fall short against Thiago Santos in his debut. His second fight saw him face Welsh knockout artist John Phillips and ultimately outclass his man en route to his fifth win in six fights.
He will have two inches of height and 3.5 inches of reach on “GM3.”
A brutal loss to Thiago Santos undid the momentum Gerald Meerschaert (29-10) gathered with his submissions of Joe Gigliotti and Ryan Janes, but comeback stoppages of Eric Spicely and Oscar Piechota put “GM3” back on the map. He was last seen fighting Jack Hermansson in December, suffering the eighth submission defeat of his career.
He’s submitted 20 opponents and knocked out another six.
This is going to be weird. Holland always fights like he’s improvising and Meerschaert is a bizarre blend of grit, insane submissions, and rock-bottom fight IQ. The latter can finish things at any time, but Holland looks to have a considerable stylistic edge. Meerschaert will struggle to get inside of Holland’s range and doesn’t hit hard enough to exploit “Trail Blazer’s” lackadaisical defense.
To make things worse for Meerschaert, Holland paces himself quite well, so banking on another comeback doesn’t seem wise. Holland’s takedown defense isn’t impregnable, so Meerschaert could theoretically exploit that, but “GM3” isn’t a great wrestler and he’ll have to navigate the reach disparity to make that work. Holland picks apart a relentless Meerschaert from range, mixing in some knees and elbows when the latter muscles his way in.
Prediction: Holland via unanimous decision
If you love this sport, you simply cannot miss Barboza vs. Gaethje. See you Saturday, Maniacs.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC on ESPN 2 fight card on fight night, starting with the ESPN+ (7-day free trial here) “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN at 5 p.m. ET, before the ESPN main card start time at 7 p.m. ET.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC on ESPN 2: “Barboza vs. Gaethje” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.