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Get the dish on the early action out of Abu Dhabi, featuring rising prospect Impa Kasanganay clashing with hard-hitting Joaquin Buckley at middleweight.
While there are several contests on this card that many are anticipating, there aren’t any on the prelims. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any contests that don’t appear to be worth watching. My eye falls on the Giga Chikadze and Omar Morales contest. It isn’t a particularly meaningful contest, but it looks like it should be a lot of fun. However, what these prelims really have is several fighters who look like they could have a bright future. Impa Kasanganay is the obvious one the UFC sees as a star in the making, but there’s enough young blood on these prelims that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see several of these participants emerge in the official UFC rankings within a few years.
- His MMA career isn’t over by any means, but many are already looking at Tom Breese as though he’s a what-could-have-been story. The gifted grappler has dealt with anxiety for several years, limiting him to just two appearances in the Octagon over the last four years. His latest appearance earlier this year didn’t do much to assuage the idea those issues are in the past as he never looked like he was mentally there against Brendan Allen, getting shellacked within a round. If Breese’s head is in the right place, his standup is driven by a steady jab to compliment his smothering grappling. He’ll get a chance to right the ship against newcomer KB Bhullar. Bhullar is very tall for middleweight, clocking in at 6’4”. Taking this contest on short notice, Bhullar mixes his strikes up well from the outside and has shown some wrestling too. There isn’t a lot of footage of him available, making it hard to get a proper feel for the Canadian. Regardless, I don’t trust Breese anymore, especially given he’s no longer the bigger man in the cage, an advantage he greatly utilized at welterweight. Bhullar via TKO of RD1
- I’m sorry to say most saw the contest between Chris Daukaus and Parker Porter as the epitome of what’s wrong with the UFC in the pandemic age. Daukaus emerged as the winner in the battle of out of shape heavyweights, applying a heavy does of volume to secure several knockdowns. Daukaus actually impressed many in the process with his punching combinations, though there is still a question to how effective he’ll remain if he goes beyond the first round at the pace he pushed. Perhaps more concerning is whether he’ll be able to navigate the long reach of Rodrigo Nascimento. Nascimento isn’t known for his striking, but he’s been slowly improving. Where he’s at his best is in the clinch, landing elbows and knees and threatening with trip takedowns. Nascimento has successfully been able to exploit his opponent’s lack of grappling prowess, picking up most of his wins via submission. I haven’t seen enough of Daukaus on the mat to give a proper assessment of his abilities, but my best estimate is he won’t be up to snuff against the slick Brazilian. Nascimento via submission of RD2
- Most would agree the UFC has found something special in Impa Kasanganay. A quick-twitch athlete with a deep gas tank, the fact he’s been able to make it to the UFC and pick up a win in the organization less than two years after turning pro is very impressive in a time when doing so in less than five is considered quick. Evan more impressive, Kasanganay has been able to accomplish all of this without seeming to put everything together. He’s had several opportunities to put away his recent opposition, but hasn’t been able to finish the job. I don’t want to say lack of killer instinct as the effort has been there, but a lack of experience being the bigger problem. His opponent this time around, Joaquin Buckley, is roughly the same age with many of the same physical attributes. However, there’s a couple of things Buckley has that Kasanganay doesn’t: experience and finishes against credible opposition. Buckley appears to have more power, but Kasanganay has proven to be difficult to put away, even after being hurt. Throw in Kasanganay’s ability to rack up the volume and I think he outlasts a game Buckley, though it should be a competitor for FOTN. Kasanganay via decision
- There isn’t any hype between either Ali Al-Qaisi or Tony Kelley. In fact, most are surprised either are even on the UFC roster, even in this time in which the UFC has been scrambling to find fighters willing to step in and fight during the pandemic. Al-Qaisi displayed some wrestling ability and a lot of determination, but ultimately proved to be left wanting against Irwin Rivera. For his part, Kelley put on a POTN winning performance in his loss to Kai Kamaka. While Kelley pushed a hard pace in that contest –dishing out and eating a lot of damage in the process – he flagged at various times in the contest and showed little resistance to being taken down. Al-Qaisi might be able to expose that weakness and steal away a decision – perhaps even a submission as Al-Qaisi is slick with the guillotine – but Kelley’s Muay Thai striking and length should be enough to sway the judges in his direction. Kelley via decision
- Perhaps we’d be able to shine more light on Omar Morales if we weren’t living in such a hectic time, as his story is pretty cool. In short, the native of Venezuela got a late start to his career and was still able to make it to the UFC at the age of 34 against stacked odds. He’s pushing against the odds again a year later, dropping to featherweight despite not being a small lightweight by any means. Perhaps if he relied upon his wrestling, I’d give him a thumbs up for the move. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. Morales is easiest defined as a power striker, keeping his approach relatively simple. That’s not intended to be a denouncement of Morales. He is undefeated after all. But will it be enough to stop Giga Chikadze? Chikadze is a former kickboxer who has successfully been able to open up his striking by mixing in the occasional takedown. With his striking opened up, he’s been able to throw more complex strikes and combinations. If Morales can make the cut without taking a hit in his stamina, he might be able to steal this away as Chikadze has slowed late in his UFC contests. I’m wouldn’t bet Morales will be able to take advantage of that. Chikadze via TKO of RD2
- It appears Tracy Cortez is going to be staying at bantamweight after all. Whether that’s a positive can’t be said for sure… yet. Cortez had previously fought at flyweight and is on the short side at 135 – she’s only 5’5” – but also has a history of slowing late in contests. Of course, given she relies heavily on pressure and takedowns, perhaps she would have been better off attempting to be the larger fighter. She’s bound to find out in this contest how much she’ll appreciate not having to cut the extra ten pounds as Stephanie Egger is hasn’t been able to find success without hitting the mat. A big bantamweight with a tenacious ground game, Egger is still very raw on the feet with a tendency to keep her hands low. Cortez isn’t a striking savant either, she mixes things up well enough to keep the opposition guessing and pushes a hard pace. That should give her a definitive edge as she should be slippery enough to escape Egger’s grasp should Egger get Cortez to the mat. Cortez via decision
- This likely represents the last stand for Bruno Silva. The TUF Brazil vet hasn’t been able to get his wrestling and grappling heavy approach to gain traction in the UFC, dropping his first two contests in definitive fashion. His pocket boxing hasn’t been effective either, his short stature and reach holding him back. While the first instinct from an outside observer would be to utilize a different approach – particularly at flyweight – Silva doesn’t have the athleticism to utilize the hit and run tactics many others use, nor does he have a long enough frame to overcome that issue. Tagir Ulanbekov isn’t a top-flight athlete, but he edges Silva in that area by a significant margin and debuts as one of the lankier members of the shallow division. He does have a tendency to let shorter opponents work within his range, but his striking isn’t his bread and butter. That would be his wrestling and grappling. Perhaps Silva might be able to reverse his fortune as Ulenbekov will almost assuredly go to the mat, but Ulanbekov’s top control may already be among the best in the division. He’ll find a way to walk out with a W. Ulanbekov via decision