Take a look at the inner workings of the preliminary contests from UFC Singapore, including a high energy strawweight contest between Ashley Yoder and Randa Markos.
Y’all remember back when Dana White told fans they aren’t supposed to watch all of the cards the UFC has to offer? That some cards were made specifically for the region they take place in? This would be one of those cards he’s referring to. Given the prelims begin when those in North America are sleeping soundly in their beds, there can’t be any doubt about that. The problem with Uncle Dana’s logic is growth in Europe wouldn’t have been possible without the fans willing to stay up into the wee hours of the morning to watch the massive cards the UFC puts on that cater to the North American audience. Then again, those cards are usually superior to what the UFC is offering the fans in Singapore. You gotta be a real shit-eating wild man to be watching these contests live….
The prelims of UFC Singapore begin on ESPN+ at 5:00 AM ET/2:00 AM PT on Saturday.
Randa Markos (9-7-1) vs. Ashley Yoder (7-4), Women’s Strawweight
Despite losing her first three UFC contests, the UFC opted to keep Yoder around a little longer. That gamble is paying off as Yoder has won two in a row, showing improvements in her wrestling and striking. It should be noted those wins came over Amanda Cooper and Syuri Kondo – whose combined UFC records are 3-7 – so a grain of salt should be taken with those wins. Nonetheless, Yoder is developing into more than just a scrappy test for lower level opposition.
Some might describe Markos in a similar manner, but they would refer to her as a scrappy test for middling competition. That’s unfair to Markos as she is a superior athlete to Yoder with a wrestling background outside of her MMA career. What has short-circuited Markos in the past has been an identity crisis. Naturally an aggressive fighter, Markos has reined in her aggressive tendencies intermittently throughout her UFC run to mixed results. Her most recent contest against Claudia Gadelha, who is notorious for gassing, saw Markos take her foot off the pedal rather than press the action, leading to a loss. If Markos continues to pursue such questionable strategies, she’ll never show the consistency necessary to become a player.
It’s plausible Yoder’s improvements in her wrestling will be enough for her to stay on her feet and piece up Markos… provided Markos is similarly tedious here as she was against Gadelha. However, Yoder doesn’t have the same type of power as Gadelha and Markos is a far superior wrestler to Kondo. However, if for no other reason, Markos hasn’t put together consecutive wins or losses since 2013. She’s coming off a loss. If you want to risk picking this contest ending in a draw, go for it. I’m going with Markos for the win despite her taking the contest on short notice. Markos via decision
Enrique Barzola (16-4-1) vs. Movsar Evloev (11-0), Featherweight
It’s been a pleasure to take in Barzola’s UFC career. Through hard work and proper training, he’s developed from an uber-raw product from TUF Latin America into one of the toughest and endearing members on the roster. Admittedly, he hasn’t faced exquisite competition, but the UFC has steadily raised his level of competition and he has risen to the occasion every time, even in his close loss to Kevin Aguilar. Though he is still heavily reliant on his takedowns and low kicks, Barzola has improved his boxing to the point where that serves as his most consistent striking attack after relying on the kicks for so long. He still isn’t a threat to finish a fight – all his UFC contests have gone the distance – but the improvements are nonetheless obvious.
Evloev may be the fresher face to UFC fans, but he faced enough tough competition on the Russian circuit that no one can deny that he was properly seasoned when he entered the UFC… a rarity in the age of DWCS. He’s similar to Barzola in pushing a hard pace and pursuing takedowns by the bushel. Evloev is also on the small side for featherweight – he has also competed at bantamweight — but that shouldn’t be an issue in this contest as there have been rumblings in the MMA community Barzola would be best suited to drop to 135 himself. Despite his lack of size, Barzola’s takedown defense has been one of his greatest strengths.
While I applaud the competitiveness of this matchmaking, I had a pretty good idea of who I favored as soon as it was announced. As judging has leaned more towards damage dealt as opposed to the holding of a dominant position, Evloev appears to have more oomph in his strikes, both on the feet and striking from the mat. Plus, he’s the more accomplished grappler. Barzola’s durability and survival instincts will make him extremely difficult to put away and his volume may even eclipse Evoloev’s, but the Russian’s damage should put him over the top. Evoloev via decision
- I was surprised at the amount of people picking Rafael Fiziev in his UFC debut against Magomed Mustafaev. Sure, Fiziev has an extensive Muay Thai pedigree, but he also walked into the contest with six MMA contests under his belt and zero notable opponents. Fiziev ended up being starched in 86 seconds. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t offer potential as a dangerous striker. It’s a matter of matching with opponents who don’t offer a threat to take the fight to the mat. His opponent, Alex White, has found his best success in the UFC when he gets his wrestling going as he tends to be too selective in his strikes to win on volume alone. The problem is, White’s wrestling isn’t his biggest strength nor is it his preferred method of fighting. White’s chin has generally held up well, but he also hasn’t faced any opponents whose primary objective is to test his chin. Given White’s stiffness in the striking department, I’m guessing Fiziev can find a way to connect cleanly, despite my earlier surprise. Fiziev via TKO of RD2
- There isn’t anyone in recent memory who has had two opponents more on the opposite end of the spectrum to open their UFC career than Sergey Pavlovich. Beginning against longtime heavyweight stalwart Alistair Overeem, he was handed the still raw Marcelo Golm in his sophomore effort. After easily being disposed of by Overeem, Pavlovich returned the favor to Golm, indicating the young Russian’s standing lies somewhere in the middle of the pack. A strong wrestler with a massive reach, Pavlovich hasn’t used his Greco-Roman background very often in his brief UFC run. He might be more inclined to do so against Maurice Greene, a lankier, more fluid athlete. Greene’s physical talents have always been obvious. It’s the mental game that has held him back. It looks like he’s ironed out those kinks in the last few contests, winning all three of his UFC appearances. He’s even shown a solid submission game on the ground. If Greene can avoid Pavlovich’s powerful single shots, he could outwork Pavlovich as the stiff Russian will have trouble matching the volume. However, I’d favor Pavlovich to find Greene’s chin. Pavlovich via TKO of RD1
- There has been a good amount of hype behind youthful Muay Thai fighter Loma Lookboonme, an atomweight who is moving up to strawweight for her UFC debut. There are concerns she may be making the jump to the UFC too soon as she has a total of four professional MMA contests under her belt without a notable opponent on her ledger. The UFC has those concerns too as they pit her against Alexandra Albu, who happens to have just as many bouts under her belt despite her long UFC tenure. However, Albu has been training in the sport far longer than Lookboonme has and has shown the ability to get the fight to the mat. She’s also proven to be incredibly reckless. There’s a very good chance she rushes headlong into a flurry from Lookboonme, but Albu is tough. It’s a coin flip, but I’ll favor Albu to grind out a decision. Albu via decision
- At first glance, it’s hard to get excited about Jeff Hughes. His frame is extremely doughy. He’s not a notable athlete in any way. He tends to absorb a lot of damage too. However, absorb is the keyword in that sentence as the sparring partner of Stipe Miocic has shown a lot of durability. That won’t last forever, but so long as it does, he can put together good boxing combinations in the pocket and do so over the course of 15 minutes as his gas tank is surprisingly effective too. After going winless in his first two UFC contests, he gets a step down in Raphael Pessoa Nunes, best known for his low kicks and grappling skills. However, those grappling skills need to be questioned as he was subbed in his UFC debut by a former Muay Thai champion in Cyril Gane. Hughes should be able to outwork the inconsistent Brazilian. Hughes via decision