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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) hits Kallang, Singapore this Saturday (Oct. 26) for some early-morning mixed martial arts (MMA) action.
The main event, which the promotion’s commentators have repetitively but accurately described as a “grappler’s delight,” wrestling ace Ben Askren attempts to rebound from his viral loss to Jorge Masvidal against Demian Maia, who’s reclaimed his place among Welterweight contenders with two consecutive victories.
Down at Lightweight, Michael Johnson returns to his proper weight class to face Stevie Ray and Beneil Dariush looks to make it three straight against avid brawler Frank Camacho.
Our usual main card guy watched Crazy Rich Asians and is now in a food coma due to Singaporean street eats, so I’m up to bat once again. As always, Prelims here and here, advice on how to lose yourself to the sin of gambling here.
Let’s rock.
170 lbs.: Demian Maia (27-9) vs. “Funky” Ben Askren (19-1)
Maia had a three-fight stretch from 2017-2018 where the UFC pitted him against the most physically imposing wrestlers in the division one after another. It didn’t end well for him or the viewing public.
Two things make this matchup appealing despite the track record: for one, Askren’s been forthright about his willingness to engage Maia on the ground, and while I’d brush that off as misdirection from anyone else, the “Funky” one doesn’t really do Askren is a fundamentally different wrestler than just about anyone in the sport. His movement-heavy, almost improvisational top control leaves openings that a submission ace of Maia’s pedigree could conceivably exploit. It’ll be an active ground fight, if nothing else, and that alone provides infinitely more intrigue than Tyron Woodley or Colby Covington playing keep-away for 25 minutes.
I honestly think it’ll come down to cardio. It’s not that Maia doesn’t work hard or keep himself in shape; it’s that he relies on expending a lot of energy to get takedowns and then recuperating while maintaining a dominant position. There’s no such thing as a rest period when dealing with Askren on the mat, though, and unless Maia can find Askren’s neck within the first two rounds, he’s going to be feeling those nearly 42 years. Askren worms his way through a few rough spots to put Maia through the wringer.
Prediction: Askren via unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Michael Johnson (19-14) vs. Stevie Ray (22-9)
Michael Johnson’s many issues never included being too small, so I’m glad he’s finally back in his proper weight class. Maybe now he can devote his time to fixing his real problems, like his inability to fight off of his back and his tendency to crumble in the face of adversity.
Then again, he’s had almost nine years in the Octagon to do that, so I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Luckily for him, Ray doesn’t figure to drag him out of his comfort zone. The Scottish bruiser has some submission chops and a bit of wrestling in his pocket should the need arise, but he’s generally content to trade hands, a losing proposition against the quicker and heavier-hitting Johnson. To make matters worse for Ray, he’s not particularly focused on pressure, which has historically been the means to trip Johnson up on the feet.
There is a bit of an X-factor, though, in that both men are coming off of brutal one-punch knockout losses. There’s every chance that we wind up with a slow dance between gunshy strikers, which would be a real bummer in a main card that’s shaping up to feature heaps of action. I’m going to err on the side of optimism and say these guys slug it out until Johnson catches him flush.
Prediction: Johnson via first-round technical knockout
155 lbs.: Beneil Dariush (16-4-1) vs. Frank “The Crank” Camacho (22-7)
Frank Camacho is a cool dude and an utter delight to watch. What he isn’t is an elite fighter, and even if Beneil Dariush’s chin issues also keep him from reaching that distinction, he’s a damn sight closer than “The Crank.”
Despite his strong jiu-jitsu pedigree, Camacho can only really excel in fights when opponents oblige him in a brawl. Li Jingliang and Geoff Neal both found a lot of success chewing him up from the outside, and besides having the cleaner boxing technique by a fair margin, Dariush also has some powerful low kicks that could recreate Li’s knee-buckling efforts and defuse Camacho’s knockout threat in minutes.
Camacho doesn’t even have the option of falling back on his grappling, as Dariush is by far the stronger wrestler.
None of this is to say that Camacho doesn’t have a chance; for all his skill, Dariush really doesn’t take punches well, and the way he gassed himself out trying to finish another tough guy in Evan Dunham suggests that “The Crank” could conceivably win a war of attrition. Dariush has fought smart in recent efforts, though, and I expect him to do the same here. Hard leg kicks, crisp punching, and regular takedowns earn the Kings MMA product a wide victory.
Prediction: Dariush by unanimous decision
265 lbs.: Cyril “Bon Gamin” Gane (4-0) vs. Don’Tale “Kong” Mayes (7-2)
The fact that the UFC is making Mayes, a three-time Contender Series veteran, debut against the best Heavyweight prospect in the sport suggests to me that they don’t have high hopes for his future. I can’t say I disagree, honestly; he’s a big dude with good power who’s made visible improvements from fight to fight, but you can’t throw a rock without hitting a UFC Heavyweight who fits that description.
Gane, on the other hand, is something else. His movement, striking technique, and gas tank all leave Mayes’ in the dust; I’m confident enough in what I’ve seen to say that he could hold his own on the feet against the vast majority of the Heavyweight roster, “Kong” absolutely included. Mayes is just too slow and wide with his shots to deal with a striker of this caliber, and there doesn’t seem to be a plausible path to victory for him against “Bon Gamin” besides the cliche “puncher’s chance.”
I said before Gane’s UFC debut that he was something special, and though he’ll have to take out a greater challenger than Mayes to fully prove it, this is a nice start. He picks Mayes off at range before putting him away with any of the eight limbs he chooses.
Prediction: Gane via first-round technical knockout
170 lbs. Muslim “The King of Kung Fu” Salikhov (15-2) vs. Laureano “Pepi” Staropoli (9-1)
If the UFC wanted to build Staropoli up, this isn’t the way to go about it. There’s a world of difference between out-brawling Hector Aldana and the current iteration of Thiago Alves and facing one of the most decorated kickboxers in the division. Salikhov is a genuine monster on the feet, one I badly underestimated ahead of his recent knockout of Nordine Taleb. Without a stout wrestling game to throw the Dagestani off, few UFC Welterweights can match him in his area of expertise.
All Staropoli has going for him here are youth and a tiny bit of size; it’s possible, however unlikely, that he could claim a decision by outworking Salikhov. I just don’t see him surviving enough of Salikhov’s hyper-accurate shots to do so. Salikhov doesn’t need a big opening to thread in a knockout punch or spinning kick, and Staropoli certainly leaves enough of them.
Unless Staropoli can find a D-1 All-American wrestler to disguise himself as the Argentinian and fight in his place, this is going to be a very short and very unpleasant morning. He gets a few minutes of success through volume until Salikhov gets the range down and shuts his lights off with something ridiculous.
Prediction: Salikhov via first-round knockout
To see more on UFC Fight Night 162: “Maia vs. Askren” and all things MMA on ESPN+, check out our comprehensive event archive right here.