Still some quality matchups this week, but the pool’s getting a bit shaky…;
You’ve got to hand it to the UFC. The use of their Contender Series has raised the overall bar for incoming talent while importing some of the best talents outside of the major organizations. And yes, it’s unfortunate that those coming in are making the lowest paydays on the cards they’re on, but most have been very active lately, fighting frequently and getting much-needed cage time.
This week’s series is an interesting one from a development standpoint. Nothing about any of the fighters on this card screams “future champion“ just yet, and that’s not a bad thing. There’s room for improvement and development, both of which can be acquired with time. This is a group of some very good and unpolished prospects that appear to have pretty bright futures, and that’s more than enough sometimes.
On the other hand, we’ve got some more odd matchmaking with questionable records yet again, and it’s starting to become something of a trend. There’s only so many quality prospects you can have competing against each other per event and per year, but this problem is becoming more and more of a concern.
So take a good look at this group and keep our chins up, because there’s some possible future elite getting their feet wet here.
Melsik Baghdasaryan vs Dennis Buzukja
Dennis “Bazooka“ Buzukja is a Serra/Longo protegée that went 5-1 as an amateur and is knocking on the UFC’s door with a 4-1 pro record. His win last year in Ring of Combat had some serious buzz behind it, because he’s more than just a pretty finish in one fight. He showed poise and patience in his pro debut over at Bellator, starting off shaky but working through it to set up counters and keep constant pressure. He’s got hard hands despite being a slower starter, a solid pedigree and decent opposition from the North Jersey/NYC circuit. There’s a lot to look forward to here from the young featherweight.
Baghdasaryan is also 4-1 as a pro, but it’s a totally different story. I don’t mean to dog the guy, but there’s a series of questions that need to be addressed for every fighter that makes it on to this show with a shallow record of not-good wins. With his fights mostly taking place in Gladiator Challenge — a major red flag — and Shawne Merriman’s Lights Out promotion, his record isn’t what it could be. He’s also been coached by Edmond Tarverdyan, so make of that what you will. His best win was perhaps against Art Hernandez almost a year ago, and it was a wild and quick finish. But those small things add up. A very athletic striker like him may not be ready for a more well-rounded, hard-nosed prospect that can take a hit and throw back harder, while also being able to grapple.
Jimmy Flick vs Nate Smith
Flick (14-5) is an LFA vet that’s got some good wins over Johnny Bedford (whom he put to sleep), Cee Jay Hamilton and Greg Fischer. Maybe it may not sound like much, but he’s a ten-year vet whose got most of his wins via submission. He’s got hands, and doesn’t let himself get bullied easily, even if he keeps his hands a bit low during some exchanges.
Smith (6-0) is also something special. After three straight wins via rear naked choke, he got a TKO from rear mount. He’s scrambly, quick, gritty and a very smart grappler with a lot of patience to always end up in a better spot. This is a great matchup that should be very competitive, but unfortunately the fighters that dig deepest in competitive fights aren’t likely to get contracts with a win. It’s a shame, because either or both could be a great addition to such a small division.
Jose Johnson vs Ronnie Lawrence
Johnson (11-5) has been making some noise for some time working the regional scene, but it was an appearance in LFA that got him more notoriety than ever. A lanky bantamweight that has excellent finishing instincts, he’s an accurate striker with superb striking in the clinch and very good takedown defense. Throw in some athleticism and good distance management and you have a candidate that can add some pizazz to the division in a relatively short period of time.
Lawrence (5-1) has snapping leg kicks and lovely boxing inside, going to the body to mix things up and make his adversaries quit. His wrestling is good, but may not serve him as well against a spry fighter like Johnson. His guard is very active, with Lawrence throwing up as many submission attempts as possible off his back and raining blows when in top position. May not be an easy night for either fighter.
William Knight vs Cory Brundage
Knight (7-1) is a finishing machine that may just be making his way to the UFC at the right moment. All of his pro wins have been finishes, and he holds an amateur win over current UFC fighter Yorgan De Castro. Striking and defending takedowns is the name of the game here. His submission defense is also pretty good, even if it relies more on his physicality than actual technique. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t do the right thing when he’s in trouble, though. He’s certainly not all brawn, there’s some good positional awareness and reactions there.
Brundage (5-0) won back to back fights against Erick Lozano to earn the middleweight and light heavyweight Lights Out titles in Michigan. He’s got a serviceable takedown game and can be a bit slow on the counters, but has decent leg kicks and doesn’t waste time being where he doesn’t need to be on the ground. His use of reach may be negated and his takedown game may not yield as many benefits, and that doesn’t mean that he have opportunities to try to work kicks and keep Knight off his rhythm. He may get overwhelmed here, but certainly has more than a chance to come out on top.
Tucker Lutz vs Chase Gibson
Lutz (9-1) is a Mid-Atlantic prospect that’s more of a traditional wrestleboxer, using his top-heavy frame and strong takedowns to deliver tons of punches from top position and controlling them to the point of exhaustion.
Gibson is another California mainstay that’s been around the block with CXF, King of the Cage and Combate Americas. Currently at 9-4, he’s got a general MMA game focused on wrestle-boxing and making his opponent carry his weight. His losses in Combate Americas were fine, as they came at the hands of Horacio Gutierrez and Rafa Martinez, two of their toughest lightweights.
It’s his wins that are the problem. Once again, we’ve got another California talent that’s been fighting opposition that have records of 87-9, 10-11, 0-19 (Gibson was 6-3 at the time!), with his last wins being against opponents that were 0-1 and 0-2. I don’t know what to make of this, nor do I believe that UFC management is too naïve to see what is happening here at this point. This isn’t an insult to Gibson in any way, shape, or form, but there’s a major matchmaking problem here in their search for talent in a division that’s already quite stacked as is.
Dana White’s Contender Series takes place this Tuesday night, starting at 8:00pm EST. This event will stream live in its entirety on ESPN+