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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is gearing up for its third straight event in as many weeks, as UFC on ESPN 11 is set to go down inside UFC APEX later tonight (Sat., June 20, 2020) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Headlining the card is a hard-hitting Heavyweight showdown between Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov. In the co-main event, Shane Burgos takes on Josh Emmett in Featherweight action.
What’s Hot:
Curtis Blaydes has been putting in work since making his pro mixed martial arts (MMA) debut in 2014. In fact, under the UFC banner he has won eight of 11, with his two losses coming at the hands of power-packing No. 1 contender, Francis Ngannou. Indeed, “The Predator” has been a thorn in Curtis’ side, preventing him from reaching a title fight in 2018, after ruining his Octagon debut four years earlier. So while Ngannou currently has his title shot secured, Blaydes is looking to do the same with a win over Alexander Volkov, which will give him four in a row. And who knows, by the time his title shot comes along, he could very well be facing Ngannou for a third occasion, this time for all the marbles.
In Volkov, Curtis will face a man who like him once got close to a championship fight, only to get derailed at the eleventh hour by the powerful hands of a fellow big man, in this case, Derrick Lewis. Since entering UFC in 2016, Volkov hasn’t been as busy as I would’ve preferred to see, competing only six times in those four years. “Drago” isn’t afraid to rise to the occasion, knocking out former world champions like Fabricio Werdum (see it) and halting the momentum of rising contenders such as Greg Hardy. With a win over Blaydes, he could very well insert himself in the championship picture.
Since entering UFC in 2016, Emmett has had a pattern that hasn’t allowed him to gain momentum: Win two in a row, lose, win two in a row, lose. Coincidentally enough, Josh is currently on the pattern, having won his last two. He’ll have to break his routine here, as a loss to Shane Burgos puts him a bad position at 145 pounds. Burgos, meanwhile, has quietly been on quite an impressive run, winning three straight, 13 of 14 overall, going 6-1 thus far inside the Octagon. He’s managed to insert himself into the Top 10, but he wants more, and a win over Emmett gets him that extra push to get there.
What’s Not:
There isn’t a whole lot to complain about here. It’s a pretty solid lineup with intriguing matchups. If I had one tiny gripe, I would have loved to see Jim Miller get a more experienced fighter instead of Roosevelt Roberts. Nothing against Roberts, but it seems UFC is looking to use Miller as somewhat of a stepping stone. This will be fight number 34 for Miller under the UFC banner, while Roberts has only competed five times thus far.
Original Card vs Actual Card:
Joe Solecki was expected to face Austin Hubbard on this card before he was removed for undisclosed reasons just last week. He was ultimately replaced by promotional newcomer Max Rohskopf. Matt Frevola was yanked from his fight against Frank Camacho after his trainer tested positive for COVID-19. But despite the fact that Frevola tested negative, the promotion didn’t want to take any chances. As a result, UFC newcomer, Justin Jaynes, was pegged as a replacement. At weigh-ins, however, Camacho didn’t make weight and was forced to fork over 20-percent of his check to Jaynes.
Injuries:
None to report.
New Blood:
Justin Jaynes will make his UFC debut on less than a week’s notice as he steps in for Matt Frevola against Frank Camacho. Jaynes has won four straight on the regional circuit, so “Guitar Hero” will look to keep that momentum going under the brightest lights of them all. He already started off his UFC career on somewhat of a bright note, as he will take 20-percent of Camacho’s salary as a result of a scale fail.
Also, undefeated (5-0) Max Rohskopf will look to keep it going as he takes on Austin Hubbard in his first crack at UFC action. Like former UFC poster girl, Ronda Rousey, Max has a habit of ending all of his fights via first round submission, though his weapon of choice is rear-naked choke, winning four in a row with that maneuver, with one anaconda choke as well. In short, Hubbard better avoid going to the ground against Rohskopf like the plague.
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
Clay Guida and Bobby Green will finally get to mix it up in the headlining bout of the “Prelims.” Guida is still chugging along after 13 years with the promotion, though he’s lost two of his last three. His lone win during that stretch came against an out-of-his prime B.J. Penn, so take that for what it’s worth. Still, win, lose or draw, “The Carpenter” is an energizer bunny once he steps in the cage, so Green better have his cardio game up to snuff if he wants to hang with the longtime veteran.
Also, Roxanne Modafferi will look to make a case for herself in the championship hunt by attempting to collect her second straight win. She will be facing Lauren Murphy, the longtime MMA veteran who is looking to earn her first three-fight win streak in nearly a decade. She will have her hands full against “Happy Warrior.”
Tecias Torres will look to turn things around and avoid her fifth-straight loss when she faces Brianna Van Buren, who is currently on a four-fight win streak. Also, Marc-Andre Barriault and Oskar Piechota will be fighting one another for their UFC careers, as both Middleweights are currently on three-fight losing streaks.
To learn a bit more about those matchups and the rest of the “Prelims” slate of fights click here and here.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
Early in her MMA career, Tecia Torres showed promise by starting off 10-1. During that streak, she beat the likes of Paige VanZant, Felice Herrig, Rose Namajunas, Michelle Waterson and Angela Hill under both the Invicta FC and UFC banners. With big wins over top names like that, one would assume “Tiny Tornado” would have at least already had the chance to fight for UFC gold. But since early 2018, Torres has been on quite a slump, losing four in a row. Granted three of those losses came to former Strawweight champions Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Jessica Andrade, as well as to current champ, Weili Zhang. Going into her fight against Brianna Van Buren, winner of four straight, Torres is in a must-win situation, as losing five straight could prompt the promotion to let her go.
Interest Level: 6.5 of 10
It’s a pretty decent lineup, to be honest. Blaydes has the opportunity to finally get over the hump in order to lock down a title fight, while Volkov can prove he is no longer the dark horse of the division and insert himself into title picture with a win.
Also, Lyman Good and Belal Muhammad will finally get to handle their business after their proposed fight at UFC 249 was canceled after Good became the first UFC fighter to test positive for COVID-19. Racking up a 3-2 mark so far inside the Octagon, Good has alternated wins and losses since 2015, so the former Bellator MMA title contender hasn’t been able to rack up any momentum. A win over Muhammad could be just what the doctor ordered to get him going. Muhammad, meanwhile, has quietly gone 6-1 over his last seven bouts. It hasn’t been enough to cause major ripples in the division, so an impressive outing against Good would not only net him his third straight win, but also insert him as a legit player at Welterweight.
Raquel Pennington will look to begin her climb back up to title contention after going just 1-3 over her last four fights. She came up short against Amanda Nunes in a Bantamweight title fight two years ago, then suffered losses to Germaine de Randamie and Holly Holm during that span. She did squeak out a razor-thin split decision against top contender Irene Aldana, but she hasn’t exactly looked dominant since 2018. So she has plenty of motivation to go in and get a win over Marion Reneau, who has lost two in a row.
Kicking off the main card is UFC’s iron man Jim Miller, who will compete in fight number 34 for the promotion against Roosevelt Roberts. Miller is coming off a loss to Scott Holtzman, which halted his momentum after winning two in a row. During his lengthy career with the promotion, Miller got close to a shot at the title once after racking up seven straight wins before running into eventual Lightweight champion Benson Henderson in 2011. Still, Miller has been going strong for the promotion for 12 years now. Standing in his way this time around is Roberts, a UFC rookie by Miller’s standards, as he is just five fights deep into his Octagon career. Roberts has gone 4-1 since making his promotional debut in 2018, though it’s safe to say a win over Miller will be his biggest to date.
Enjoy the fights!
Full Fight Card:
UFC on ESPN 11 Main Event On ESPN/ESPN+:
265 lbs.: Curtis Blaydes vs. Alexander Volkov
UFC on ESPN 11 Main Card On ESPN/ESPN+ (8 p.m. ET):
145 lbs.: Shane Burgos vs. Josh Emmett
135 lbs.: Raquel Pennington vs. Marion Reneau
170 lbs.: Lyman Good vs. Belal Muhammad
155 lbs.: Jim Miller vs. Roosevelt Roberts
UFC on ESPN 11 Prelims Card On ESPN/ESPN+ (5 p.m. ET):
155 lbs.: Bobby Green vs. Clay Guida
115 lbs.: Tecia Torres vs. Brianna Van Buren
185 lbs.: Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Oskar Piechota
125 lbs.: Cortney Casey vs. Gillian Robertson
158 lbs.: Frank Camacho vs. Justin Jaynes
125 lbs.: Roxanne Modafferi vs. Lauren Murphy
155 lbs.: Austin Hubbard vs. Max Rohskopf
***Fight card, bout order and the amount of matches subject to drastic change because of the various global quarantine restrictions.***
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC on ESPN 10 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 9 p.m. ET.
For the rest of the UFC on ESPN 11 fight card and line up click here.