Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will return later tonight (Sat., Feb. 5, 2022) to stage UFC Vegas 47 live from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event of the evening, Jack Hermansson and Sean Strickland will tussle in a pivotal Middleweight affair. In further 185-pound action, Nick Maximov and Punahele Soriano will tango in the co-main event.
What’s Hot:
Strickland is one unique soul. While there have been several fighters who can talk up a storm in the lead up to fights to sell them — the names Conor McGregor, Colby Covington and Chael Sonnen come to mind — Strickland seems to do things differently with his mouth. While he has been known to take a jab or three at his opponents, his focus seems to be on everything but. He will talk about anything and everything in pressers or on social media … and some of it is downright outlandish. In short, he has no filter and when you peel back the layers, that’s just who he is. It’s not for show, it’s not to sell a fight, he just speaks his mind at any given moment.
As far as his fighting skills, he has done quite well for himself by winning five straight, including his most recent win against top contender, Uriah Hall. He has parlayed his success to the No. 7 spot on the rankings and one more win could put him into the Top 5. Getting it against Hermansson won’t be a walk in the park because “Joker” has been a tough out for anyone inside the Octagon. He is 6-2 in his last eight with his lone defeats coming at the hand of Jared Cannonier and Marvin Vettori.
It’s definitely a stylistic match up because Strickland prefers a good old-fashioned brawl, while Hermansson prefers the grappling route. Strickland is a grinder, a hard-nosed one at that. If this fight comes down to a battle of attrition, expect Strickland to pull out a five-round decision. For Hermansson, his best bet is to take the fight to the ground, smother his colleague and look for a submission.
What’s Not:
It’s the beginning of the year so let’s not start getting too critical of the first couple of “Fight Night” events. For the most part, they aren’t as stacked as most would prefer, but we can’t expect them all to be homeruns. This card has some intriguing matchups and will satisfy our needs to see some good old fashion face-punching.
Original Card Vs. Actual Card:
Ian Heinisch was set to face Sam Alvey at this event before he pulled out of the contest for undisclosed reasons. As a result, Phil Hawes agreed to step in to take the fight. In turn, Hawes was forced out of the fight himself.
Injuries:
After the aforementioned Phil Hawes suffered an undisclosed injury and was forced out of 185-pound scrap against Sam Alvey, Brendan Allen agreed to step in on short notice to take the fight. Allen is coming off a knockout loss to Chris Curtis in Dec. 2021, so he is looking to add to that momentum and inch closer to the Top 10.
New Blood:
Winner of eight straight, Denys Bondar will be making his official UFC debut against Malcolm Gordon, a two-fight UFC veteran. Gordon is win-less (0-2) in his first two fights inside the Octagon, so he needs a win here in the worst way because if he drops one more it could be the end of his time with the promotion. Bondar, meanwhile, hasn’t tasted defeat since 2017, winning his last eight via stoppage, five in the first round.
Jailton Almeida earned a nice submission win on Dana White’s Contender Series, which earned him a ticket to the big dance. Almeida has won nine in a row — all finishes — improving his record to 14-2. All of his wins have come by way of stoppage, so you know he knows how to take care of business once he steps foot inside the cage. His opponent Danilo Marques, meanwhile, is coming off a tough loss at the hands Kennedy Nzechukwu, giving him the first loss of his UFC career and snapping his four-fight win streak in the process.
Chidi Njokuani has been fighting as a professional for 15 years, and now he is about to get his first shot inside the Octagon. After earning his way in via Contender Series, “Chidi Bang Bang” wants to prove that he should’ve gotten his chance long ago. The experienced veteran spent plenty of time competing for Bellator, earning a 5-3 record while facing the likes of Rafael Carvalho, John Salter, former Welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov and Melvin Guillard. He will be facing off against Marc-Andre Barriault, winner of two straight. Barriault is 2-3-1 inside the Octagon, so three straight wins will help him earn a few points with matchmakers, setting him up for bigger fights down the road.
With only three professional fights on his record, Tresean Gore will get a huge opportunity in a main card fight in his UFC debut. Gore (3-0) will be taking on Bryan Battle — winner of five straight — who made a splash in his UFC debut by defeating Gilbert Urbina via submission in Aug. 2021.
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
We’ve discussed several of the undercard bouts already, so let’s take a look at the rest of the action. John Castaneda and Miles Johns will headline the “Prelims” in a Bantamweight bout that could steal the show. The 135-pound division is stacked with sharks and Johns and Castaneda have a lot of work to do before they can crack the Top 15. Johns is on a two-fight win streak and has won three of four inside the Octagon. Castaneda, meanwhile, is coming off a win over Eddie Wineland more than one year ago.
Hakeem Dawodu was on the verge of breaking into the Top 15 after winning five straight. Unfortunately, he ran into Movsar Evloev at UFC 263 in mid-2021. He will look to bounce back when he takes on Michael Trizano, who is trying to build some steam fresh off his win over Ludovit Klein.
Long-time mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran Alexis Davis hasn’t had the best of luck over the last few years, losing four of her last five fights. Her opponent Julija Stoliarenko, meanwhile, has yet to taste victory under the UFC banner. She is in a must-win situation here because a loss could be a one-way ticket out of the promotion.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
Much was made about the fact that Alvey managed to hang on to his spot on UFC’s bloated roster after suffering six losses in his last seven fights, the other being a draw. Coming into his fight against Brendan Allen, “Smilin’” is hanging on by a thread, and should he come up short, don’t expect him to be a UFC fighter much longer.
Interest Level: 5 of 10
Shavkat Rakhmonov looks to remain undefeated (14-0, 2-0 UFC) when he takes on Carlston Harris in a 170-pound match up. Rakhmonov has already made an impression inside the Octagon in his first two wins against Alex Oliveira and Michel Prazeres. “Nomad” has finished all 14 of his opponents, so his main objective is crystal clear every time he steps foot inside the Octagon. Harris, meanwhile, is on a nice run himself having won five straight. The winner of this fight can make big strides toward a Top 15 ranking.
Julian Erosa and Steven Patterson will collide in a Featherweight bout in a battle of two contenders who can’t seem to build any momentum. Peterson is just 3-3 so far under the UFC banner. As for Erosa, he is 4-1 in his last five fights, but he did lose three straight prior to that.
In the co-main event, Maximov attempts to go two-for-two under the UFC banner when he takes on Soriano. Maximov — who trains under the tutelage of Nick and Nate Diaz — was successful in his Octagon debut at UFC 266, defeating Cody Brundage via unanimous decision. He will have a tough task ahead of him in his sophomore effort. Prior to his loss to Brendan Allen — the first loss of his career — Soriano was on an eight-fight win streak.
UFC Vegas 47 Full Fight Card:
UFC Vegas 47 Main Event On ESPN+:
185 lbs.: Jack Hermansson vs. Sean Strickland
UFC Vegas 47 Main Card On ESPN+ (7 p.m. ET):
185 lbs.: Nick Maximov vs. Punahele Soriano
170 lbs.: Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Carlston Harris
185 lbs.: Bryan Battle vs. Tresean Gore
145 lbs.: Julian Erosa vs. Steven Peterson
205 lbs.: Sam Alvey vs. Brendan Allen
UFC Vegas 47 ‘Prelims’ Undercard On ESPN+: (4 p.m. ET)
135 lbs.: John Castaneda vs. Miles Johns
145 lbs.: Hakeem Dawodu vs. Mike Trizano
185 lbs.: Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Chidi Njokuani
170 lbs.: Jason Witt vs. Philip Rowe
135 lbs.: Alexis Davis vs. Julija Stoliarenko
205 lbs.: Jailton Almeida vs. Danilo Marques
125 lbs.: Malcolm Gordon vs. Denys Bondar
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 47 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 47: “Hermansson vs. Strickland” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.