Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will stay home for its latest event as UFC Vegas 60 goes down TONIGHT (Sat., Sept. 17, 2022) from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring a Bantamweight main event between Cory Sandhagen and Song Yadong. In the co-main event, Chidi Njokuani takes on Gregory Rodrigues.
What’s Hot:
Sandhagen started his UFC career on a tear, winning seven of his first eight fights, which includes bagging back-to-back knockout wins over Marlon Moraes and Frankie Edgar (see them here and here). And even though he came up short against T.J. Dillashaw via split-decision — a fight many felt should’ve gone the other way — “Sandman” was given the opportunity to face Petr Yan for the interim title, though he came up short against the sensational striker at UFC 267. On the heels of two straight losses, Sandhagen is now looking to get back into the winner’s circle against a solid opponent in Song Yadong.
Yadong came out of the UFC gates swinging, going 8-1-1 in his first ten fights with the promotion, knocking out the likes of the aforementioned Marlon Moraes and Julio Arce. Four years into his UFC career, Yadong is ready for his big moment, and taking out Sandhagen could be what he is looking for if he wants to sneak closer to the Top 5. Yadong is an excellent striker, but what makes him so special is just how tight and crisp his technique is (evidence here). He doesn’t waste his punches and when he throws, he does it with mean intentions and with a purpose. He has great footwork and the power to sleep anyone if a clean shot connects. He may pack a bit more snap to his punches, but Sandhagen is as sneaky as they come. And though he may be unassuming, he can take your head clean off. This is a great chance for “Sandman” to keep his name in the championship conversation, but Yadong is looking to get in the mix, as well, and taking out a former title contender is a good way to go about it.
What’s Not:
Aspen Ladd once again missed weight for her Bantamweight fight against Sara McMann, weighing in two pounds heavy, prompting officials to cancel the bout. That is now the third time that she has failed to hit her mark, but this one wasn’t nearly as disastrous as the previous two. While the promotion isn’t going to shuffle a whole fight card around for her, she really needs to get her act together or just move up to Featherweight. I hear they could use some fighters. But seriously, this is just ridiculous now. And, to be quite frank, I’m shocked UFC hasn’t cut her.
Original Card Vs. Actual Card:
Diana Belbita withdrew from her fight against Loma Lookboonmee for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Denise Gomes. Also, Melissa Gatto bowed out of her fight against Gillian Robertson and was replaced by Mariya Agapova. Both of these fights will take place on the undercard.
Injuries:
The original co-main event was supposed to feature a Featherweight scrap between Giga Chikadze and Sodiq Yussuff, but the fight was canceled after Chikadze came down with an injury two weeks before fight night. Lando Vannata was forced out of his fight against Andre Fili with an injury. As a result, Bill Algeo agreed to step in to face Fili in a Featherweight scrap. Fili has had a rough go as of late, going just 1-3-1 over his last five fights. Algeo, on the other hand, is 3-1 over his last four and is currently on a two-fight win streak.
New Blood:
It took Joseph Pfyer two fights on the Contender Series in order to finally make his way onto the big show, but now that he’s in he is out to make the best of his opportunity when he takes on Alen Amedovski. It’s a tricky fight for “Bodybagz” because even though Amedovski has gone 0-3 inside the Octagon, he is still a dangerous out because he was previously undefeated at 8-0 and has a well-rounded attack to give anyone problems.
Daniel Zellhuber won his fight on the Contender Series a year ago, and now he will finally get the chance to make his official UFC debut against Trey Ogden. Zellhuber is a great talent, going undefeated 12-0 over the last six years, racking up seven knockouts and two submissions along the way. He will look to keep his perfect streak alive against a man who came up short in his own UFC debut earlier this year, losing to Jordan Leavitt via split decision.
Also, Denise Gomez will make her UFC debut after agreeing to step in to face Loma Lookboonmee on short notice. When opportunity knocks, you answer it and Gomez did just that and now she will attempt to win her sixth straight fight. Of those six wins, four of them came by way of knockout so her main objective is no secret.
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
As for the rest of the undercard we have yet to touch on, Damon Jackson will face Pat Sabatini in a 145-pound affair in the featured bout of the night. Jackson is 4-1 since returning to the Octagon, winning his last three fights. As for Sabatini, he is riding a hot streak of six straight wins, including winning his first four fights with UFC.
In Welterweight action, Trevin Giles will attempt to snap his two-fight losing streak when he takes on Louis Cosce, who suffered the first loss ever of his MMA career in what was his UFC debut against Sasha Palatnikov in Nov. 2020. That’s right, this will be his first fight in nearly two years, so it will be interesting to see if ring rust is a factor.
In an intriguing 155-pound matchup, Nikolas Motta is eyeing his first win under the UFC banner when he battles Cameron VanCamp, who also came up short in his own UFC debut, losing to Andre Fialho earlier this year. Both men need a win badly if they want to stick around the promotion much longer.
In Bantamweight action, Tony Gravely is eying his first three-fight win streak inside the Octagon when he goes toe-to-toe against Javid Basharat, who is undefeated at 12-0, which includes making a successful UFC debut against Trevin Jones earlier this year. The Contender Series alum wants to kick off his UFC campaign with a bang, and a win over an experienced vet like Gravely would do the trick.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
Alen Amedovski made his UFC debut in 2019 as an undefeated fighter (8-0) which includes going two-for-two under the Bellator MMA banner. But in his first three fights, Amedovski has gone 0-3, losing his last two fights via a 17-second knockout and then a 65-second submission. If he loses his next fight against Joseph Pyfer, it could lead to his one-way ticket out of the Octagon.
Interest Level: 5/10
Co-headlining the event is a Middleweight fight between Chidi Njokuani and Gregory Rodrigues. Njokuani is currently on a four-fight win streak and is 2-0 inside the Octagon by way of back-to-back first-round knockout victories over Marc-Andre Barriault and Dusko Todorovic. Rodriguez is 3-1 under the UFC umbrella and is coming off a knockout win over Julian Marquez. Now, “Robocop” is hoping to build on that momentum to climb the 185-pound ladder.
The lone Heavyweight fight on this card will feature two hard-hitting big men as Rodrigo Nascimento throws hands against Tanner Boser. Nascimento is 0-1-1 in his last two fights after entering the Octagon with a 7-0 record and then making a successful UFC debut by defeating Don’Tale Mayes. As for Boser, he has been all over the place during his time with the promotion. He is 4-3 so far, but he hasn’t gained any momentum or strung together enough wins to even get close to sniffing the Top 15. If he can take out Nascimento in an impressive fashion, it would go a long way.
Marc-Andre Barriault and Anthony Hernandez will kick off the main card in Middleweight action. Barriault has gone 3-1 in his last four fights and is coming off a first-round submission win over Jordan Wright earlier this year. Hernandez is out to land in the winner’s circle for the third straight time. He has a huge submission victory over Rodolfo Vieira under his belt, so he has the confidence to go to the ground with anyone who dares to do so.
All in all, it’s a decent night of scraps, just don’t expect the star power to blow you out of your seat. A lot is on the line in the headlining act because Yadong is looking to make a huge leap toward the Top 5 while Sandhagen wants to get back to a title shot with an impressive showing.
Enjoy the fights!
Full UFC Vegas 60 Fight Card:
UFC Vegas 60 Main Event On ESPN+:
135 lbs.: Cory Sandhagen vs. Song Yadong
UFC Vegas 60 Main Card On ESPN+ (7 p.m. ET):
145 lbs.: Giga Chikadze vs. Sodiq Yusuff — SCRATCHED (details here)
185 lbs.: Chidi Njokuani vs. Gregory Rodrigues
145 lbs.: Andre Fili vs. Bill Algeo
185 lbs.: Alen Amedovski vs. Joe Pyfer
265 lbs.: Tanner Boser vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
185 lbs.: Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Anthony Hernandez
UFC Vegas 60 Prelims Card On ESPN+ (4 p.m. ET):
145 lbs.: Damon Jackson vs. Pat Sabatini
170 lbs.: Louis Cosce vs. Trevin Giles135 lbs.: Aspen Ladd vs. Sara McMann – SCRATCHED (details here)
115 lbs.: Denise Gomes vs. Loma Lookboonmee
155 lbs.: Trey Ogden vs. Daniel Zellhuber
125 lbs.: Mariya Agapova vs. Gillian Robertson
135 lbs.: Javid Basharat vs. Tony Gravely
155 lbs.: Nikolas Motta vs. Cameron VanCamp
*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 60 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.
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