Another week, another fight card headlined by more WMMA. This is what we call a dry spell in the industry. The UFC is gearing up for UFC 300 and the rest of the year so this is the time when we, the fans, have to deal with sub-standard fight cards while the masters up top trickle down the sweet nectar of fisticuffs. But, even though these APEX fight cards are missing the excitement and raucous nature of a live event, there are a few matchups that could produce fireworks. We’ve listed out 5 fights that should, the key word being should considering the unpredictable nature of MMA, be worth the watch.
Vicente Luque vs Joaquin Buckley
Vicente Luque fights like he’s starring in an 80s action movie. The guy has no quit in him, always brings the fight and possesses the cleanest left check hook we’ve seen in MMA. The man has caught and finished guys like Belal Muhammed, and Jailin Turner, to name a few. If there’s one guy whose fights you do not want to miss, it’s The Silent Assassin. He’ll be taking on the dangerous but very flawed Joaquin Buckley. If you don’t know who he is, you know his handiwork. He was the guy who sent Impa Kasanganay to the shadow realm with a beautiful spinning kick after getting his initial kick caught. He’s got good hands and is incredibly powerful and explosive but he leaves too many defensive openings that Vicente will look to exploit. We’ve got Vicente by KO in Round 2 on this one.
Chris Weidman vs Bruno Silva
We hate saying it but Chris Weidman should think of hanging it up. The once middleweight champion is now 7-3 in his last 10 fights with a brutal fractured leg to show for it. He’s a lot older now and after a disappointing return against Brad Tavares where he looked slow and flat-footed, he’s looking to bounce back against the heavy-handed Bruno Silva. Silva is the quintessential brawler with big power and a limited skill set. He’s gone the distance against killers like Alex Pereira and has only recently gone 4-4 in his last eight. He’s got big, big power and if he does connect with Chris, it’ll be a quick night for him. It’s a tough out for the former middleweight champ but if he wants to continue fighting in the UFC, these are the kinds of guys he’s going to have to deal with. We’ve got Bruno by KO or TKO in Round 2.
Nursulton Ruziboev vs Sedriques Dumas
Ruziboev made a splash in the UFC middleweight division with a nasty KO of surging Bruno Fererria and is now looking to get another win under his belt against Sedriques Dumas. A burly wrestler with excellent timing and power, Ruziboev has everything to lose here as Dumas is very dangerous in the early going. He gave Cody Brundage the business and handed Abu Azitar a thorough beating and will look to do the same with Ruziboev. The one thing Ruziboev has going for him is excellent wrestling and an excellent submission game. Not to mention he’s pretty lethal on the feet as well. If Josh Fremnd was giving Dumas a lot of trouble then Ruziboev is going to be a nightmare for the American to handle. We’ve got Ruziboev by sub in Round 2.
Nate Landwehr vs Jamall Emmers
Landwehr was touted as a hot prospect when he first made his way to the UFC but has since then gone 4-2 in his last six bouts. Landwehr is a cardio machine and can sustain a pace like no other. It was how he was able to melt the explosive David Onama and put it on Austin Lingo. He ultimately fell short in his last fight against Dan Ige but looked good in a unanimous decision loss. He takes on an equally game Emmers who has alternated wins and losses since he made his UFC debut. He crushed Dennis Buzukja in his last fight and was on his way to victory against Pat Sabatini but was out-grappled and subbed. But, with a slick and powerful striking game, he’ll be looking to take Nate’s head off. It’s a tough fight to call but with what we’ve seen, Emmers does have a tendency to lose steam in the later rounds and that is where Nate could capitalize and finish the fight. We’ve got Nate Landwehr by Unanimous Decision.
Andre Petroski vs Jacob Malkoun
A strong wrestler with dynamite in his hands, Petroski was looking to be the next big thing in middleweight until his plans were brutally derailed by Michel Periera. Up until then, he was on a tear, subbing and clubbing guys like Nick Maximov, Micheal Gillmore and Yaozong Hu. he’s got a tough fight ahead of him in the very flawed Jacon Malkoun. A training partner of Ron Whittaker, Malkoun was thrown into the deep end in his UFC debut, suffering a brutal KO at the hands of Phil Hawes. Since then, he’s used his grapple-heavy style to neutralize dangerous guys like Abdul Razak Alhassan, and AJ Dobson and even had a close contest with the surging Brendan Allen. If Pteroski cannot stop him early, we can see Malkoun grinding his way to a decision win.
