Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs Lemos (2024)

With Esparza set to defend against Zhang Weili next weekend, the outcome of this contest could very well determine who is next in line to challenge for the title. Rodriguez feels like the clubhouse leader amongst the pack of fighters that haven’t previously worn gold, and if Lemos can topple her, she should claim that position for herself.

Pre-Order UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira

This should be an ultra-competitive, high-energy fight for as long as it lasts, and one you do not want to miss.

Neil Magny vs Daniel Rodriguez

Originally scheduled to take place in mid-October, Neil Magny and Daniel Rodriguez now square off this Saturday, as each looks to cement their standing in the welterweight division.

A fixture in the Top 15 for the last seven years, Magny returns for the third time in 2022, aiming to remind everyone of just how good he is after losing to unbeaten rising star Shavkat Rakhmonov last time out. The Elevation Fight Team member is 7-3 over his last 10 fights, including wins over Li Jingliang, Robbie Lawler, and Geoff Neal, and has not dropped consecutive contests since his second and third fights in the UFC.

Rodriguez was part of the great UFC 279 reshuffling, coming away with a split decision win over Li that extended his winning streak to four. Dating back to the start of 2018, “D-Rod” is 13-1 overall, including 7-1 in the UFC, and has the kind of fundamentally sound, unflappable approach that makes him a challenging matchup for anyone, including the seasoned Magny, on Saturday.

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Currently stationed in the lower-third of the Top 15, we might be looking at a battle to determine which of these veterans remains in the rankings and which one loses the number next to their name. Welterweight is brimming with emerging talent, and a setback for either man could cost them their place in the hierarchy, which should ensure we get the best from both fighters when they throw down this weekend.

Chase Sherman vs Josh Parisian

Heavyweights looking to build off recent triumphs meet here as Chase Sherman squares off with Josh Parisian.

Sherman halted a four-fight slide and picked up his fourth career UFC victory last time out, rallying to stop Jared Vanderaa in the third round of their clash in early July. The Mississippi native is a tough cuss and always game to get after it, and with a similar dance partner here as he had last time, a similar result is certainly not out of the question.

A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series Class of 2020, Parisian has alternated losses and wins since arriving in the UFC, and comes into this one off a victory, having rallied to stop Alan Baudot in June. The 33-year-old has flashed great upside in the past, so perhaps his come-from-behind triumph earlier this year will unlock another gear for the Michigan-based heavyweight.

Which of these two men will secure a second consecutive UFC victory and which will be forced to once again deal with the bitter taste of defeat?

Tagir Ulanbekov vs Nate Maness

Talented Russian Tagir Ulanbekov welcomes Nate Maness to the flyweight division in this compelling main card clash.

Ulanbekov, who trains with new lightweight champ Islam Makhachev and the last man to beat Maness, Umar Nurmagomedov, returns to Las Vegas looking to get back in the win column after losing to Tim Elliott at UFC 272 in March. The loss snapped a five-fight winning streak for the 31-year-old, who has been limited to just three appearances since signing with the UFC in 2020.

Maness went 3-1 in four UFC bantamweight appearances, going the distance in a losing effort opposite the unbeaten Nurmagomedov last time out. He’s got tremendous size for the weight class and if his power and finishing prowess transfer with him, “Mayhem” could quickly become a person of interest in the 125-pound weight class.

Rise Of Amanda Lemos

This is an outstanding matchup that should answer a great number of questions about each man, including where they stand in the flyweight division at the moment and how that could potentially change in 2023 and beyond.

Grant Dawson vs Mark O. Madsen

Grant Dawson and Mark O. Madsen meet in a short-notice lightweight pairing that carries a ton of intrigue into the Octagon.

Dawson jumped at the chance to face the unbeaten former Olympic medalist, looking to build off his April stoppage win over Jared Gordon and continue his unbeaten run in the UFC. The 28-year-old is 18-1-1 overall, 6-0-1 inside the Octagon, and showed no signs of struggle after switching gyms and taking a step up in competition last time out.

Madsen was slated to face Drakkar Klose on last weekend’s fight card, but Klose suffered a knee injury and was forced to withdraw. A perfect 12-0 in his MMA career, “The Olympian” is coming off an excellent win over Vinc Pichel in early April and will look to show the improvements he’s continued to make since moving to the United States and training with the Fight Ready crew full time.

Top Finishes | Neil Magny

Though it’s brutally hard to break into the lightweight rankings, the winner of this one will garner consideration, and at the very least head into 2023 as a dark horse destined to face someone with a number next to their name in the opening half of the year.

Darrick Minner vs Shayilan Nuerdanbieke

Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke clash in a meeting of featherweights currently moving in opposite directions.

After posting a pair of victories over TJ Laramie and Charles Rosa following his short-notice debut loss, Minner has suffered consecutive setbacks heading into this one, landing on the wrong side of the results against veterans Darren Elkins and Ryan Hall. The 39-fight veteran has rebounded in spots like this before and has a considerable experience advantage he can play on when he makes his second appearance of the year on Saturday.

Nuerdanbieke also dropped his UFC debut but has since collected consecutive decision wins over Sean Soriano and TJ Brown. The 28-year-old has nearly 50 fights on his resume, but it’s hard to know how much value to derive from those contests given that he made 30-plus starts in his first two years as a competitor, which is why his shift to training at Kill Cliff FC could prove pivotal.

This should be a grappling-heavy affair with plenty of submission attempts and competitive scrambles. If you’re a fan of battles waged on the canvas, this is one you won’t want to miss.

Miranda Maverick vs Shanna Young

Miranda Maverick and Shanna Young renew acquaintances in this rescheduled flyweight matchup.

The 25-year-old Maverick snapped a two-fight skid last time out, securing a second-round submission win over Sabina Mazo. Now based in Colorado, the athletic and competitive Maverick is 12-4 overall while establishing herself as one of the top Under 27 talents on the UFC roster.

Leon Edwards Believes His Legacy Is Just Beginning

Young also halted a two-fight slide in her most recent outing, garnering her first UFC victory with a come-from-behind finish of Gina Mazany in her return to the flyweight ranks. Now training at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas, Young will look to secure consecutive victories for the first time since early 2019 when she steps into the Octagon this weekend.

These two faced off in the semifinals of the Invicta FC Phoenix Rising tournament the fall of 2019, with Maverick earning a first-round submission win. Will she move to 2-0 against Young or can the veteran garner a measure of revenge on Saturday night?

Mario Bautista vs Benito Lopez

Mario Bautista looks for his third victory of 2022 when he welcomes Benito Lopez back to the Octagon this weekend at the APEX.

After suffering a loss in his lone appearance of 2021, Bautista has made the most of his first two assignments this year, outworking Jay Perrin in February before snatching up a first-round submission win over Brian Kelleher in June. The MMA Lab representative is 4-1 in the UFC since losing his short-notice debut to Cory Sandhagen, and profiles as yet another emerging name to watch in the talent-rich 135-pound weight class.

Lopez returns for the first time in more than three years this weekend, looking to recapture the buzz he carried when the first landed in the UFC. Now 28, “The Golden Boy” is 10-1 for his career and earned a unanimous decision win over Vince Morales in his last appearance, which sets a sound baseline for what to expect this weekend.

Will Bautista pick up a third straight victory or will Lopez make a triumphant return to competition?

Polyana Viana vs Jinh Yu Frey

Polyana Viana and Jinh Yu Frey meet in a clash of strawweights looking to get things moving in a positive direction again.

Carlos Candelario vs Jake Hadley

Members of the DWCS Class of ’21 Carlos Candelario and Jake Hadley face off this weekend in their shared sophom*ore appearances inside the Octagon.

Candelario made history last season as the first fighter to suffer a loss, but still earned a contract, getting called up the UFC despite dropping a split decision to Victor Altamirano early in the season. He made his promotional debut earlier this year against Japanese prospect Tatsuro Taira, battling hard to the end, and will be aiming to halt his two-fight slide on Saturday.

Best of Hasbulla

Hadley missed weight on the day leading up to his Contender Series victory over Mitch Raposo, but garnered a contract nonetheless. He landed on the wrong side of the scores in a tough debut assignment opposite Allan Nascimento, and will look to show that the hype surrounding him prior to that contest was real in his second start of 2022.

Flyweight continues to add depth and become more competitive with each passing month, so if either of these men has ambitions of making noise in the 125-pound ranks in 2023, they need to set themselves up to do so with a strong showing this weekend.

Tamires Vidal vs Ramona Pascual

Newcomer Tamires Vidal squares off with Ramona Pascual in a bantamweight pairing to open Saturday’s show.

The 24-year-old Vidal is 6-1 as a professional, with her lone loss coming against Top 10 bantamweight Karol Rosa. Two fights back, she earned a DQ win over recent UFC debutant Ailin Perez, and in her last outing, she scored a second-round submission win by heel hook.

Top Knockouts | Strawweight

Pascual got the call to the UFC following an impressive first-round win under the Invicta FC banner in January but has struggled in her two trips into the Octagon, losing decisions to Josiane Nunes and Joselyne Edwards. This will be her first fight at bantamweight since the end of 2019, so it will be interesting to see if she will carry a size and overall physicality advantage into this one.

Will the newcomer Vidal kick off the night’s action by securing her sixth straight victory or can Pascual earn a win to close out her 2022 campaign?