The UFC returns to the APEX this Saturday with a fantastic Fight Night card. In the co-main event, we’ll see two well-rounded rising stars face off, Bryan Battle and Ange Loosa. In the main event, we’ll see a bruising brawler collide with a powerful wrestler, Tai Tuivasa and Marcin Tybura. The entire card is filled with excellent matchups, hot prospects, and brutal finishers. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.
Gerald Meerschaert lands a left hand on Bruno Silva. Credit: MMA Mania.
Meerschaert has won two of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Bruno Silva (23-10-0), Dustin Stoltzfus (15-5-0), and Makhmud Muradov (26-8-0). He’s a talented grappler with excellent wrestling and submissions. He has solid timing on his takedowns and remains patient in top position, never putting himself in a bad spot. Training at Kill Cliff FC, Meerschaert has good head movement, remains technical at all times, and mixes kicks into combinations, never telegraphing them. His grappling often sets up his striking, with his opponent focused on defending takedowns instead of strikes. He’s averaging about two takedowns landed per fifteen minutes, along with over 1 submission attempted. With twenty-three of his twenty-seven submissions coming via choke, he’s extremely dangerous if he can find his opponent’s neck.
Bryan Barberena exchanges punches with Robbie Lawler. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Barberena has won two of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Robbie Lawler (30-16-0), Matt Brown (26-19-0), and Warlley Alves (15-7-0). He is the quintessential brawler, always looking to get into the pocket to land big combinations. He’s more than willing to eat a shot to land one, often blitzing forward and dipping his head before letting his hands go. Training at Gym-O, Barberena averaged about 90 significant strikes landed in his last five wins and pushes a frantic pace. He tends to open combinations with leg kicks at range and throws every shot with power. He rarely takes the fight to the mat but has shown a impressive ability to get back to his feet. Barberena has excellent cardio, and eight of his 13 finishes have come in round two or later, so he’s always dangerous.
Pannie Kianzad cracks Sijara Eubanks with a left hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Kianzad has won three of her last five bouts and has UFC victories over Alexis Davis (21-11-0), Jessica-Rose Clark (11-9-0), and Bethe Correia (11-6-1). She’s an excellent technical striker who throws everything in combination and looks to control the pace. Averaging 99 significant strikes landed in her last five wins, she favors volume to power and constantly looks to close the distance and land punches. Kianzad does the majority of her work with her hands and has solid distance management, able to move in and out of the pocket without absorbing much damage. Training at Arte Suave, she’s unlikely to initiate grappling exchanges but has defended 71% of takedowns attempted on her and is strong in the clinch. She pushes a consistent pace and remains technical throughout, able to land damage going forward or backward. Kianzad hasn’t been knocked out since 2015 and is always willing to eat a shot to land one.
Macy Chiasson rains down ground and pound on Gina Mazany. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Chiasson has won three of her last five fights and has UFC victories over Norma Dumont (10-2-0), Shanna Young (9-6-0), and her current opponent, Pannie Kianzad. She is a lengthy fighter, using her reach to attack both the head and body, often landing big shots when at range. The winner of TUF season 28, she’s willing to take the fight to the ground, doing plenty of work on the feet while regularly mixing in takedowns. When she does get the fight to the mat, Chiasson uses solid top control to land ground and pound, not usually pursuing submissions. Training at Fortis MMA, she has a decent arsenal of kicks to back up her hands, throwing a good variety of kicks to the head and body, especially front kicks. She favors power to volume, using her size and strength to damage her opponents. Chiasson is always dangerous, with the majority of her finishes coming after round one.
Christian Rodriguez lands a right hand on Raul Rosas Jr. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Rodriguez has won four of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Raul Rosas Jr. (8-1-0), Joshua Weems (10-3-0), and Cameron Saaiman (9-1-0). He’s a well-rounded scrapper with excellent counterstriking and a slick submission game. He’s constantly pressuring forward, looking to draw punches out of his opponent to counter. Rodriguez always looks to close the distance, regularly throwing step-in elbows and knees. He’s averaging over one takedown landed per fifteen minutes and over 1 submission attempt. Training at Roufusport, he has excellent transitions and reversals on the ground, typically placing himself in an advantageous position. Rodriguez has consistently been matched up with other top prospects, with two of his promotional victories coming over undefeated fighters.
Isaac Dulgarian lands ground and pound on Francis Marshall. Credit: MMA Mania.
Dulgarian is undefeated and has a UFC victory over Francis Marshall (7-2-0). He’s a dominant wrestler with excellent takedowns and control. He won’t waste much time on the feet, shooting for a takedown immediately and usually landing them without much resistance. Training at FactoryX Muay Thai, Dulgarian is intelligent in top position, not forcing anything or putting himself in dangerous positions. He’ll take what his opponent gives him; if there’s an opening for a submission, he’ll pursue it, otherwise throwing brutal ground and pound. He lands takedowns in open space and will advance position and transition quickly. Dulgarian can produce quick finishes with his ground and pound, having won all his fights in round one.
Ovince Saint Preux lands a head kick on Shogun Hua. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Saint Preux has won two of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over #6 ranked Light Heavyweight Nikita Krylov (30-9-0), #12 ranked Light Heavyweight Alonzo Menifield (15-3-1), and Marcos Rogerio De Lima (22-10-1). He has a very upright, slow style on the feet, throwing a lot of singular shots with plenty of power behind them. Averaging just over a takedown landed per fifteen minutes, he is at his most dangerous on top, landing brutal ground and pound and pursuing submissions. Saint Preux has made the Von Flue choke into his signature move, holding three UFC wins with the submission. He is very patient, always looking for openings to land a knockout blow or a takedown, rarely rushing forward or acting desperately. Training at Knoxville MMA, he does his best work on the feet when he takes the middle of the cage, patiently counterstriking or looking for a chance to clinch up. Although he doesn’t always push the action, Saint Preux always pursues a finish, with seven of his last ten fights not going the distance.
Kennedy Nzechukwu lands a knee to the head of Ion Cutelaba. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Nzechukwu has won three of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Carlos Ulberg (10-1-0), Devin Clark (14-9-0), and Ion Cutelaba (17-10-1). He has big-time power in both hands and loves to hang in the pocket and throw heavy hooks. He is tied for the tallest active fighter in the division and seemingly always has a significant reach advantage. Nzechukwu won’t spend much time at distance, preferring to let his hands go inside the pocket. He prefers power to volume, constantly looking to close the distance and land a knockout blow. Training at Fortis MMA, he is exceptionally durable and has gotten himself out of some very tough spots, both on the feet and ground. With seven of Nzechukwu’s nine finishes coming in round 2 or later, he can be a bit of a slow starter but improves as the fight continues.
Bryan Battle blasts Gabe Green with a right hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Battle has won four of his last five bouts and has UFC wins over Gabe Green (11-5-0), Takashi Sato (16-7-0), and Tresean Gore (5-2-0). He is a diverse striker who’s constantly throwing and looking for openings to land tight, straight shots. Training at Carolina Combat Sports, he has a great variety of kicks and often mixes them into combinations, throwing everything with purpose and accuracy. Battle has great head movement, footwork, and a solid chin, with him regularly marching through punches to get off his own offense. Although he’s a fast starter, he tends to heat up as the fight continues, with six of his nine career finishes coming in the second round. He is willing to grapple and occasionally pursues takedowns but seems content doing most of his work on the feet despite having more submissions than knockouts. With two devastating first-round KOs in his last four fights, Battle has proven extremely dangerous on the feet.
Ange Loosa lands an overhand on Rhys McKee. Credit: MMA Mania.
Loosa has won three of his last five fights and has UFC victories over AJ Fletcher (10-3-0) and Rhys McKee (13-5-1). He’s a powerful, technical striker who can land damage anywhere, any time. He’s always willing to eat a shot to land one, absorbing, on average, about 102 significant strikes per fight in his promotional tenure. Loosa throws every shot straight and tight, regularly lunging forward to unload 1-2 combinations. He’s averaging over two takedowns landed per fifteen minutes and has brutal ground and pound. He remains technical throughout, fighting behind his jab and always keeping his hands high. Loosa won his first six professional fights by first-round finish and is at his most dangerous early on.
Tai Tuivasa stuns Augusto Sakai with a left hand. Credit: MMA Junkie.
Tuivasa has won two of his last five outings and holds UFC victories over #12 ranked Heavyweight Derrick Lewis (27-12-0), former UFC Heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (34-23-0), and Stefan Struve (33-13-0). He is the true embodiment of a brawler, always willing to eat a shot to land one and slug it out in the pocket. He’s more technical than he often appears, staying patient and fighting behind his jab before letting go of some massive right hands. Tuivasa has solid head movement and good distance management but won’t throw much at range before closing the distance. Training at Lions High Performance Centre, he has heavy leg kicks and one-shot knockout power, able to finish the fight from seemingly anywhere at any time. He’s at his most dangerous early, with 12 of his fourteen KOs coming in round one, only seeing two decisions in his pro career. Tuivasa can land immense damage without much space, particularly elbows and knees.
Marcin Tybura throws a right hand at Alexandr Romanov. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Tybura has won three of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #8 ranked Heavyweight Serghei Spivac (16-4-0), #13 ranked Heavyweight Alexandr Romanov (17-2-0), and Greg Hardy (7-5-0). He is a dominant wrestler willing to engage on the feet, possessing classic heavyweight KO power and great takedowns. He’ll throw a solid variety of kicks at range before moving in to throw powerful hooks in the pocket. Tybura is at his best when he’s coming forward and pressuring his opponent, but his most straightforward path to victory is through his grappling. He has an explosive takedown game, often slamming his opponent down and quickly advancing in top position. Training at Ankos MMA, he’ll constantly look to posture up and do damage, using heavy top control to land big shots. Tybura has shown he has the cardio to go 3 rounds, whether grappling or striking and seems comfortable wherever the fight goes.
Kennedy Nzechukwu by KO/TKO: Frankly, this feels like a matchup made almost entired based on their similar sizes. Although Nzechukwu suffered a tough loss in his last fight, OSP has been on a slide for what seems like ages now. With Saint Preux having suffered three KO losses in his last five fights, I’m confident Nzechukwu can get the finish.
Bryan Battle Moneyline: This is arguably the closest fight on the card in terms of pure skill. I think they match up pretty evenly both on the ground and on the feet, but there is one big disparity: cardio. While Battle tends to improve as the fight goes on, Loosa tends to fade. Considering the technicality of both men, I expect this fight go leave the first round, and the longer it goes, the more likely that Battle comes out with a victory.
Tai Tuivasa by KO/TKO: Now on a three fight losing streak, Tuivasa needs a big win, and it feels like that’s what they’re setting him up for. Not to overlook Tybura, though; he’s tough and very well-rounded, but Tuivasa pushes a heavy pace early, something Tybura clearly struggled with against Tom Aspinall. I expect Tuivasa to come out guns blazing and secure an early knockout.
