Five Under-The-Radar Storylines For UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Daukaus
After a triumphant return to London last week, the UFC returns on the road again, returning to Columbus, Ohio for the first time since 2009. In the main event, the No. 4 ranked heavyweight Curtis Blaydes takes on No. 9 ranked Chris Daukaus. In the co-main event, No. 7 ranked Joanne Wood faces No. 9 Alexa Grasso. However, if you look past the main and co-main events, there are some under-the-radar storylines.
No. 1 contender
In what should probably be the main event, the No. 2 ranked flyweight Askar Askarov takes on No. 6 ranked Kai Kara-France. The winner of this fight is most likely next for the winner of the quadrilogy between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno. Askarov finally returns to action after dealing with injuries; he hasn’t fought since UFC 259 last March. Known as the boogie man of the flyweight division, Askarov is undefeated and fought to a draw with the former champ Moreno. Kara-France is coming off two first-round knockouts, his last being Cody Garbrandt at UFC 269. It seems to be the classic striker vs. grappler matchup, and it will be a good one.
Fiorot vs. Maia on the prelims???
The UFC card placement sometimes is stupid. Just plain stupid. There are two ranked matchups on the prelims back-to-back this week for some reason. The second fight is the No. 4 ranked flyweight Jennifer Maia vs. No. 13 ranked Manon Fiorot. Maia fought for the title in 2020!! Maia is coming off a loss to Katlyn Chookagian in Janauary. Her opponent Fiorot is one of the brightest prospects on the division and, in many people’s eyes, someone who can challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the belt. What is crazy is if Fiorot wins on Saturday, she will take Maia’s No. 4 ranking and could be a fight away from a title shot. The sport moves quickly.
Banger of the week
This week’s banger of the week is obvious. It is Matt Brown vs. Bryan Barberena. This fight is pure violence and could end in the first round, or it could go 15 minutes. Brown is fighting in his hometown for the first time since 2009. The 41-year old is coming off a brutal knockout of Dhiego Lima. His last three wins have all come via brutal knockout, and he is looking to continue that. Barberena, who is literally incapable of being in a boring fight, is coming off a unanimous decision win of Darian Weeks in December. There really isn’t much more to say about this banger except don’t miss it.
Welcome to the UFC, Aliaskhab Khizriev
‘The Black Wolf’ finally makes his UFC debut this weekend. Aliaskhab Khizriev has not fought since his 50-second submission win of Henrique Shiguemoto on season four of Dana White’s Contender Series. The Russian has been scheduled to fight three times; however, injuries, COVID, and visas forced cancelations. Khizriev is undefeated at 13-0 and has finished four of his last five opponents all in the first round, including 58-second demolishment of Rousimar Palhares. He faces fellow newcomer Denis Tiuliulin on short notice. His original opponent Abusupiyan Magomedov pulled out.
Max Griffin gets his top 15 shot
After an up and down UFC career, Max Griffin has finally hit his stride. He is riding a three-fight win streak and is coming off a win over former interim champion Carlos Condit. Prior to that, he had a vicious knockout of Song Kenan. He faces No. 9 ranked Neil Magny, who is coming off a win over Geoff Neal. Off-topic, but another blunder on the UFC’s part – Magny headlined a show last year and is now headlining the prelims…what? Anyways, Griffin has the chance to really make a splash in the top 15 by snatching Magny’s No. 9 ranking. Easier said than done, however.
UFC Columbus fight card:
Curtis Blaydes vs. Chris Daukaus – 265 lbs
Joanne Wood vs. Alexa Grasso – 125 lbs
Matt Brown vs. Bryan Barberena – 170 lbs
Askar Askarov vs. Kai Kara-France – 125 lbs
Aleksei Oleinik vs. Ilir Latifi – 265 lbs
Marc Diakiese vs. V. Borshchev – 155 lbs
Neil Magny vs. Max Griffin – 170 lbs
Sara McMann vs. Karol Rosa – 135 lbs
Batgerel Danaa vs. Chris Gutierrez – 135 lbs
A. Khizriev vs. Denis Tiuliulin – 185 lbs
Jennifer Maia vs. Manon Fiorot – 125 lbs
David Dvořák vs. Matheus Nicolau – 125 lbs
Luis Saldaña vs. Bruno Souza – 145 lbs
