Another fight weekend is here, baby, and we love to see it. This weekend features all kinds of action from all over the United States and the world, but is headlined by a UFC pay-per-view from the Apex, featuring a pair of title fights. We’ve also got a good show from Bellator and plenty of other cards to sate your thirst for violence.
As always, here are looks at the three fights I’ll be watching closest this weekend:
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Alex Perez, UFC 255
It’s flyweight night in the UFC! Both the men’s and women’s flyweight championships are up for grabs on Saturday night, with three additional bouts featuring ranked fighters at 125 pounds. The men officially headline, in what will be the first title defense and first big pay-per-view showcase for one of the UFC’s newest champions, stone-fisted Brazilian hairdresser Deiveson Figueiredo.
A 32-year-old with a background in capoeira and a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Figueiredo could be the star that reignites interest in a UFC flyweight division that has, at times, seemed to be on the brink of dissolution. It was Figueiredo who stepped into the breach vacated by the retiring Henry Cejudo, and he’s done it in appealingly violent fashion.
One of the most powerful strikers we’ve ever seen at 125, Figueiredo carved a bloody swath through the flyweight division en route to earning a shot at the now-vacant title in February. His opponent was eternal bridesmaid-but-never-bride Joseph Benavidez, who was eager to finally call himself a UFC champion after two unsuccessful tries at the great Demetrious Johnson. Unmoved, Figueiredo erased Benavidez with a monster straight right hand at the end of the first round, but because he came in a pound and a half over the limit, he was ineligible to win the title.
“Oh well,” said Deiveson. “Guess I’ll just have to kill this poor guy again.” He did just that in the rematch on Fight Island in July, showing every talent that makes him the world’s best flyweight: he dropped Benavidez three times on the feet, blasted his face apart with elbows from top position, then choked him completely unconscious in the first round.
Figueiredo did five full rounds’ of damage to Benavidez in 4:48, making one of the world’s very best at 125 pounds look like he didn’t belong in the cage with him. Figueiredo has freaky power in his hands and murderous elbows, both standing and on the ground, but he also has an amazingly strong choke squeeze – try to take him down and he might just catch you in a game-ending guillotine, like he did to Tim Elliott last fall.
It’s obviously early, but I really think Figueiredo has the tools to have a Jose Aldo-type run of dominance where he violently dispatches every contender for years. But not if Alex Perez has anything to say about it. Perez is trying to make history as the first product of Dana White’s Contender Series to win a UFC title, and he’s very quickly established himself as an upper-crust flyweight.
This was originally supposed to be Figueiredo vs. former bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt, in what would have been a massive opportunity for the new flyweight king to get a big-name win in his first defense. But when Garbrandt dropped out due to a torn bicep, Perez was as good a choice as any. The 28-year-old is already a veteran of 29 pro fights, and has won six of seven since earning his UFC contract.
Perez made a statement back in June, when he earned the first truly elite win of his career. Against Jussier Formiga, the only man to ever beat Figueiredo and one of the most accomplished flyweights in mixed martial arts history, Perez battered his opponent with calf kicks until the referee had to step in.
Those leg kicks may be key to slowing down the explosive Figueiredo. Perez has all kinds of elite tools: he’s extremely fast and quick, and while he doesn’t have the kind of murderous one-punch power the champion has, we’ve seen him absolutely wear guys down with blow after blow until they can’t continue. He’s also a former junior college All-American wrestler with a fantastic top submission game, and the kind of strength where he doesn’t even really need to place himself correctly to choke a guy completely out.
Perez is one of the best rising stars in mixed martial arts, and he’ll almost undoubtedly be a factor at the top of the flyweight division for a very long time. This could be the start of a long reign of dominance for Deiveson Figueiredo, or the crowning moment for a fantastic young fighter. Either one works for me.
Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jennifer Maia, UFC 255
With the exception of a relatively deep 115-pound weight class, the UFC women’s divisions suffer from a plague of dominant champions who have rendered things more or less uncompetitive. The legendary Amanda Nunes has essentially made the 145-pound division not a thing anymore, and has killed just about everyone at 135. Meanwhile, Valentina Shevchenko is in the middle of clearing out the flyweight division, and she can another trophy to her case on Saturday.
Shevchenko was, for years, one of the very best bantamweights in the world, but while she was remarkably close, she just couldn’t quite get past Nunes. After losing a very hotly debated split decision to Nunes in 2017, she dropped to 125, and has completely made the division her own. A world champion kickboxer and one of the most precise and deadly counter-strikers in the history of the sport, Shevchenko has matured into an exceptionally well-rounded mixed martial artist, earning a black belt in judo and putting away several top fighters with her grappling skill.
Shevchenko is a technically magnificent fighter, but she can also bring the goddamn violence. Watch and marvel as she removes Jessica Eye from consciousness with a left high kick that would make Cro Cop jealous:
If you have the opportunity to fight Valentina Shevchenko, just don’t! Don’t do it! She’ll kill you and look great doing it! Brazilian Jennifer Maia may be the next to learn this lesson the hard way – assuming she even makes weight for the fight, considering she’s been over the limit twice in her last three times out.
When you have a dominant champion who’s beating all the best, people start getting title shots off flimsier and flimsier resumes. That’s the case with Maia, who’s just one fight removed from losing to Katlyn Chookagian, whom Shevchenko totally owned in violent and bloody fashion earlier this year.
Maia, just one fight over .500 in her UFC career, earned the shot off the back of an impressive performance against Scottish contender Joanne Calderwood in August, winning by armbar in Round 1. Maia has a lot of skill off her back, but she’s a former professional boxer who loves to stand and trade – I’m sure Shevchenko will be more than willing to indulge her.
I think there may be the chance for another Jessica Eye-type highlight here. I’m ready.
Darrion Caldwell vs. A.J. McKee, Bellator 253
Last week saw Bellator finally complete the quarterfinals of its 2020 World Featherweight Grand Prix, something I’ve been eagerly waiting on for quite a while now. We don’t have to wait long for the start of the semifinals, which will commence on Thursday night with a fight that was originally set back in January, featuring two of Bellator’s very best home-grown stars.
One of the major storylines of the tournament has been Darrion Caldwell’s mission to become a two-division Bellator champion, having moved up to 145 after losing his bantamweight title to Kyoji Horiguchi last summer. He stormed through the first two rounds of the tournament in decisive fashion, but he’ll get quite the test when he takes on one of the most scintillatingly talented young featherweights in the world, undefeated 25-year-old A.J. McKee.
Caldwell, a former Division I national champion at 149 pounds for the NC State Wolfpack, was renowned as a collegiate wrestler for his feats of daring and athleticism. He also has a full subsection of his Wikipedia page dedicated to his “Celebratory backflip incidents.” He’s since become one of the best lower-weight grapplers in the world, and while his wrestling-heavy style can be boring against guys he can’t submit, he’ll just as often absolutely run through a guy on the ground.
There aren’t many fighters, certainly on Bellator’s roster, who can contend with Darrion Caldwell in tight. He’s explosive, strong and can wear you out. But A.J. McKee, perhaps the best featherweight prospect currently in the sport, was absolutely born for this. The son of UFC veteran Antonio McKee – the father and son fought on the same Bellator card last year, the first time that’s ever happened in a major MMA promotion – the 25-year-old McKee grew up watching his dad fight, started training at a young age and had his first amateur fight while still in high school.
Whether because of nature or nurture, McKee has emerged as a fantastic and well-rounded young talent. The featherweight tournament has been his chance to go beyond just being a hot prospect and cement himself as a fully-actualized star, and he’s more than delivered. In the first round, McKee drew Georgi Karakhanyan, a seasoned veteran and former WSOF champ who looked to drag the youngster into deep waters – instead, McKee knocked him out in eight seconds.
McKee then showcased his submission acumen in the quarterfinals against Derek Campos, snagging an armbar out of a scramble to win in the third round. McKee is a great all-around talent with a habit for producing entertaining moments, and I can’t wait to see how his career unfolds. But Caldwell’s unparalleled wrestling ability will provide his biggest challenge to date – we’ve seen fighters be able to take McKee down and hold him there, and Caldwell is very equipped to do just that.
If he can roll through Darrion Caldwell, though? We might have found a new superstar. Winner gets Patricio Pitbull (or maybe Emmanuel Sanchez) in the finals, a shot at the belt, and a shot at the cash. With a lot on the line for both fighters, I’m hoping to see a good one.
Honorable Mentions (I’m doing these now!): Katlyn Chookagian vs. Cynthia Calvillo, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Paul Craig, Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval, Joaquin Buckley vs. Jordan Wright, UFC 255; Benson Henderson vs. Jason Jackson, Kevin Ferguson Jr. (Kimbo Slice‘s son!) vs. Kaheem Murray, Bellator 253; Alex Pereira (knocked out Israel Adesanya in a kickboxing bout) vs. Thomas Powell, LFA 95; Kayla Harrison vs. Courtney King, Invicta 43; Mikuru Asakura vs. Yutaka Saito, RIZIN 25.
The Big Fight 