UFC Vegas 52 | Main Card Preview
Saturday, April 23rd (9:00 PM EST Main Card, 6:00 PM EST Prelims)
Amanda Lemos vs. Jessica Andrade
WATCH - By far the most fun matchup you can make outside of a title fight in a women’s division. And #10 Lemos finished 3 out of the 5 wins in her current winstreak, and #1 (flyweight) Andrade jumped back and forth between 2 divisions yet has finished her last 4 victories all by KO/TKO. And while Andrade has had some losses in between, they are against what some would argue are the current 3 best fighters in women’s mma in Shevchenko, Namajunas, and Weilli. Andrade is a tiny impenetrable bulldozer that runs over her opponents and is by far the biggest threat to Lemos’ chances at getting to a title shot.
Clay Guida vs. Claudio Puelles
WATCH - Age gap prospect building fight! The young Puelles sporting a 4-win streak since losing the finale on his season of TUF is getting the spotlight on this card and a huge potential bump in hype if he just wins against a 40 year old veteran.
Tanner Boser vs. Alexandr Romanov
WATCH - Powerful striking can get you signed by the UFC. It can get you a knockout victory over a tested veteran. A hype-train. A following. A push to the top. But powerful wrestling… The ability to dunk 265 pound men on their heads and maul them like a grizzly bear… That is the stuff of nightmares! Romonav is coming for Boser, and every missed power punch will bring him one foot closer to eating him alive!
Maycee Barber vs. Montana De La Rosa
WATCH - Another great women’s fight. #14 Barber temporarily found her ceiling in the flyweight division but is only 23 years old so has a ton of room for improvement and was absolutely destroying opponents with 3 TKOs in a row when she first entered the UFC. De La Rosa has been wildly inconsistent but looked great in her last fight with a finish over Ariane Lipski and also considered a young prospect in the division. Hopefully whoever wins can win big and inject more life into this shallow division.
Sumudaerji vs. Manel Kape
WATCH - I think the time has finally come to forgive #14 Kape for his first 2 UFC fights and to start to up the killer he is now that was promised when he first came to the UFC from Rizin. He’ll be looking to make it three 1st round knock outs in a row when he takes on #12 Sumudaerji who is no stranger to violence himself. Due to their entertainment potential whoever wins big here could propel themselves incredibly high up the rankings which have become a bit stale in the flyweight division as we await for Figgy and Moreno to wrap up their first to 11, decade-long series.
Lando Vannata vs. Charles Jourdain
BATHROOM BREAK - This fight isn’t about relevancy. Or finishes. Or entertainment. Or even a showcase of supreme talent. This fight is about the love of the coinflip! The feel of the cold hard metal against your hand in the summer breeze! The anticipation of bubbling hope turned to relief or anguish as the side is shown! Which up and down 50/50 journeyman will win? Flip a coin! Will it end in decision? Flip a coin! Will it be an entertaining fight? Flip a coin!
*Nothing contained in this post is financial advice, please bet at your own risk