Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs Allen
Preview Every Fight On UFC Kansas City As We Prepare For Featherweight Max Holloway And Arnold Allen To Throw Down.
By E. SPENCER KYTE, ON TWITTER @SPENCERKYTE
UFC returns to Kansas City, Mo. for the first time in almost four years with a star-studded lineup as former UFC featherweight champion and No. 2 ranked contender Max Holloway faces No. 4 Arnold Allen in a crucial matchup with title implications. Also, in another featherweight clash sure to produce fireworks, No. 14 ranked Edson Barboza battles Billy Quarantillo, and so much more.
Main Event: Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen
Max Holloway faces off with Arnold Allen in a clash of elite featherweights looking to cement their place in the divisional hierarchy.
The Hawaiian former champion returns for the first time since his trilogy fight loss to Alexander Volkanovski last July, looking to continue his run of success in non-title matchups. “Blessed” has consistently proven himself to be a cut above the contending class in the 145-pound weight class, but it will be interesting to see if the 31-year-old will be able to maintain that position through the weekend.
Allen has been lights out since landing in the UFC, posting 10 consecutive victories to climb into title contention. After earning a first-round stoppage win over Dan Hooker last March in London, the 29-year-old Brit battled Calvin Kattar in October, earning a second-round win after the New England Cartel member suffered a knee injury.
Some were surprised Allen was left out of the interim title fight back in February in Perth, but now he gets the opportunity to make himself undeniable as the top contender heading into the second half of the year. While Holloway likely needs a changing of the guard atop the division to secure another championship opportunity, he also seems more than happy to crush the dreams of hopefuls like Allen in the interim.
Other Main Card Fights
Edson Barboza vs. Billy Quarantillo
Not only do featherweights man the main event, but they occupy the penultimate pairing as well, as Edson Barboza squares off with Billy Quarantillo in Saturday’s co-main event.
Now 37 years old, Barboza looks to snap a two-fight skid and get back to .500 since moving to the 145-pound weight class. He’s faced an absolute Murderers Row over the course of his UFC career, and he’ll look to lean on that experience advantage as he steps in with Quarantillo this weekend.
“Billy Q” has gone 5-2 since matriculating to the UFC, entering Saturday’s contest off a second-round stoppage win over Alexander Hernandez last December. The Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) grad is allergic to being in a boring fight and aims to keep moving forward by collecting the biggest win of his career to close out this business trip to Kansas City.
Will the battle-tested Barboza bounce back or can Quarantillo garner his third win in four fights to further his case for a number next to his name?
Dustin Jacoby vs. Azamat Murzakanov
Business shifts to the light heavyweight division here as Dustin Jacoby shares the Octagon with undefeated Russian Azamat Murzakanov.
Jacoby has been one of the best stories to emerge from DWCS over the years, going 6-0-1 in his first seven fights after returning to the UFC. He dropped a debated split decision to Khalil Rountree Jr. last time out, and aims to avoid losing consecutive contests inside the Octagon for the first time since dropping his first two appearances more than a decade ago.
The 33-year-old Murzakanov owns a 12-0 record, having registered back-to-back third-round stoppage wins last year during his UFC rookie year. “The Professional” hasn’t missed a beat after taking nearly two years off between his final regional circuit appearance and his contract-winning appearance in Las Vegas two years ago, and shows no signs of doing so here.
This should be a competitive, technical matchup between a pair of veteran light heavyweights looking to take a step forward in the wide-open division.
Tanner Boser vs. Ion Cutelaba
Canadian Tanner Boser makes his debut in the 205-pound weight class, squaring off with divisional staple Ion Cutelaba this weekend in Kansas City.
It’s been nearly a decade since Boser last fought at light heavyweight, but he’s been trending towards this move for the last couple fights. Boasting a wealth of experience, it will be interesting to see how the former heavyweight looks and moves with this drop down a division.
Cutelaba makes the walk to the Octagon for the 15th time on Saturday, looking to halt a three-fight slide. The brash “Hulk” has just a single victory over his last seven appearances, going 1-5-1 during that stretch, with each of those losses coming inside the distance.
Can Boser announce his presence as a new name to watch in the light heavyweight division or will Cutelaba collect his first victory since Fall 2021 and spoil the Canadian’s arrival?
Pedro Munhoz vs. Chris Gutiérrez
Top 15 mainstay Pedro Munhoz looks to get back into the win column, while Chris Gutierrez aims to extend his unbeaten streak to nine in this compelling bantamweight clash.
The Brazilian veteran Munhoz arrives in Kansas City looking for his first win since besting Jimmie Rivera in February 2021. His last appearance was a no contest against Sean O’Malley last summer at UFC 276, and while the results haven’t gone his way of late, there is no one that doubts Munhoz’s standing as a perennial tough out in the 135-pound weight class.
Gutierrez enters on a four-fight winning streak and eight-fight unbeaten streak, most recently sending Frankie Edgar into retirement at Madison Square Garden last November. The Factory X representative has looked outstanding of late, but takes a considerable step up in competition here, so it will be interesting to see how he responds.
Bantamweight has been the best division in the UFC for the last couple years, and this contest further underscores how deep and competitive things are within the division.
Clay Guida vs. Rafa García
Lightweights Clay Guida and Rafa Garcia are tasked with opening the main card this weekend in Kansas City.
The Energizer Bunny of the UFC, Guida just keeps going and going, kicking off his 17th year on the roster coming off a split decision win over Scott Holtzman and having gone 6-5 since returning to the 155-pound weight class in 2017. A member of the critical veteran contingent in the division, Guida has fought standouts from various eras and remains a quality matchup for upwardly ambitious fighters like Garcia.
Garcia was just 12 years old when Guida made his UFC debut, and now shares the Octagon with “The Carpenter” with designs of earning a second straight win and moving to 4-1 over his last five appearances. The 28-year-old out-hustled Maheshate over three rounds in December after splitting a pair of appearances earlier in the year, moving to 14-3 overall with the victory.
Which of these two lightweights will leave Kansas City with a second straight win and which one will have to settle for some quality barbecue to soothe the pain of losing?
Prelim Fights
Bill Algeo vs. TJ Brown
The prelims wrap in the featherweight division, with Bill Algeo and TJ Brown throwing down. Algeo dropped a split decision to Andre Fili in his most recent outing and is 3-3 through his first six appearances, while Brown has a similar record after earning his UFC contract on Season 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series.
Brandon Royval vs. Matheus Nicolau
Top 5 flyweights Brandon Royval and Matheus Nicolau meet in this critical pairing on Saturday’s prelims. A member of the squad at Factory X, Royval has earned consecutive wins to cement his standing as a contender in the 125-pound weight class, while Nicolau has gone 4-0 since returning to the promotion. The winner of this one will be on the short list of potential title challengers heading into the second half of the year, so pay close attention on Saturday.
Zak Cummings vs. Ed Herman
Missouri’s own Zak Cummings makes his return to action against fellow veteran Ed Herman in this light heavyweight paring. The 38-year-old Cummings has gone 9-4 in his UFC career, winning two before losing one over his first dozen appearances before earning a victory over Alessio Di Chirico last time out. Herman has been a fixture on the roster since his finale appearance on Season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter and looks to get back in the win column after having his three-fight run of success ended in his last outing.
Gillian Robertson vs. Piera Rodríguez
Gillian Robertson and Piera Rodriguez square off in a spectacular strawweight pairing this weekend. The 27-year-old Robertson scored a second-round submission win over Mariya Agapova last time out to move to 8-5 in the UFC, while Rodriguez has earned unanimous decision victories in each of her first two post-DWCS appearances inside the Octagon.
Lando Vannata vs. Daniel Zellhuber
Lando Vannata moves back to lightweight here, matching up with DWCS grad Daniel Zellhuber on Saturday. The veteran split a pair of fights at featherweight prior to this return to the 155-pound ranks, and is 4-6-2 in a dozen UFC starts, while “The Golden Boy” suffered the first loss of his career in his promotional debut in September against Trey Ogden. We’ll see which of these two will bounce back this weekend.
Bruna Brasil vs. Denise Gomes
It’s an all-Brazilian battle in the strawweight division as Bruna Brasil faces off with Denise Gomes. After scoring a head kick knockout win to earn her UFC contract, Brasil looks to extend her winning streak to eight as she makes her debut on Saturday. Gomes gave a good accounting of herself in dropping her promotional debut to Loma Lookboonmee in September, and aims to rebound here.
Aaron Phillips vs. Gaston Bolanos
Aaron Phillips returns for the first time in nearly three years, welcoming Gaston Bolanos to the UFC for the first time. The 33-year-old bantamweight veteran Phillips hasn’t fought since losing to Jack Shore in the summer of 2020 on UFC Fight Island, which snapped a five-fight winning streak. Bolanos owns a 6-3 record in MMA, with each of his wins coming inside the distance, which means we should be in for exciting times when these two share the cage in Kansas City.
Joselyne Edwards vs. Lucie Pudilova
Bantamweights open the show at T-Mobile Center, as Joselyne Edwards meets Lucie Pudilova in Saturday’s opener. The 27-year-old Edwards enters on a two-fight winning streak, having posted decision wins over Ramona Pascual and Ji Yeon Kim last summer. After two-and-a-half years away from the Octagon, Pudilova returned last summer at UFC 278, registering a second-round TKO win over Wu Yanan to earn her third UFC victory and extend her winning streak to three.
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