|
Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Seattle
Breaking Down The Matchups Set To Hit Climate Pledge Arena In Seattle On Saturday
By E. Spencer Kyte
For the second time in 13 months, the Octagon touches down at Climate Pledge Arena this weekend as UFC returns to Seattle for the fifth time with a Fight Night event headlined by a pivotal middleweight clash between former champion Israel Adesanya and ascending American Joe Pyfer.
With an undercard featuring several fascinating pairings, a few Pacific Northwest products, and the last ride of TUF: Live winner Michael “Maverick” Chiesa, Saturday’s fight card promises to be entertaining from the outset, just like last year, when the prelims featured seven consecutive finishes and not a single trip to the third round.
Here’s a closer look at what’s on tap.
Main Event: Israel Adesanya vs Joe Pyfer
Ranked middleweights clash in the main event as former champ Israel Adesanya faces off with Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) standout Joe Pyfer to close out the show in Seattle.
After an incredible seven-year run that saw him win the UFC middleweight title twice and successfully defend it five times, Adesanya touches down in Washington state on a three-fight slide, aiming to determine whether he’s still got more to give. The losses have come in two championship bouts and a main event pairing with top contender Nassourdine Imavov, so it’s difficult to fault the City Kickboxing man for faltering, but he’s 36 years old now, and it’s been a minute since we last saw a vintage “Stylebender” performance.
Pyfer comes into this one from the opposite direction, riding high after pushing his winning streak to three with a submission win over Abus Magomedov last October. The Marquez MMA product has gone 6-1 to start his UFC career, is well-rounded and powerful, and seems to have settled into who he is as both a fighter and a man in recent outings, all of which bode well for his future.
This is a classic “two ships passing in the night” situation where Adesanya remains in the Top 5, but is slipping, while Pyfer sits at No. 14, but has looked sharp of late and ready to make a real push in the division. This one will answer whatever questions people have about each man in this moment and help clarify what to expect from each going forward.
Additional Main Card Matchups
Alexa Grasso vs Maycee Barber
Five years after their first encounter, Alexa Grasso and Maycee Barber meet for a second time in Seattle with a spot in the title picture in the flyweight division seemingly up for grabs.
Grasso has not earned a victory since submitting Valentina Shevchenko to claim the flyweight title at UFC 285. After battling “Bullet” to a draw in the rematch, she’s dropped back-to-back one-sided decisions to Shevchenko and Natalia Silva in her last two outings and is in real need of a strong showing to keep her in the championship mix.
Barber, meanwhile, hasn’t lost since their initial meeting, touching down for the rematch on a seven-fight winning streak after returning from an extended hiatus last December with a good win over Karine Silva. “The Future” is at her best when she’s aggressive and feisty, and with the chance to get her lick back here, you best believe she’ll be both of those things from the jump on Saturday.
Can Grasso rediscover the form that carried her to the top of the division, or will Barber continue her impressive march towards a championship opportunity?
Michael Chiesa vs Niko Price
For the final time in his 14-year UFC career, Michael Chiesa will make the walk to the Octagon, competing in his home state for just the second time as he faces off with fellow veteran Niko Price in his MMA swan song.
The proud Spokane, Washington native heads into his final appearance on a three-fight winning streak, having turned in quality efforts against Tony Ferguson, Max Griffin, and Court McGee to move to 7-3 since moving to welterweight. Now 38 and with a bright broadcasting future ahead of him, Chiesa is ready to ride off into the sunset and will look to do so with a win in front of family and friends in Seattle.
Drafted to replace Carlston Harris, Price makes his second appearance as the B-side in a retirement bout, having stood opposite Robbie Lawler when the former welterweight champ stepped in for the final time. That night didn’t end well for “The Hybrid,” and neither did his fight against Nikolay Veretennikov earlier this year, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can play spoiler here.
Chiesa is one of the true good guys of the sport and someone who deserves his flowers for being a Top 10 fighter in two of the toughest weight classes in the sport during a career that saw him climb higher than most likely forecasted for him coming off The Ultimate Fighter.
Congrats, Mav —best of luck in the next chapter!
Julian Erosa vs Lerryan Douglas
If you’re looking for an underrated banger with serious Fight of the Night potential, look no further than this featherweight clash between Julian Erosa and Lerryan Douglas.
Hailing from nearby Yakima, Washington, Erosa has been a divisional mainstay since beginning his third tour of duty with the promotion in 2020, putting together an 8-4 record over the stretch with a host of quality wins and entertaining battles. He’s the perfect guy to welcome Douglas to the Octagon for the first time and is guaranteed to be extra fired up fighting in front of a partisan crowd.
Douglas claimed his spot on the roster with a sudden knockout win over Cam Teague last season on Dana White’s Contender Series, extending his winning streak to five in the process. The 30-year-old Brazilian “Gunslinger” fought quality competition on the way up, trains with a great group under Cub Swanson, and is the kind of tested newcomer that can absolutely make a splash straight out of the gates.
There is no way this isn’t entertaining as heck from the rip and for as long as it lasts. Erosa is allergic to being in boring fights, and Douglas only has one gear, so make sure your drinks are full, your snacks are sorted, and you’re locked in when this one starts.
Mansur Abdul-Malik vs Yousri Belgaroui
It’s a meeting between one of the most highly regarded prospects on the roster and an underdog coming off an outstanding debut as middleweights Mansur Abdul-Malik and Yousri Belgaroui meet in The PNW.
Abdul-Malik has remained unbeaten through his first four UFC starts, earning three stoppage wins along with a no-contest verdict while flashing both incredible poise for someone so early in their career and immense upside as well. The Xtreme Couture product profiles as someone that is going to be a Top 15 mainstay —it’s a matter of when, not if — and another dynamic outing this weekend could propel the DWCS grad into a more considerable test next time out.
Belgaroui made the most of his first UFC assignment last October in Vancouver, working behind his lengthy jab to bust up and ultimately stop Azamat Bekoev. A former rival turned teammate of Alex Pereira, the Dutch kickboxer has incredible length for the division and knows how to use it, which makes him a difficult puzzle to solve for anyone stationed across from him.
Many will want to consider this a layup for Abdul-Malik, but Belgaroui showed in his bout with Bekoev that he’s not to be taken lightly. This is a great opportunity to get another look at each man in an effort to further expand their profiles and refine the forecasts for where they could end up and when.
Terrance McKinney vs Kyle Nelson
The main card kicks off with a lightweight clash that is almost guaranteed to end inside the distance as Terrance McKinney and Kyle Nelson share the Octagon.
McKinney, who grew up in Spokane and was coached by Chiesa in high school, has yet to see the scorecards in his professional career, with all 17 of his wins and eight of his losses coming inside the distance. He has the shortest average fight time of anyone in the history of the UFC lightweight division, but it really does cut both ways and seems to always come down to whether “T. Wrecks” can get you out of there in the first blitz.
Nelson returned to the division with a terrific performance against Matt Frevola last October in Vancouver that should have been a first-round stoppage, but instead continued on, with “The Monster” ultimately winning on the scorecards. He’s battle-tested and sturdy, which makes him a quality dance partner for McKinney in this one, with a chance to garner another quality win if he can survive the opening salvo that is guaranteed to come his way.
History tells us someone is getting finished: will it be Nelson or McKinney?
Preliminary Card Pairings
Ignacio Bahamondes vs Tofiq Musayev
Not only does the main card open in the lightweight division, but the prelims wrap there too as Ignacio Bahamondes and Tofiq Musayev clash at Climate Pledge Arena.
Both Bahamondes and Musayev fought in Baku, Azerbaijan, last June, with “La Jaula” dropping a decision to Rafael Fiziev and Musayev getting tapped by Myktybek Orolbai. Bahamondes has been ranked in the past and has flashed upside, so this feels like a critical moment for him to right the ship quickly and avoid getting swept under in the deep lightweight waters.
Chase Hooper vs Lance Gibson Jr.
A pair of PNW products clash in this lightweight battle as Chase Hooper welcomes Lance Gibson Jr. back to the Octagon.
Enumclaw’s Hooper had a five-fight winning streak snapped in the summer by Alexander Hernandez, but he’s otherwise looked excellent since moving to the 155-pound ranks. Born in Seattle and residing in Port Moody, British Columbia, Gibson Jr. gave a good account of himself on incredibly short notice last December against King Green, and now aims to show what he can do off with full camp in his sophomore showing in the UFC.
Marcin Tybura vs Tyrell Fortune
It’s a clash of heavyweights at opposite ends of their UFC journeys as tenured Polish mainstay Marcin Tybura takes on newcomer Tyrell Fortune.
Tybura makes his 24th appearance inside the Octagon, aiming to bounce back after running afoul of Ante Delija last fall in Paris. Fortune, who trains alongside surging contender Waldo Cortes Acosta, touches down in the UFC for the first time on a three-fight winning streak and sporting a 17-3 record with one no contest overall.
Casey O’Neill vs Gabriella Fernandes
Ranked flyweight share the Octagon in a battle for position in the Top 15 as Casey O’Neill takes on Gabriella Fernandes.
O’Neill has been limited by injuries the last several years, but looked strong in her last outing against Luana Santos in August 2024. Fernandes enters on a three-fight winning streak that includes victories over Carli Judice and Wang Cong, plus her debut loss to Jasmine Jasudavicius continues to age nicely.
Navajo Stirling vs Bruno Lopes
Members of the DWCS Class of ’24, Navajo Stirling and Bruno Lopes, cross paths here in an interesting light heavyweight fixture.
Stirling has gone 3-0 with three decision wins since arriving in the UFC and remains a “slow and steady” work-in-progress from the City Kickboxing gym in Auckland. Lopes won his promotional debut last year, only to be hustled up the ladder and handed a quick loss by Dustin Jacoby last time out.
Ricky Simon vs Adrian Yanez
Previously ranked bantamweights pair off here with designs on a win, pushing them closer to returning to the Top 15.
Vancouver, Washington’s Ricky Simon earned a blistering knockout win last February in Seattle, thrilling the partisan crowd before dropping a decision to Raoni Barcelos later in the year. Yanez returns for the first time since the close of 2024, looking to steer out of a 1-3 slide over his last four fights.
Alexia Thainara vs Bruna Brasil
Business kicks off in the strawweight division with an all-Brazilian rematch between Alexia Thainara and Bruna Brasil.
Thainara posted two wins in her rookie campaign last year to climb into the Top 15, while Brasil continued to alternate results, losing to Wang Cong and besting Shi Ming before falling to Ketlen Souza earlier this year. The two met on the Brazilian regional circuit in 2019, with Brasil handing Thainara the lone loss of her career; now she gets the chance to potentially avenge the defeat on the biggest stage in the sport.
_________________
So you wanna be a [bleeping] member? => Get access to the community <=
Looking for a seedbox? RuTorrent, qbitTorrent, Deluge and Transmission included in all packages! Unlimited torrents, unlimited transfers!
Perfect for both beginners and professionals. Watch the files directly in your browser without downloading or download to your device, up to you!
Really Fast 1 Gbit seedboxes - Professional support 24/7/365 - Click to learn more
To get a recurring 10% discount on all seedbox packages use the PROMO CODE: mmatorrents
|
UFC Fight Night 270 - Evloev vs. Murphy
