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UFC Fight Night 74 will be the first event to be held in Saskatchewan. The main card is headlined by a featherweight bout between Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira, both of whom will be looking to put themselves in the title picture. Erick Silva will take on Neil Magny in a welterweight match up. Originally, Silva was scheduled to fight Rick Story, however an injury forced Story to withdraw and Magny was his replacement. 4 more fights round out a stacked card that includes stars such as Patrick Cote, Josh Burkman and Chad Laprise among others. It promises to be an action-packed event with plenty of heart-stopping action, we preview the fights coming up this weekend below:
#1 Maryna Moroz vs. Valerie Letourneau
Since losing to number 1 straw weight contender, Claudia Gadelha, Valerie Letourneau has won her last 3 fights, 2 of them being in the UFC. Letourneau has one of the most bizarre CVs in MMA. It is difficult to gauge just how good she is. She has lost to some big names like Sara Kaufman and the above mentioned Gadelha. She also lost to Roxanne Modafferi on TUF. However, she managed to score victories in both her UFC bouts. So much of this fight depends on which Letourneau shows up.
Maryna Moroz is 23 and undefeated. She has a style that endears her to fans. She showed in her win against Calderwood that she is becoming very comfortable on her feet though the ground is where she’d much rather be. She looks eerily similar to a young Claudia Gadelha. Given Moroz’s stylistic similarities to Gadelha, this might not be the kind of match up Letourneau would enjoy.
Prediction: - Maryna Moroz via Submission, Round 2
#2 Oliver Aubin-Mercier vs. Tony Sims
Mercier is fighting on the same card as the man who beat him at the TUF: Nations finale, Chad Laprise. Since losing to Laprise, Mercier has gone 2-0 in the UFC. Mercier will be looking to initiate the grappling exchanges because that is where he excels. As powerful as Mercier is, he is not technically efficient with his striking and it is clearly a work in progress. Sims has the ability to switch to southpaw when needed. However, he is far easier to read as a southpaw than an orthodox fighter. Mercier will look to take advantage of that by forcing Sims into positions where he needs to lead with his right foot.
Tony Sims is an exciting fighter to watch and has had only 1 defeat in his modern career. With 10 of his 12 wins coming by KO/TKO, Sims is one of the most exciting fighters to watch. Sims’ strategy will be to keep this fight away from the ground.
It will be a highly competitive fight, one that you won’t be able to take your eyes off. Expect it to start off fast, and slow down as the fighters begin to wear out.
Prediction: - Oliver Aubin-Mercier via Unanimous Decision
#3 Chad Laprise vs. Francisco Trinaldo
TUF: Nations winner, Chad Laprise has a perfect 10-0 record. He has proven to be the total package. Good on his feet. Good on the ground. He is excellent at maintaining distance and shutting his opponent’s strengths down. He is a proficient kickboxer with very good take down defence.
While Laprise is good on the ground, he has become a bit of a stand up specialist. This means his main focus will be stuffing take downs and maintaining distance. To push his game onto Trinaldo, Laprise must stay active and keep moving. Standing still is inviting danger. Trinaldo isn’t the best conditioned fighter and keeping the pace high will favour Laprise as the fight wears on.
Trinaldo for his part packs a mean punch. He is also excellent with Jiu Jitsu from the top position. Trinaldo will have to keep the exchanges close and not let Laprise open up distance from where he can hurt him.
Overall, this is the first big fight in Laprise’s young career. A win will further increase his stock whereas a loss would set him back considerably. Trinaldo on the other hand could use a win over a young up-and-comer to keep the momentum of his current 3 fight win streak going.
Prediction: - Chad Laprise via Unanimous Decision
#4 Patrick Cote vs. Josh Burkman
In his prime, Patrick Cote was a feared kickboxer and one of the best knockout artists in the UFC. However, he hasn’t shown any of that since around 2009. Instead, he has been focussing on his wrestling and it’s brought him a fair deal of success. His last 3 wins have all been ground-out decisions. In fact, he hasn’t used a kickboxing heavy style since Anderson Silva beat him in almost 7 years ago. Fighting at 170 lbs suits his wrestling-centric game since he is considerably heavy for that division.
While Cote has been a UFC mainstay for a number of years, Burkman has been a bit of a journey man. He’s fought in various promotions after being cut post a loss at UFC 90. He was resigned by the UFC and made his return in January of this year. He fought again in May, losing on both occasions. A strong case can be made that if not for Hector Lombard testing positive for steroids, Burkman would have already been cut from the UFC. Burkman is an extremely tough and durable fighter who will use defensive wrestling to help him get his hands loose. Burkman has the ability to take advantage of an opponent rushing the take down. His excellent defence allows him to capitalise on the proximity of his opponent. Just watch his victory over Jon Fitch during his WSOF days to see how well this works for him.
Burkman has a lot more to fight for here. He could find himself cut if he is defeated again. While losses to Lombard (even though it was eventually overturned) and Dong Hyun Kim are understandable, Patrick Cote is not at that level anymore. Nor is he a better wrestler than Jon Fitch
Prediction: - Josh Burkman via TKO, Round 2
#5 Neil Magny vs. Erick Silva
Erick Silva was once being groomed to become one of the top fighters in the world. However, things haven’t gone exactly to plan and Silva has struggled to put together a series of wins during his 10 fight UFC career.
Neil Magny was riding a 7 fight win streak leading up to UFC 190, when Damian Maia submitted him. 23 days after his defeat to Maia, Magny will enter the octagon again to face Silva. The biggest test for Magny will be how quickly he can recover from a defeat. With no training camp and not even a month after his previous fight, Magny can’t be 100%. The longer the fight goes, the more it favours Silva. Magny will have to come out swinging hoping to land a quick win. Magny is a very skilled boxer, one of the few in the UFC and is able to use his range quite well. His Jiu Jitsu however, is sub -par, even though it is improving.
Silva on the other hand will want to test Magny’s cardio. Force him to keep moving, force him to work off his back and force him to chase the fight. He is an explosive fighter who may not boast victories over big names but has enough about him to test the best in the division. Just ask Matt Brown. A defeat for Silva all but kills any hope he has of getting a high division ranking. He has never defeated a ranked fighter, something Magny is.
Prediction: - Erick Silva via TKO, Round 3
#6 Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira
Until recently, Max Holloway was known solely for being one of Conor McGregor’s UFC victims. McGregor beat Holloway in 2013 via unanimous decision. Since that defeat though, Holloway has gone on a 6 fight win streak, entering the top 5 in the ranking and becoming one of the hottest young stars in the sport. His previous two fights were wins over top contenders Cub Swanson and Cole Miller. A win this Sunday would propel Holloway into the title picture.
Holloway is one of the most diverse and creative strikers in the sport. Excellent footwork, paired with devastating movement make him one of the most aesthetically pleasing fighters around. Holloway is just as comfortable in the southpaw stance as he is in orthodox, making him very difficult to prepare for.
Charles Oliveira’s backstory isn’t too different from his opponents. After a decision loss to Frankie Edgar in a fight of the night winner, Oliveira resurrected his stumbling UFC career with a 4 fight win streak. His latest being this May against Nick Lentz.
Oliveira is a grappling expert and will attempt to pull guard even when his takedowns fail. He is one of the few fighters who is very comfortable on his back as he is when in the dominant position.
Overall this is a fascinating match-up and a likely Fight of the Night winner.
Prediction: - Max Holloway via TKO, Round 3
