3 fights to look forward to and 2 that will likely disappoint at UFC Fight Night: Thiago Santos vs. Johnny Walker

UFC Fight Night: Thiago Santos vs. Johnny Walker [Photo credit: ufc.com]
UFC Fight Night: Thiago Santos vs. Johnny Walker [Photo credit: ufc.com]

Fight that will likely disappoint at UFC Fight Night 193: Misha Cirkunov vs. Krzysztof Jotko

UFC Fight Night 193: Misha Cirkunov vs. Krzysztof Jotko [Photo via @krzysztofjotko on IG]
UFC Fight Night 193: Misha Cirkunov vs. Krzysztof Jotko [Photo via @krzysztofjotko on IG]

After an unremarkable run as a ranked 205-pounder, Misha Cirkunov will make his middleweight debut at UFC Fight Night 193. Eager to welcome him is Polish veteran Krzysztof Jotko.

Cirkunov kicked off his UFC tenure with an impressive four consecutive wins. He appeared to be on his way to becoming a legitimate top contender at light heavyweight until he ran into the division's top dogs. He suffered back-to-back stoppage wins against Volkan Oezdemir and Glover Teixeira.

Cirkunov then went back and forth between wins and losses from 2018 to 2021. After getting TKO'd by Ryan Spann at Fight Night 187, the Latvian finally decided it was time to make a change.

On the other side of the cage is longtime stalwart Jotko, who owns a 9-5 record inside the UFC. The 32-year-old entered 2021 with a three-fight winning streak, only to run into surging contender Sean Strickland in May. The Polish fighter will attempt to break through the glass ceiling at UFC Fight Night 193 as he takes on a formidable challenge in Cirkunov.

However, it's puzzling to imagine how Cirkunov could pull off a massive drop from 205 pounds to 185 safely. For that reason alone, he might not be in his best shape come fight night, which could lead to the fight being disappointing.


Fight to look forward to at UFC Fight Night 193: Aspen Ladd vs. Macy Chiasson

UFC Fight Night 193: Aspen Ladd vs. Macy Chiasson [Photo via @macychiasson on Instagram]
UFC Fight Night 193: Aspen Ladd vs. Macy Chiasson [Photo via @macychiasson on Instagram]

Top contenders Aspen Ladd and Macy Chiasson will collide in an important battle for position at women's bantamweight. Originally booked for UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw, the showdown will feature a classic wrestler vs. striker matchup.

Ladd will be returning to active competition for the first time since a knee injury kept her out of action last June. The 26-year-old fought thrice in 2019 to push her record to 9-1. The surging star defeated Sijara Eubanks before a horrific weight cut led to her first career loss against Germain de Randamie. She quickly scored an impressive rebound win against Yana Kunitskaya via TKO.

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Chiasson is on a successful two-fight run after back-to-back wins over Shanna Young and Marion Reneau. Although Chiasson has been impressive thus far, she hasn't faced high-level competitors just yet. At UFC Vegas 32, she'll take on the toughest test of her career so far in Ladd.

The UFC women's 135-pound weight class is not particularly stacked at the moment. That means a victory for either Ladd or Chiasson could potentially earn them a title shot in the not-too-distant future.

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