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#4. Marlon Moraes might be on the cusp of his last stand in the UFC
If you rewind just three short years, it’s arguable that Marlon Moraes was the hottest bantamweight competing in the UFC. The former World Series of Fighting champion arrived in the octagon in 2018 and after narrowly losing his debut fight, he then reeled off four straight wins. They included a knockout of then-future champion Aljamain Sterling.
However, Moraes fell to Henry Cejudo in his attempt to claim the UFC bantamweight title. Since then, he’s fallen on pretty hard times. His only victory in the years that have followed came over Jose Aldo and that was a controversial split decision.
Right now, ‘Magic’ is on a three-fight skid. While it’s true that he was doing well against Merab Dvalishvili before being caught out, he still suffered his third TKO stoppage in a row.
When you consider that he’s 33 years old and has been fighting professionally since 2007, it’s likely that his bout against Song Yadong this weekend could be his last stand in the octagon.
The stylistic match favors the Brazilian, but with his back to the wall, can he really pull out the win that he needs in order to continue his run in the world’s biggest promotion? It’s a fair question to ask, meaning that his bout this weekend is definitely not one to miss.
#3. Drew Dober vs. Terrance McKinney is likely to produce a war
While he’s never ascended into contention for the lightweight title, Drew Dober has been one of the most exciting fighters to watch in the UFC for some time now. Win or lose, the native of Omaha comes to throw down. His battles with Alexander Hernandez, Polo Reyes and Frank Camacho have been amongst the best in recent memory.
Initially, this weekend would’ve seen him faced with Ricky Glenn. However, with ‘The Gladiator’ out with an injury, Dober instead finds himself against hot prospect Terrance McKinney.
It’s hard to say whether this is better or worse for Dober. On one hand, McKinney has taken this bout on super-late notice, having only fought two weeks ago. That means he may not be well-prepared.
On the other hand, ‘T-Wrecks’ is riding a wave of momentum and has won his first two octagon bouts in less than three minutes combined.
So who will come out on top in this one? It’s hard to say and that’s what makes it such an intriguing fight. Either way, though, if you judge by what McKinney has done thus far into his octagon career and what Dober tends to produce, it could provide us with fireworks.
