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The UFC will head to California for its upcoming Fight Night event on Saturday, August 13. The event, which will take place at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, will be headlined by a massive bantamweight clash between Dominick Cruz and Marlon Vera.
Cruz is a former champion and Vera is a surging contender in the bantamweight division right now. 'The Dominator' is currently ranked No.8 in the weight class while the Ecuadorian is ranked fifth. A win for either man this coming weekend will take them very close to title contention.
Vera will be heading into the fight with a lot of confidence, having won his last three fights inside the octagon. Cruz himself has won his last two fights and will be looking to build on the momentum on August 13. The co-main event features a featherweight encounter between Nate Landwehr and David Onama.
Check out the pre-fight press conference and weigh-ins schedule for the event below:
Media Day
Media Day interactions with fighters ahead of UFC Fight Night: Vera vs. Cruz will take place on Wednesday, August 10, and can be viewed live on the promotion's official website, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch accounts.
Official weigh-ins
The official weigh-ins for the UFC Fight Night event will take place on Friday, August 12, and can be followed live on the aforementioned platforms.
NOTE: The dates are estimated based on the usual schedule for UFC events and are subject to change as they are yet to be officially confirmed.
Check out the full card and betting odds for UFC Fight Night: Vera vs. Cruz below.
UFC Fight Night: Vera vs. Cruz main card
(Bantamweight) Marlon Vera -195 [favorite] vs. Dominick Cruz +165
(Featherweight) Nate Landwehr +165 vs. David Onama -195 [favorite]
(Women's strawweight) Yazmin Jauregui -230 [favorite] vs. Iasmin Lucindo +195
(Light heavyweight) Devin Clark +150 vs. Azamat Murzakanov -175 [favorite]
(Women's flyweight) Cynthia Calvillo -150 [favorite] vs. Nina Nunes +130
(Middleweight) Bruno Silva -275 [favorite] vs. Gerald Meerschaert +230
UFC Fight Night: Vera vs. Cruz preliminary card
(Catchweight) Angela Hill vs. Lupita Godinez [Note: Odds are not being displayed for this fight likely due to it taking place at catchweight]
(Heavyweight) Martin Buday -240 [favorite] vs. Lukasz Brzeski +200
(Lightweight) Gabriel Benitez -345 [favorite] vs. Charlie Ontiveros +285
(Flyweight) Ode Osbourne -225 [favorite] vs. Tyson Nam +190
(Bantamweight) Youssef Zalal -110 vs. Da'Mon Blackshear -110
Two other fights have been added to the card, but the UFC is yet to confirm whether they'll feature in the main card or prelims. The fights are as follows:
(Women's flyweight) Ariane Lipski -189 [favorite] vs. Priscila Cachoeira +162
(Welterweight) Jason Witt +200 vs. Josh Quinlan -250 [favorite]
Main card predictions for UFC Fight Night: Vera vs. Cruz
Bruno Silva vs. Gerald Meerschaert
This will be a classic striker versus grappler clash. Silva is a dangerous knockout artist while Meerschaert relies heavily on his grappling and submission game. Meerschaert is a UFC veteran, whereas his opponent is just four fights old inside the octagon, so the edge in terms of experience lies with the American.
Silva has won seven of his last eight professional fights and his only defeat inside the octagon came via unanimous decision following a three-round war with middleweight title contender Alex Pereira.
Meerschaert, on the other hand, has won three of his last four fights. He will have to avoid getting hit and secure takedowns throughout the fight to stop Silva. However, Silva is an excellent striker with a good takedown defense and if he lands clean, it could be a rough night for Meerschaert.
Verdict: Bruno Silva (winner)
Cynthia Calvillo vs. Nina Nunes
Both Calvillo and Nunes desperately require a win this weekend to stay relevant in the women's flyweight division. While Nunes will head into the fight with back-to-back losses on her record, Calvillo will be looking to bounce back from a three-fight skid.
Although both women are good strikers, Nunes is slightly better between the pair because of her technique and power. Calvillo, however, has more weapons in her arsenal as she can opt to grapple with Nunes and dominate the fight on the ground.
Since she has more ways to win the fight, we are giving Cynthia Calvillo the edge.
Verdict: Cynthia Calvillo (winner)
Devin Clark vs. Azamat Murzakanov
Clark will face a tough test against Murzakanov inside the octagon this weekend. Murzakanov is undefeated as a professional fighter and picked up back-to-back stoppage wins in his first two octagon outings.
Clark has lost two of his last three fights inside the octagon and will be looking to get back in the win column against Murzakanov. Having said that, it seems unlikely that he will be able to end his losing run against his Russian opponent.
Murzakanov's striking will likely be too much for Clark to handle when they go to war inside the octagon.
Verdict: Azamat Murzakanov (winner)
Yazmin Jauregui vs. Iasmin Lucindo
Both Lucindo and Jauregui will be making their UFC debuts this weekend. The two women are on impressive win streaks and it's difficult to pick between the pair. Jauregui, however, is undefeated as a professional fighter.
Both women are prolific strikers with several knockout wins to their names. Jauregui, however, has been out of action for almost a year so rust could play a factor in this fight.
The edge in terms of experience goes to Lucindo, who's fought 17 times. Meanwhile, Jauregui has just eight pro-fights to her name. Experience is likely to play a major factor in this fight, so we're going with Lucindo.
Verdict: Iasmin Lucindo (winner)
Nate Landwehr vs. David Onama
Both Landwehr and Onama are relatively new to the UFC but are tipped to become contenders down the line. At 28, Onama is the younger fighter between the pair and has suffered just one defeat in his entire professional career thus far.
Landwehr has won two of his last four fights inside the octagon and will be looking to string together a run of wins starting with this weekend. However, the 34-year-old may find it difficult to get past Onama, who's finished all the fights he's won in his career.
Onama is likely to get his hand raised at the end of this contest.
Verdict: David Onama (winner)
Marlon Vera vs. Dominick Cruz
This promises to be an intriguing fight between two of the best bantamweights on the planet right now. Vera will be the aggressor looking for a finish while Cruz will try to remain elusive with his quick footwork and work 'Chito' from a distance.
While Cruz's footwork is second to none in the UFC, he is now 37 years old and may slow down if the fight moves into the championship rounds. That said, we're yet to see 'The Dominator' gas out inside the cage.
Vera will try to bring the fight to Cruz and it will be interesting to see how he deals with the pressure. Cruz's fight IQ is another thing that gives him an edge in the fight. Cruz can also fall back upon his wrestling if needed. Although this fight is difficult to call, we pick Cruiz for his experience and fight IQ.
Verdict: Dominick Cruz (winner)
