Don’t Sleep on the UFC 226 Undercard
UFC 226 is now available on Amazon Prime.
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The majority of the promotional heft behind UFC 226 on Saturday in Las Vegas centers on the two headlining title fights -- and for good reason. It’s not every day that the light heavyweight champion moves up in weight to challenge for the heavyweight crown or two featherweights as talented as Max Holloway and Brian Ortega square off in the cage.
With only so much time available, little media attention has been
devoted to the undercard. That’s a shame, as UFC 226 is stacked
with recognizable, fan-friendly fighters from start to finish. It’s
really a complete card and worthy of capping International Fight
Week for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship. Here are three of the fights to
keep an eye on:
1. Lando Vannata vs. Drakkar Klose
The UFC Fight Pass prelims feature this battle between two lightweight prospects. Vannata has been a fan-favorite since his late-notice promotional debut against Tony Ferguson at UFC Fight Night 91. While his UFC record is spotty at 1-2-1, one of those losses came to Ferguson and the draw resulted from a point deduction for an illegal knee he landed against Bobby Green in a fight he was winning. Vannata’s record should even out as he improves -- he is only 26 years old -- and fights more manageable competition. Even if his record stays skewed, he figures to have a UFC roster spot for the foreseeable future due to a fan-friendly style that has netted him three “Fight of the Night” bonuses and one “Performance of the Night” bonus in his four appearances with the organization.
Klose doesn’t arrive at UFC 226 with as much fanfare, but he is a solid prospect in his own right. His most memorable UFC moment came in a loss to David Teymur -- Vannata has also lost to the Swede -- at UFC 218, where Klose held up his hands, taunted Teymur to move forward and prompted referee Herb Dean to strangely issue Teymur a warning for timidity. Fortunately for Klose, Vannata moves forward almost exclusively, even to his detriment. There may not be much at stake in this matchup, but it figures to be high on entertainment value.
2. Gokhan Saki vs. Khalil Rountree
A lot of fans seem to be enamored with the idea of kickboxing matches taking place with MMA gloves in MMA cages. Well, they will love it when Saki faces Rountree, as neither man has much of an appetite for wrestling. Saki is one of the most accomplished kickboxers to ever enter the Octagon, and his striking prowess was on full display in his UFC debut against Henrique de Silva. It ended in a devastating knockout that earned him “Performance of the Night” honors. He did not show anything in that bout to suggest he’s a well-rounded martial artist, but the UFC seems to want Saki on the “fun fight” circuit and will keep him away from wrestlers for now. Rountree will likely oblige and keep the fight standing. Fireworks should ensue, as they test each other’s chins.
Similar to the Vannata-Klose fight, not much is at stake here. Saki and Rountree aren’t divisional threats as long as they lack the ability to stop a serious takedown. However, MMA is an entertainment-based endeavor, and there’s nothing wrong with a fight like this being booked.
3. Derrick Lewis vs. Francis Ngannou
Two of the hardest hitters in the UFC clash right before the co-main event. Of all the fights on the card, this one is the least likely to go to a decision, with 14 of their combined 16 UFC victories resulting in knockouts. Ngannou has virtually all of the physical advantages and the higher UFC ranking entering the matchup, but Lewis provides a unique set of challenges for the Cameroon native. Ngannou’s only noteworthy wins have been over aging veterans with fading chins -- Andrei Arlovski and Alistair Overeem -- and a still-green Curtis Blaydes in his UFC debut. Lewis was KO’d recently by Mark Hunt at UFC Fight Night 117, but that’s probably a function of his fighting a former K-1 World Grand Prix winner and not a weakening chin. If anything, Lewis is getting better at avoiding and taking punishment later in his career, having learned his lesson in losses to Shawn Jordan and Matt Mitrione.
At 33, Lewis is in the prime of his career and likely hits harder than any of Ngannou’s previous opponents. That includes Stipe Miocic, who got the best of Ngannou in their heavyweight title clash. With that being said, Lewis doesn’t have Miocic’s wrestling ability, which proved to be a massive advantage against Ngannou. Lewis is therefore left to try to outstrike someone with enough punching power to knock out a buffalo. It’s not an enviable position to be in, but unlike the previous fights highlighted, the stakes are high, as the winner could conceivably find himself in a No. 1 contender match before the year is out.
Pressley Nietering is a third-year student at Clemson University.
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