UFC Vegas 29 Main Card Preview and Predictions
Expect fireworks galore Saturday night when UFC Vegas 29 kicks off at the Apex in Las Vegas. We have heavyweight bruisers, some of the best featherweights in the world, and plenty of hungry fighters looking to crack the rankings in their respective divisions.
(UR) Matt Brown vs. (UR) Dhiego Lima (Welterweight) (Garrett Burroughs)
Opening the main card for UFC Fight Night is a welterweight clash between Matt Brown and Dhiego Lima that maybe should’ve taken place a few years ago. Brown, 40, has lost his last two fights and is hanging onto a UFC contract by a thread. Aside from his hellacious KO of Diego Sanchez, he hasn’t really been the same since getting pieced up by Donald Cerrone. Lima, on the other hand, has a case against him to have lost his last three fights, two of them being split decision wins. But at 32, he has a little time left to put together a run at 170lbs. This fight doesn’t really intrigue me, and it shouldn’t intrigue you either. I’m going to pick Lima here to hopefully finish the career of “The Immortal”. But this could go either way. Lima via split decision (because why not)
(UR) Wellington Turman vs. (UR) Bruno Silva (Middleweight) (Garrett Burroughs)
Sam I really chose the wrong fights here, didn’t I?
Anyway, next up on the main card is a middleweight fight between a young prospect in Wellington Turman and a debuting Bruno Silva. Turman, 24, has a solid win in the UFC under his belt against Markus Perez but dropped his last fight back in August of 2020 against Andrew Sanchez. Turman looks to get fights to the ground for submissions or for ground and pound. Silva will be a willing dance partner, however. The Brazilian Silva is more known for his KO power and will look to keep the fight standing. I tend to lean towards a grappler that has finishing power, especially over a debuting fighter. But fighters in their debut will look to make a name for themselves. I’ll still take Turman, but it’ll be competitive. Turman via unanimous decision
UR Julian Erosa vs. UR Choi-Seung Woo (Featherweight)
Fight number three on the main card is Julian Erosa and Choi-Seung Woo in a featherweight showdown. Julian Erosa enters Saturday night with only 3 wins in the last 6 years. Erosa has good submission skills, but his striking gets him into trouble. He tends to overextend and get caught by his opponents. If he can stay out of harm’s way on the feet and shoot for takedowns, this fight will be wide open. His submission game and overall wrestling should give him enough to get the win if he can utilize it.
Choi-Seung Woo comes in with only 4 fights under his belt in the UFC, going 2-2 in those fights. Woo has tremendous endurance and stamina, which allows him to fight into the later rounds without losing his power or technique. He has great power but tends to struggle on the ground. He needs to keep this fight in the middle of the octagon and trade shots if he wants to get the win. I predict a split decision victory for Choi-Seung Woo, but I could see this fight going either way.
(#15) Marlon Vera vs. (UR) Davey Grant (Bantamweight)
The fourth fight on the main card pits bantamweights Marlon Vera and Davey Grant against each other. Marlon Vera most recently took former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo the distance in a loss. If you look at the numbers, it could have easily gone Vera’s way that night. Vera has a complete skill set, with good striking and a great ground game. While he is still relatively young, 28, Vera has tons of UFC experience, which will come in handy for this fight.
Davey Grant is on a two-fight win streak but has only fought twice in the last two and a half years. He has enough power to push Vera back and good enough wrestling to grapple for the whole fight. I predict that Vera will get the win in this fight via submission. I think his experience will be the x-factor. Because he has fought more and seen more, he should have more of an idea of what to do in dangerous situations. Expect to see a fight-filled with a lot of wrestling and leg kicks.
(#15) Aleksei Oleinik vs. (UR) Sergey Spivak (Heavyweight)
The co-main event for UFC Vegas 29 features two heavyweight bruisers. On one side you have Aleksei Oleinik, who has 75, yes 75, professional MMA fights under his belt, and Sergey Spivak, a young up and comer. The story of this fight has to be age. Oleinik is 43 years old, and has plenty of miles on him, while Spivak is only 26 and much fresher. Aleksei Oleinik is on a two-fight skid, being knocked out in both losses. Spivak is on a two-fight win streak after dropping his first fight in the promotion in February. Because he has only fought 3 times in the UFC, it is hard to gauge what this guy is really good at. Oleinik is a very complete fighter with knockout power and elite wrestling. At the end of the day, I think Spivak will get the win via unanimous decision. If he can keep the fight off the ground, he should be able to pick Oleinik apart.
(#4) Chan Sung Jung vs. (#8) Dan Ige (Featherweight) (Jake Staires)
Two of the best featherweights in the world will face off tonight at UFC Vegas 29 in what will be a deciding factor of how the rankings shake-up outside of the top 3 in the land of 145ers. Placed between two of the biggest cards of the year in the heat of the summer, The Korean Zombie and Dan Ige are set to fill the gap with one hell of a main event.
Chan Sung Jung, AKA “The Korean Zombie” (16-6)
Focused on the task at hand this time around, The Korean Zombie is prepared to try to put his name in the hat for a featherweight title shot down the line. With bad blood surrounding the matchup with him and current title contender Brian Ortega in his last fight, things could not be more different this time around. Not worried about one of his buddies getting punked in public by his opponent, maybe CSJ can pull it together to get back in the winner’s column.
With some thinking his UFC career hit rock bottom after his loss against Ortega, he has a chance to keep it alive against a man who’s younger and has the potential to be a force in the division for the foreseeable future. However, losing to everyone that is a legitimate title contender in recent memory, it’s time for CSJ to not live off of his nickname and make a statement. Training out of Fight Ready in Arizona with “Triple C” Henry Cejudo can only do so much. The world of MMA doesn’t treat most fighters well as they approach their mid-thirties, so The Korean Zombie needs to avoid personifying his famous alias.
#8 Dan “50K” Ige (15-3)
Getting back on track against Gavin Tucker after a tough loss against Calvin Kattar with a highlight reel knockout, Dan Ige is primed to take that next step to title contention. Still on the bright side of 30, “50K” has time to make a dent in one of the more dangerous divisions in all of the UFC. With his tracklist of victories coming against names that aren’t commonly recognized. Ige has an opportunity to put his name on the map for fans who may not know too much about him.
Being in the main event for only the second time, Ige will have to nut up against one of the more respected veterans in the world of MMA. With him being outclassed in the last main event he was a part of, there’s no way in hell he doesn’t understand what’s at stake for him tonight in Las Vegas. Knowing that this man might try to sniff the crotch of The Korean Zombie, he still has the ability to turn the lights out in…Nevada on any given night.
Breakdown
The first time anybody looked at this fight, they probably wondered just how long is it going to last. To be fair, why wouldn’t they? The Korean Zombie is known to put on bangers, while Ige has raised his star by stimulating constant action inside the octagon. Being on opposite sides of the spectrum regarding where they are in their career, both competitors NEED this one.
While there is potential for Ige to seek takedowns against the better striker in CSJ, it just seems like this one will stay on the feet with CSJ’s ability to stick and move. On that note, Ige has the capabilities to stand and throw with whoever he faces. Outside of being pieced up by Mr. Modelo all the way back in October, CSJ rarely loses his battles on the feet. But with the lack of activity and Ige’s ability to push the pace, The Korean Zombie may be outmatched by the Intangibles the Hawaiin brings to the table.
These two featherweights will try their best to burn the Apex to the ground, but it will end with the rising star out of Xtreme Couture getting his hand raised.
Ige via TKO (4th Round)
Garret’s predicition: Ige via 4th round KO.
Sam’s predicition: Jung by 1st round TKO.
Overall, UFC Vegas 29 should be a fun card to watch. Tune in tonight at 7 p.m. to see all the action!
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