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UFC Vegas 53 Preview

UFC Vegas 53

(Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

UFC Vegas 53
(Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

UFC Vegas 53 Preview

It will be hard to find another fight card with as few ranked fighters as UFC Vegas 53. While one fight between ranked bantamweights is headlining there are still a number of fights that have the potential of being very exciting and competitive. At UFC Vegas 53 on Saturday, April 30 there will be a total of 12 fights covering eight of the UFC’s 12 weight classes. The preliminary fights get underway at 4:00 PM ET on ESPN+ and ESPN2 while the main card starts at 7:00 PM ET and will be shown on ESPN+ and ESPN.

Main Card

Rob Font (5) vs Marlon Vera (8) – Catchweight

Two of the bantamweight division best were originally going to fight at the bantamweight weight limit, but the fight will now be at a catchweight of 138.5 pounds instead of the bantamweight limit of 136 pounds for a non-title fight. The switch to catchweight came after #5 ranked Rob Font came in overweight. As a result, he will be penalized 20 percent of his fight purse.

Font had won four fights in a row before losing in his last fight against current #3 José Aldo by unanimous decision. In his four-fight winning streak Font had wins over former champion Cody Garbrandt and former title challenger Marlon Moraes. The win over Moraes was the only one in Font’s latest winning streak to not go to the judges’ scorecards as Font won with a TKO finish in the first round.

While Font comes into UFC Vegas 53 off of a loss, Marlon Vera comes in having won his last two fights since losing to Aldo in December 2020. Vera started 2021 with a decision win against Davey Grant in June before knocking out Frankie Edgar in November with a vicious front kick that slept the former lightweight champion. As a result of the win over Edgar Vera jumped from #13 to #8 in the rankings and looks to keep the win streak going against Font.

With Aljamain Sterling winning the undisputed UFC bantamweight title at UFC 273 the 135-pound division has been cleared up. As a result, this fight will allow for the winner to enter the title picture in the very competitive bantamweight division.

Prediction

Vera is coming into this fight at UFC Vegas 53 riding a ton of momentum from a successful 2021 while Font had his momentum stopped at the end of last year. This fight will likely be the fight of the night. Font has never been knocked out, but Vera has the skill to do just that. I have Vera winning by knockout.

Andrei Arlovski vs Jake Collier – Heavyweight

In the co-main event of UFC Vegas 53 two heavyweights are looking to get their second win of 2022 when Andrei Arlovski and Jake Collier faceoff. Arlovski beat Jared Vanderaa at UFC 271 in February by unanimous decision to extend his winning streak to three. The former UFC heavyweight champion has now won five of his last six fights with the only loss coming against Tom Aspinall prior to the three-fight win streak.

Across from him in the octagon will be Collier who beat Chase Sherman with a first-round submission in January to get his 2022 rolling. Collier entered the UFC in 2014 and has alternated wins and losses in his 10 fights since. The 33-year-old American lost his lone fight of 2021 to Carlos Felipe by decision. A few months later Felipe lost by decision against Arlovski.

Arlovski is now 43 years old and has fought all of the best in the heavyweight division since making his UFC debut in 2000. With this wealth of experience, Arlovski will be a tough challenge for Collier and one that the younger fighter needs to win to have any chance of moving into the rankings. Originally Collier was scheduled to face Justin Tafa, but Tafa pulled out of the fight for undisclosed reasons.

Prediction

Arlovski has proved that age is but a number with his recent success, and if Collier’s career trend continues then it will be a win for Arlovski. However, all things end at some point and that could very well happen on Saturday. I have Collier winning by decision.

Andre Fili vs Joanderson Brito – Featherweight

Both Andre Fili and Joanderson Brito will be attempting to get back in the win column when they face off at UFC Vegas 53. Fili has gone winless in three of his last four fights with a win over Charles Jourdain as the only bright spot. After that win, Fili lost to rising star Bryce Mitchell by decision and then had a no-contest fight against Daniel Pineda after Pineda was poked in the eye and unable to continue. The rough stretch came at the worst time for Fili as he had won four of his five fights prior.

Brito made his UFC debut earlier in 2022 and found himself on the wrong side of a decision loss to Bill Algeo. The loss to Algeo was the first for Brito since 2015, a stretch in which the Brazilian went 11-0-1 and ended a 10-fight win streak. Brito used the streak to propel into the UFC and got the call after a technical decision win against Diego Lopes on Dana White’s Contender Series last August. 

He will now face a fighter in Fili that has been a staple in the UFC’s featherweight division since 2013 and has fought with some of the division’s best in Max Holloway, Yair Rodríguez, and Calvin Kattar despite losing to all three.

Prediction

Both are very well-rounded fighters that have double-digit finishes. Fili has nine knockout wins and three submissions while Brito has five wins by both methods. I have Fili getting back to winning ways with a decision win.

Jared Gordon vs Grant Dawson – Lightweight

Jared Gordon enters his fight at UFC Vegas 53 riding a three-fight win streak that had three fights at different weight classes. First, it was a win at featherweight over Chris Fishgold. Then a catchweight fight at 150 pounds with Danny Chavez took place after Gordon came in overweight. His last fight was a successful return to lightweight against Joe Solecki. 

His streak will be put to the test by Grant Dawson. Dawson has one loss in his professional career with a record of 17-1-1. Since entering the UFC Dawson has yet to lose but did have a draw in his last fight. The draw with Ricky Glenn ended an eight-fight win streak for the Nebraska native. Similar to Gordon, Dawson has recently returned to the lightweight division before his most recent win after spending most of his UFC career fighting at featherweight. In his return to lightweight Dawson knocked out Leonardo Santos.

This majority of this fight at UFC Vegas 53 could very well be spent on the ground as Dawson is a high-caliber wrestler that has 11 of his 17 wins coming by submission. While starting out as a boxer Gordon quickly added in wrestling but has only two wins coming by submission with the majority of his wins coming by decision.

Prediction

Expect a wrestling masterpiece to be on display between two guys on a tear and looking to prove that they belong in the top 15 of the lightweight division. I have Dawson winning by submission.

Darren Elkins vs Tristan Connelly – Featherweight

Darren Elkins has been a very streaky fighter during his time in the UFC career. He was on a six-fight win streak before dropping his next four and had had a five-fight winning streak earlier in his UFC career. His last fight was a TKO loss to Cub Swanson which ended a two-fight win streak that saw him submit Luiz Eduardo Garagorri and then knockout Darrick Minner. At 37 years old Elkins has gained a wealth of experience from his 25 fights in the UFC. 

Tristan Connelly is the complete opposite. While being only a year younger than Elkins, Connelly will be making his third walk in the UFC. It has been over a year since he last fought at UFC 261 in a fight he lost by decision to Pat Sabatini. In his time off Connelly underwent neck surgery. The fight with Sabatini came after Connelly was out of action for nearly two years. In what was his UFC debut in his hometown of Vancouver, Canada Connelly beat Michel Pereira by unanimous decision. Between his fight with Pereira and Sabatini, Connelly dropped two weight classes from welterweight to featherweight. 

Prediction

Two veterans of the fight game looking to return to winning ways should result in an exciting fight with both pushing the pace. I have Elkins winning by decision.

Krzysztof Jotko vs Gerald Meerschaert – Middleweight

Gerald Meerschaert has responded greatly since being knocked out after only 17 seconds by Khamzat Chimaev. Three straight submission victories left the 34-year-old perfect in 2021. Last time out Meerschaert finished Dustin Stoltzfus in the third round with a rear-naked choke for his 26th career submission. All of his last six wins have come by submission and he has not won by any other method since a TKO win in December of 2017.

Opposing him is a dangerous striker in Krzystof Jotko. Jotko has six of his 23 wins coming by knockout with just one submission to go with 16 decision wins. The Polish fighter split results in 2021 losing first to Sean Strickland and then beating Misha Cirkunov. The loss to Strickland ended his three-fight winning streak which came following a three-fight losing streak.

While it has been since 2017 that Meerschaert won not by a submission it has been even longer since Jotko has won a fight by a method other than a decision. His knockout win over Tamdan McCrory in June of 2016 was the last time he finished an opponent.

Prediction

This is an extremely interesting clash of styles to start the main card. I have Meerschaert keeping the streak going and winning by knockout.

Prelim to Watch

Daniel Lacerda vs Francisco Figueiredo – Flyweight

Coming off a loss in his UFC debut Daniel Lacerda comes up against Francisco Figueiredo, the younger brother of UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo. Lacerda was beaten by Jeff Molina by TKO last October. The loss was only the second of his career and dropped his record to 11-2.

The younger Figueiredo won his UFC debut but lost in his second fight last time out by unanimous decision to Malcolm Gordon. His one UFC win came by decision against Jerome Rivera. The loss to Gordon ended the Brazilian’s four-fight unbeaten streak. Now he will look to get back to winning ways at UFC Vegas 53.

Prediction

It is always interesting seeing siblings of UFC champions fight because there is that extra sense of pressure. With that being said I have Figueiredo winning by submission.

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