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UFC Fight Night: Perez vs. Taira Preview
June 11, 2024
The UFC returns to the Apex on Saturday, June 15th for a card that could end up being quite entertaining. However, I would not blame you if you don’t know most of the names on the card. I urge you to give it a shot, though, as there are some exciting up-and-comers who have the ability to put on a show. Get some of these fighters on your radar! Let’s take a look at the card…
Main Card (ESPN2/ESPN+ - 10 PM)
Alex Perez vs. Tatsuro Taira
Ikram Aliskerov vs. Antonio Trocoli
Timmy Cuamba vs. Lucas Almeida
Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Miles Johns
Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Johnson
Preliminary Card (ESPN2/ESPN+ - 7 PM)
Brady Hiestand vs. Garrett Armfield
Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Joshua Van
Jimmy Flick vs. Nate Maness
Josh Quinlan vs. Adam Fugitt
Carli Judice vs. Gabriella Fernandes
Jeka Saragih vs. Westin Wilson
Josefine Knutsson vs. Julia Polastri
Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Melquizael Costa
The Prelims
As always, I highly recommend the Prelims. I think you’ll be entertained. Here is what I am looking forward to…
Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Melquizael Costa will be a fun way to start the night. They both are tough and have good all-around styles.
I was looking forward to Josefine Knutsson vs. Julia Polastri back in March, but it got postponed to this card. I’m still looking forward to it. Knutsson is undefeated and seems like a prospect to watch. It will be interesting to see if the wait on this fight was worth it.
Win or lose, Jeka Saragih’s fights tend to end in a finish, so his fight against Westin Wilson may have a highlight ending.
Josh Quinlan and Adam Fugitt are both scrappy fighters, so this is a great matchup for the middle of the Prelims. The same goes for the fight right after it with Jimmy Flick and Nate Maness.
Joshua Van has been on a roll - both with wins and hard-fought fights. He will have his toughest test to date with the #12 ranked Tagir Ulanbekov. This is actually a pretty cool fight to have on the Prelims. Don’t sleep on this one!
Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Johnson
Almabayev has been on a tear and has looked really good in his two UFC fights. He has all the skills to make a statement in the division. However, Jose Johnson is a really tough matchup. Johnson will have a major height (8 inches) and reach (6.5 inches) advantage. It will be interesting to see if Asu can get in close on Jose to work the clinch and ground game.
Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Miles Johns
After some issues with positive tests and cardio questions, Miles Johns put in a great performance his last time out against Cody Gibson. It was a performance that made people realize that Miles Johns still can fight at a high level. He’ll need to stay at that high level against the returning Douglas Silva de Andrade. Douglas is back after a year away and has all the tools to be an issue right away. He is strong on his feet and on the ground, so he might want to explore the ground options against the willing-to-swing Johns.
Timmy Cuamba vs. Lucas Almeida
Both fighters are coming off a loss and will be looking to get back on track. Cuamba will have to be careful, as Almeida has twice as many significant strikes landed per minute than Cuamba does, with better accuracy, as well.
Ikram Aliskerov vs. Antonio Trocoli
Aliskerov comes in as a big time betting favorite over Antonio Trocoli. Aliskerov has looked excellent in his short time in the UFC. However, Trocoli will have an advantage in height and reach, so Aliskerov will have to show that he can close the distance fast and get in his shots. This will let us know if Aliskerov is truly ready for the next step in the division.
Alex Perez vs. Tatsuro Taira
Alex Perez shocked a lot of fight fans when he finished Matheus Nicolau in April. It not only put an end to his losing streak, but it reminded everyone of how good he can be. This is a relatively quick turnaround and it’s against the 15-0 Tatsuro Taira - an absolute beast. Taira has all the skills an elite MMA fighter should have and is poised to be a big time threat. Perez is an awesome fighter, but many are expecting Taira’s #13 to be a higher number come next week. This should be a really fun main event.
My Picks
Tatsuro Taira
Ikram Aliskerov
Lucas Almeida
Douglas Silva de Andrade
Asu Almabayev
Garrett Armfield
Tagir Ulanbekov
Nate Maness
Josh Quinlan
Gabriella Fernandes
Jeka Saragih
Josefine Knutsson
Melquizael Costa
This is a pretty tough card to pick, as a lot of these fighters are either pretty even or are surging prospects facing tests. These are the types of cards that I look forward to. Sure, the big shows a ton of fun. However, a card like this where I get to see some guys make a name for themselves - really fun. I’m looking forward to it!
Which fight are you looking forward to the most? Which prospect do you think will shine on Saturday? Let me know at matt.tenhoeve@gmail.com. I will be back later in the week to talk about tonight’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter. See you then!
