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This weekend sees the UFC head to Elmont, New York for its latest Fight Night event, and all eyes will be on the headline bout between featherweights Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega.
While Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega is undoubtedly an excellent bout, there are plenty of other reasons to watch this weekend’s UFC Fight Night, with a number of exciting fighters in action.
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Some of these fighters could well wind up in title contention if they can pull off big wins this weekend, meaning that fans should probably keep a close eye on the entirety of the event.
Here are five undercard fighters to keep an eye on at UFC Fight Night: Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez.
#5. Michelle Waterson – UFC strawweight contender
This weekend’s co-headline bout will see strawweight contenders Michelle Waterson and Amanda Lemos face off. While neither woman is likely to be in line for a title shot with a win, this fight will be crucial in determining their spot in the division.
In all honesty, though, there’s probably more pressure on Waterson coming into this bout. ‘The Karate Hottie’ remains one of the most recognizable and popular female fighters in the UFC, but at the age of 36, quite how long she can remain competitive at the top is a fair question.
More to the point, Waterson has won just one of her last four fights in the octagon, dating back to October 2019. That win was a split-decision over Angela Hill, who may also be past her prime at this stage.
Thankfully for ‘The Karate Hottie’, the stylistic match with Lemos may favor her. The Brazilian is more of a straightforward banger when it comes to her striking, and has shown some issues on the ground too – meaning Waterson might be able to take advantage in either area.
If she can win, then Waterson should be able to remain near the top of the division for some time. However, if she does fall to defeat, then her future in the promotion may become questionable.
#4. Jack Shore – UFC bantamweight contender
The fighter with the most impressive record on this weekend’s UFC Fight Night show is undoubtedly Jack Shore. The Welsh bantamweight has never lost in 16 bouts, with five of them coming in the octagon.
However, a perceived dull fighting style has left ‘Tank’ on this weekend’s preliminary card, where he is set to face the toughest test of his career in the form of Ricky Simon.
Not only is Simon currently ranked above Shore – the Welshman is No.14, Simon is No.13 – but he’s also been in the octagon with more experienced opponents such as Urijah Faber, Rob Font and Raphael Assuncao.
Despite this, Shore is still favored to win this fight. He’s less wild than Simon and seems to be more refined in all areas, and so if ‘Tank’ can pull off a win – particularly if he can find a way to secure his third stoppage in the octagon – then it’s likely that he’ll have a lot of hype around him.
Based on what we’ve seen of him thus far, the sky is the limit for this Welsh star, and so it’ll be well worth tuning into this weekend’s preliminary card to see him in action.
#3. Da Un Jung – UFC light-heavyweight contender
One fighter who is flying under the radar coming into this weekend’s event, but probably deserves far more hype than he’s getting, is South Korea’s Da Un Jung.
Despite competing in one of the UFC’s thinner divisions – light heavyweight – Jung never seems to be mentioned amongst the potential contenders at 205lbs. However, he is in fact unbeaten in the octagon at 4-0-1, and has an impressive overall record of 15-2-1.
The last time we saw Jung, he stopped Kennedy Nzechukwu with a violent flurry of elbows, and prior to this, he defeated William Knight, Mike Rodriguez and Khadis Ibragimov, finishing the latter two opponents impressively.
Will ‘Sseda’ finally get some hype around him if he can take out Dustin Jacoby this weekend? It’s definitely possible, as Jacoby is on a good run in his own right and has won his last three bouts, while avoiding defeat since 2015.
Given Jacoby’s high-level kickboxing experience, it’ll be interesting to see how Jung approaches this fight, but based on what he’s done so far, he should make it a fascinating bout to watch.
#2. Muslim Salikhov – UFC welterweight contender
One fighter competing on this weekend’s main card who definitely needs to be watched is welterweight contender Muslim Salikhov. ‘The King of Kung Fu’ faces off with Li Jingliang, and if he can win, it’ll be hard not to consider him a title contender.
It’s been a slow climb of sorts for Salikhov, who arrived in the UFC in 2017 with plenty of hype and a flashy 13-1 record, only to fall to Alex Garcia in his octagon debut.
Since then, though, the native of Dagestan has looked excellent, defeating five opponents in a row and most recently edging out tricky veteran Francisco Trinaldo in an impressive showing.
However, Li promises to test him like nobody has done before. Not only does ‘The Leech’ live up to his nickname at times, applying some heavy grappling pressure on his opponents, but he’s also been in with higher-level foes such as Khamzat Chimaev and Santiago Ponzinibbio.
Despite this, Salikhov should still be confident. If he can keep the Chinese fighter at a distance and throw his flashy strikes, then there’s definitely a chance he lands something nasty to put ‘The Leech’ away. If he can do that, then the top 15 in the welterweight division beckons.
#1. Miesha Tate – UFC flyweight contender
Outside of the headline bout, the fighter most worth watching at this weekend’s event is definitely Miesha Tate. The former UFC bantamweight champion has been preparing for her debut at flyweight for some time, and after seeing it delayed by a couple of weeks, she’s finally set to face off against former title challenger Lauren Murphy.
What does ‘Cupcake’ have to offer at 125lbs? It’s slightly hard to say. After all, she retired following a bad loss to Raquel Pennington in 2016, and while she looked excellent in her return bout against Marion Reneau, she didn’t offer as much in her loss to Ketlen Vieira.
At 125lbs, though, she appears to be in the best shape of her life, and despite being 35 years old, if she can shine against Murphy, then the future may well be bright for her.
That’s because right now, reigning flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko has a dearth of live opponents, and due to her big name, history with the UFC and overall skills, Tate could well end up being her next challenger if she can win here.
That means the stakes are remarkably high in this fight, and that makes it probably the most important on this card outside of the headline bout.
