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This upcoming weekend sees the UFC return to our screens with their latest Fight Night event, and while this isn’t the biggest show of 2022, it's still exciting.
With a total of fourteen fights on tap and a number of high-level veterans and prospects in action, this should be a very watchable UFC show.
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There are several fighters to watch closely at this event, with a handful potentially looking to break into title contention in the near future.
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With that in mind, here are five fighters to keep a close eye on at UFC Fight Night: Alexander Volkov vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
#5. Felice Herrig – UFC strawweight contender
While she’s been one of the more popular strawweight fighters on the UFC’s roster since her debut in 2014, it’s probably safe to say that Felice Herrig’s octagon career hasn’t always been plain sailing.
‘Lil Bulldog’ has picked up some huge wins over the years, most notably over highly-rated fighters such as Alexa Grasso and Justine Kish, but more recently, she’s fallen on tough times. Not only is Herrig now riding a three-fight losing streak, but she’s also been on the shelf for nearly two years after suffering multiple serious injuries.
At the age of 37, then, there’s every chance that this weekend’s event could mark the end of the road for this veteran. However, her fight with Karolina Kowalkiewicz could also offer her a significant chance at some redemption.
The two women fought back in April 2018 in a close fight to call, with Kowalkiewicz edging a split decision. Since then, the Polish fighter has been on an even bigger slide than ‘Lil Bulldog’, as she’s lost her last five bouts in a row.
If Herrig were to beat her old foe this weekend, it wouldn’t put her into title contention, but it’d give her the rare chance to sign off on her octagon career with a victory.
Given that Kowalkiewicz hasn’t looked great recently – and if she can get her game going, Herrig is very dangerous on the ground – this does look like a winnable bout for the Chicago-based fighter, making her someone to watch on this card.
#4. Alonzo Menifield – UFC light heavyweight contender
On every UFC card, there seems to be at least one fighter who practically guarantees some fireworks; this weekend, that man is Alonzo Menifield. Put simply, there are few fighters on the roster who swing as hard as ‘Atomic’.
Of course, that approach hasn’t exactly paid off perfectly for the veteran of Dana White’s Contender Series just yet. He’s scored big knockouts of Vinicius Moreira and Paul Craig and was also able to defeat Fabio Cherant and Ed Herman, but his losses to Devin Clark and William Knight showed the flaws in his game.
Menifield’s heavy-swinging approach means that he often tends to get tired quickly in his bouts, rendering him vulnerable even against fighters who aren’t quite as explosive as him.
This weekend sees him faced with newcomer Askar Mozharov, a man equally adept at finishing his opponents. The Ukrainian has 21 victories, with just two of them going the distance, meaning that the likelihood of this one seeing the final buzzer seems low.
So can ‘Atomic’ switch up his approach to something more intelligent, meaning he can still land those concussive blows without tiring himself out in his attempts? If he can, he could still become a contender at 205lbs – making him a man to watch.
#3. Alexander Volkov – UFC heavyweight contender
This weekend’s headline bout sees heavyweight contenders Alexander Volkov and Jairzinho Rozenstruik doing battle. With both men coming off losses, it’s a big fight from all perspectives.
However, while Rozenstruik definitely has his back to the wall somewhat, it’s ‘Drago’ who arguably has more to lose this weekend. The Russian has won just one of his last three fights, and while there was no shame in his defeat to Ciryl Gane, his loss to Tom Aspinall at UFC London was pretty devastating.
For now, Volkov remains in the outer reaches of heavyweight title contention, but how much longer he can stay there is a major question mark. After all, he’s 34 years old in October, and younger contenders are now pushing through.
Interestingly, though, there does appear to be a path to victory for ‘Drago’ this weekend. If he can ground Rozenstruik, then he can probably pull off a win, as ‘Bigi Boy’ looked utterly out of his depth on the ground with Curtis Blaydes in his last fight.
Does Volkov possess the wrestling to take Rozenstruik down? It’s possible, but he’ll have to fight a very different fight to the one he usually does. That begs the question – can an old dog ever learn new tricks?
If he can, he can win this fight, making him a very watchable fighter this weekend.
#2. Jairzinho Rozenstruik – UFC heavyweight contender
Jairzinho Rozenstruik is a fascinating fighter overall in that he’s one of the few remaining one-dimensional stars on the UFC roster to find success in the octagon.
Based on what we saw in his bouts with Curtis Blaydes and Alistair Overeem, ‘Bigi Boy’ is painfully out of his depth whenever a fight hits the ground, but his striking is so dangerous that he remains one of the higher-ranked heavyweights on the roster.
Since his debut in 2019, the Suriname native has reeled in six octagon victories; more importantly, every opponent he’s beaten has been left unconscious at his hands. Like a modern-day Mark Hunt, ‘Bigi Boy’ has pinpoint, accurate strikes, a laid-back style in the octagon, and an evident weakness.
This weekend’s fight with Alexander Volkov is huge simply because it could mark a crossroads for him. If he’s tuned up his ground game after his loss to Blaydes, he could well climb back into true contention, but if he hasn’t, he could suffer a second defeat.
That wouldn’t end his UFC career, of course, but it’d definitely pigeonhole him as little more than an exciting action fighter – and he surely has designs on something more than that.
#1. Movsar Evloev – UFC featherweight contender
Overall, the fighter most worth watching this weekend is Russian featherweight Movsar Evloev, who faces off against Dan Ige in the event’s co-headliner. More than any other fighter on this card, Evloev has the potential to become a genuine title contender.
Since his octagon debut back in 2019, Evloev has reeled off five wins in a row, with his opponents getting progressively more difficult. Most recently, he picked up an impressive win over Hakeem Dawodu, showing off both his excellent grappling and solid chin.
Sure, the Russian’s style isn’t always the most eye-catching – he tends to spam takedowns until he can ground his opponent and control them on the mat, hence why he hasn’t stopped an opponent in the octagon.
However, there’s no disputing that it’s been effective thus far, and at the end of the day, wins, not an exciting fighting style, can take someone to the top of the UFC’s rankings.
Ige promises to be a tricky opponent for Evloev in that he won’t back down, has more high-end experience, and has even headlined a number of events. However, the Hawaiian is also largely untested on the ground, making this a winnable fight for the Russian.
If Evloev can win this one – particularly if he entertains in doing so – then a new contender might be born, making him the man to keep an eye on at this event.
