5 reasons to watch UFC Fight Night: Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori

This weekend sees the UFC return to Las Vegas for UFC Fight Night: Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori. The event comes just one week before a major non-pay-per-view numbered show in the form of UFC 267.

UFC Fight Night: Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori is a far superior card to the two prior Fight Night events that we’ve been treated to, meaning there’s plenty to look forward to.

With that in mind, here are five reasons why fans need to watch UFC Fight Night: Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori.

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#5. Negumereanu and Villanueva could produce a classic UFC slugfest

Ike Villanueva tends to produce violent knockouts when he fights in the UFC

The main card opener this weekend features light heavyweights Nicolae Negumereanu and Ike Villanueva facing off. While these fighters are unlikely to produce a technical masterclass, they could end up putting on a slugfest for the ages.

Villanueva has been with the UFC since May 2020, going 1-3 since his octagon debut, including a loss to Chase Sherman. Usually, a record like that would be enough for the promotion to release a fighter, but there’s a good reason why ‘Hurricane Ike’ has been kept around.

Essentially, the big puncher guarantees excitement when he steps inside the octagon. He hasn’t gone the distance in any of his fights thus far, either winning or losing via TKO. In fact, he’s seen the final buzzer on just four occasions in 30 career fights.

Negumereanu is a bit less proven, both in the UFC and overall. ‘Nick’ holds an MMA record of 10-1. While he’s gone 1-1 in the UFC, with both fights going the distance, they were the exception, not the rule.

Outside of the UFC, Negumereanu reeled off nine straight wins, with none of them going the distance. Instead, he produced six knockouts and three submissions. Against a reckless fighter like Villanueva, then, the chances of the big Romanian going the distance appear to be very slim.

Sure, neither man is likely to box like Floyd Mayweather, but fans can probably expect a crazy brawl with one of these two being knocked out, meaning this fight should be a must-see affair.

#4. Alex Caceres is not a title contender, but he’s always worth watching

Alex Caceres always puts on a good show in the octagon

Any fighter who manages to survive for over a decade as part of the UFC’s roster is well worthy of respect. That respect should probably extend further if that fighter has managed to survive despite not being an elite-level competitor.

In that sense, it’s hard not to admire Alex Caceres. When he first emerged from TUF 12 in late 2010, he was known more for his ‘Bruce Leeroy’ gimmick than he was his fighting skills. To say fans didn’t expect him to last for long would be an understatement.

Instead, Caceres is still kicking around in the UFC 11 years later. While his record of 13-10 is spotty at best, he’s arguably on the best run of his career right now, winning his last four UFC bouts in a row.

What makes Caceres such a watchable fighter and why he’s been kept around for so long is probably the reason he’s never made it into title contention. He’s wildly inconsistent, meaning he’s equally likely to destroy an opponent as he is to be destroyed himself. With ‘Bruce Leeroy’, there’s little middle ground.

Less is known about his opponent this weekend. Seung Woo Choi is a Muay Thai stylist who has gone 2-3 in the UFC. However, he is coming off three wins in a row, including a big knockout of Julian Erosa. If nothing else, he’s exciting and aggressive.

That should mean that if Caceres produces his usual mayhem, a watchable and fun fight should ensue this weekend, giving fans another reason to check out this UFC show.

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#3. One of the UFC’s oldest fighters will attempt to find the fountain of youth again

Francisco Trinaldo is one of the UFC's oldest fighters

Traditionally, the UFC is no country for older men, with younger fighters regularly defeating their aged counterparts. However, some fighters have thrived at an older age. One such example is Francisco Trinaldo.

‘Massaranduba’ is now 43 years old, although to look at him, it’s hard to believe. The Brazilian is one of the most explosive athletes on the UFC roster and has developed a brutally powerful striking game to go along with his already high-level grappling.

Perhaps the only sign pointing to his advanced age is the fact that in 2021, he’s been forced up to 170 pounds as he can no longer make the lightweight limit safely.

Trinaldo made his welterweight debut earlier this year. While he was defeated by Muslim Salikhov, it wasn’t a shameful loss by any means. Salikhov is a tricky striker for anyone to face and yet he couldn’t really come close to finishing ‘Massaranduba’.

This weekend, though, the Brazilian is set to fight a far more beatable foe in the form of Dwight Grant, a skilled but fragile welterweight. Therefore, it’s much more likely that he’ll dip back into the fountain of youth and use his explosive skills to pick up an exciting win.

How much longer this underrated and exciting fighter can continue at this level is anyone’s guess, so UFC fans would do well to enjoy ‘Massaranduba’ while they still can.

#2. Grant Dawson is one of the most underrated fighters in the UFC

Grant Dawson has won five UFC fights in a row

The UFC has plenty of fighters who end up flying under the radar. It’s to be expected with a roster of hundreds. One such under-the-radar fighter, lightweight Grant Dawson, is in action in this weekend’s co-main event against Rick Glenn.

Dawson has been with the UFC since 2019. In that time, he’s quietly gone 5-0, with just two of those victories going the distance.

So why has ‘KGD’ not received more plaudits? There are two likely reasons. Firstly, he hasn’t beaten anyone on the real elite level just yet. Secondly, four of his five wins came at featherweight, where he often struggled to make the 145-pound limit.

Dawson is now up at lightweight and his debut there was a dramatic and impressive one. He knocked out veteran Leonardo Santos in the final second of the third round, becoming the first man to defeat the TUF Brazil 2 winner in the UFC in the process.

Will a win over Glenn move ‘KGD’ into the top 10 at lightweight? Probably not, due to the loaded nature of the division. However, this is still a chance, in a co-main event bout, for him to make a real name for himself. Judging by what we’ve seen so far, it’s a chance he’s likely to take.

Given that he will probably be a name on the lips of most UFC fans soon, it’s definitely worth watching him in action this weekend.

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#1. Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori is one of October’s best fights

Marvin Vettori will hope to bounce back from his loss to Israel Adesanya with a win this weekend

The biggest reason to watch this weekend’s UFC Fight Night is the incredible main event that pits two of the world’s top middleweights against one another.

Both Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori are coming off losses, but both men fell at the hands of the best middleweight on the planet right now, reigning UFC champion Israel Adesanya. There’s no shame in a loss to ‘The Last Stylebender’ and arguably, either man could beat any other middleweight on the UFC roster right now.

For Costa, this is a chance at redemption. Once considered the most feared striker in the division thanks to his string of brutal knockouts and a wild victory over Yoel Romero, ‘The Eraser’ found his reputation dented when he was stopped in the second round by Adesanya.

However, with a year of rest and recovery behind him, the Brazilian will look at this fight as a chance to prove that he’s more dangerous than ever and is worthy of another crack at the champion.

Vettori, meanwhile, will look to prove that he belongs in the conversation as one of the best middleweights in the world. He took some criticism for not fighting the best competition en route to his title shot. However, a win over a proven fighter like Costa would immediately put a stop to such talk.

The winner of this one isn’t likely to be granted an instant shot at Adesanya, but they will definitely move themselves back into the mix for a title shot. With so much on the line, this fight is a must-see affair for any UFC fan.