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Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Atlantic City
Erin Blanchfield vs Manon Fiorot Top A Stacked New Jersey Card. Let's Break It Down.
By E. Spencer Kyte, on X: @SpencerKyte
Atlantic City has played host to some big fights over the years.
The first lightweight champion was crowned on the Jersey Shore. The heavyweight and middleweight titles changed hands in the city that inspired the American edition of Monopoly, and both the heavyweight and light heavyweight titles were successfully defended in the oceanside destination that once again plays host to the UFC this weekend.
While no gold is on the line, Saturday’s fight card is capped by a flyweight clash with massive championship implications, accompanied by a host of familiar names, some promising ascending talents, and more than a couple sneaky gems tucked in throughout the card for good measure.
Here’s a look at what’s on tap.
Main Event: Erin Blanchfield vs Manon Fiorot
The top two contenders in the flyweight division face off in the main event, as Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot do battle to potentially determine who is next in line for a championship opportunity.
A New Jersey native, Blanchfield has looked like a future champion during her first six UFC outings, showing tenacity and a strong Fight IQ while securing six consecutive victories over increasingly more accomplished opposition. While she’s happy to exchange and continues growing as a striker, her greatest strength is in the grappling realm, where the 24-year-old is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt and has earned finishes of JJ Aldrich, Molly McCann, and Jessica Andrade.
Fiorot is similarly unbeaten inside the Octagon, having run her record to 6-0 with a victory over Rose Namajunas on home soil in Paris last time out. “The Beast” has posted 11 consecutive victories overall, and after opening her UFC tenure with consecutive finishes, the 34-year-old has shown a deft ability to out-work her opponents and dominate the scorecards since.
Each woman can make a credible case for meriting a title shot already, but with Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko still needing to resolve their differences — and slated to coach opposite one another on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter — pitting them against one another to determine the unquestioned No. 1 contender makes a great deal of sense.
Other Main Card Matchups:
Vicente Luque vs Joaquin Buckley
Welterweights Vicente Luque and Joaquin Buckley occupy the co-main event slot on Saturday’s fight card in a pairing that could be highly combustible.
It’s been an odd few months for Luque since returning to action with a win over Rafael Dos Anjos in July, as his UFC 296 bout with Ian Machado Garry was scuttled when the Irishman contracted pneumonia, and then his assignment here opposite Sean Brady fell apart when the Philadelphia native was unable to compete due to injury. Nonetheless, the Brazilian stalwart remains and slots in opposite Buckley, looking for a second straight win and 16th UFC victory.
Following a solid run as an undersized middleweight, Buckley moved to the welterweight division last year and has enjoyed early success. He stopped Andre Fialho in his divisional debut, and then bested Alex Morono on the scorecards last time out to enter this one on a two-fight run of success.
Will the Top 10 fixture Luque lean on his experience and diverse array of finishing abilities to collect another win or can Buckley keep things rolling and register the biggest win of his career this weekend?
Chris Weidman vs Bruno Silva
Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman squares off with Brazilian veteran Bruno Silva in an intriguing main card clash on Saturday.
Weidman made his return to action following his horrific leg injury last summer at UFC 292 in Boston, landing on the wrong side of the cards against Brad Tavares. It’s been a rough go for “The All-American” since his last title fight, with the Long Island native touching down in Atlantic City searching for his first victory in more than three years.
Things started well in the UFC for Silva, who posted consecutive stoppage wins over Wellington Turman, Andrew Sanchez, and Jordan Wright to begin his tenure. Since then, however, the 34-year-old has posted just one win in five starts, arriving in AC on a two-fight skid.
It’ll be interesting to see if Weidman looks more comfortable and confident in this one after having gotten his highly anticipated — and highly stressful, I’m sure — return to action out of the way last year. Silva has been in there with a solid slate of opponents and has good power, so he won’t go away easily.
Nursulton Ruziboev vs Sedriques Dumas
It’s a clash of intriguing middleweights as Nursulton Ruziboev and Sedriques Dumas share the Octagon on Saturday night.
With more than 40 fights already under his belt, Ruziboev turned up as a short-notice replacement last summer in Las Vegas and made an immediate impact, stopping Brunno Ferreira in just over a minute to extend his overall winning streak to nine. The 30-year-old native of Uzbekistan trains with the Philadelphia crew that includes Brady, Joe Pyfer, and Andre Petroski under the leadership of John Marquez and Daniel Gracie, so you know he’ll be well prepared each time he turns up.
A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) Class of ’22, Dumas stumbled out of the gates in his UFC career, suffering a second-round submission loss to Josh Fremd in his debut. Since then, the Floridian has shown steady growth and development while posting consecutive decision wins over Cody Brundage and Abu Azaitair.
Can Ruziboev push his winning streak to double digits or does Dumas make it three straight to begin his 2024 campaign?
Bill Algeo vs Kyle Nelson
Crafty veterans Bill Algeo and Kyle Nelson meet in this main card fixture in the featherweight division.
Algeo has gone 5-2 since dropping his short notice debut to Ricardo Lamas, entering off back-to-back wins over TJ Brown and Alexander Hernandez, with a victory over Joanderson Brito aging nicely on his resume, as well. The 34-year-old is well-rounded and steady, having fought a quality schedule prior to arriving in the UFC and maintaining that tough slate through his eight appearances inside the Octagon, as well.
Last year represented a major turnaround for Nelson, as the 32-year-old Canadian posted a 2-0-1 mark in his three UFC starts after beginning his time in the promotion with just a single win in five appearances. After battling Dooho Choi to a draw to begin the year, “The Monster” wrapped 2023 with consecutive decision wins over Blake Bilder and Fernando Padilla to push is record to 15-5-1 overall.
This one has the potential to be sneaky fun, as both are skilled, savvy, and eager to show they can continue moving forward in the deep featherweight division.
Chidi Njokuani vs Rhys McKee
The main card kicks off with a welterweight clash between Chidi Njokuani and Rhys McKee that should be explosive.
Njokuani drops down to the 170-pound ranks for the first time in his UFC career and the first time in more than six years, looking to snap out of a three-fight slide. The veteran striker earned a pair of impressive finishes to begin his time in the Octagon, and if he can make the weight without issue, Njokuani has the chance to be a fun, all-action addition to the division.
Through three UFC appearances across two stints, McKee has yet to register a victory inside the Octagon after dropping a decision to Ange Loosa last time out. He’s won six straight beyond the UFC’s borders, with all of those victories coming inside the distance, but he's yet to deliver the same kind of performance on the biggest stage in the sport.
Preliminary Card Fights:
Nate Landwehr vs Jamall Emmers
Nate Landwehr and Jamall Emmers close out the prelims in a clash of featherweights looking to move one step closer to cracking the Top 15.
“Nate the Train” competes for the first time since having his three-fight winning streak stopped by Dan Ige last summer in Vancouver, while Emmers aims to build off a blistering effort against Dennis Buzukja at Madison Square Garden back in November. No matter how this one plays out, it should be all kinds of fun.
Virna Jandiroba vs Loopy Godinez
Virna Jandiroba and Loopy Godinez lock up in a critical matchup between strawweight contenders on Saturday evening.
Returning to action after a serious knee injury left her sidelined for the better part of a year, Jandiroba enters on a two-fight winning streak and stationed at No. 5 in the divisional rankings. Godinez emerged as a contender last year, posting four wins between April and September, including a dominant finish of Elise Reed and a gutsy split decision nod over Tabatha Ricci last time out.
Julio Arce vs Herbert Burns
Veterans Julio Arce and Herbert Burns look to shake off the rust together as they meet in this featherweight matchup.
Arce last fought at UFC 281, dropping a decision to Montel Jackson, and looks to reclaim the form that produced early wins over Dan Ige and Julian Rosa. Burns last fought in July 2022, losing to Algeo in a bout where he suffered a serious knee injury.
Dennis Buzukja vs Connor Matthews
DWCS alums Dennis Buzukja and Connor Matthews clash in the first of the evening’s four featherweight battles.
Both Buzukja and Matthews went 1-1 on the annual talent search series, losing their first appearances before earning victories the second time around. The former garnered a call-up last year, only to land on the wrong side of things in consecutive outings, while Matthews makes the walk to the Octagon for the first time this weekend.
Ibo Aslan vs Anton Turkalj
Ibo Aslan and Anton Turkalj renew acquaintances in this interesting light heavyweight fixture on Saturday.
Aslan has posted four straight first-round stoppage wins heading into his promotional debut, including his contract-winning turn on the Contender Series last summer. Turkalj has dropped three straight since getting the call to the Octagon, but should be buoyed by having previously choked out Aslan on the regional circuit.
Viktoriia Dudakova vs Melissa Gatto
Viktoriia Dudakova and Melissa Gatto meet in this intriguing clash in the flyweight division.
Unbeaten in eight professional appearances, Dudakova out-worked Jinh Yu Frey last time out, but moves up after missing weight ahead of that contest. Gatto maintained her unbeaten record with wins over Victoria Leonardo and Sijara Eubanks in her first two UFC outings, but has since dropped back-to-back decisions to Tracy Cortez and Ariane Lipski.
Andre Petroski vs Jacob Malkoun
Andre Petroski and Jacob Malkoun share the Octagon in his battle of middleweights looking to get things moving in the right direction.
After five straight wins to begin his UFC run, Petroski ran afoul of divisional newcomer Michel Pereira last time out. As for Malkoun, the 28-year-old Australian has struggled with consistency through his UFC run, and enters off a DQ loss to Cody Brundage last September.
Angel Pacheco vs Caolan Loughran
Bantamweights kick off the action in Atlantic City, as DWCS alum Angel Pacheco faces off with Caolan Loughran.
Pacheco impressed UFC CEO Dana White with his grit and tenacity while landing on the wrong side of the results against Danny Silva last fall in Las Vegas, earning a contract despite the loss. After a strong run under the Cage Warriors banner capped by a bantamweight title win, Loughran suffered the first loss of his career in his promotional debut last fall in Paris.
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