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Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Song vs Simon
Preview Every Fight On UFC Fight Night: Song vs Simon As We Prepare For A Bantamweight Battle To Meet At The UFC APEX
By E. Spencer Kyte, on Twitter @spencerkyte
One person’s misfortune can be the opportunity someone else needs to shine, and that could very well be the case on Saturday at the UFC APEX.
Originally slated to be headlined by a thrilling lightweight contest between Armen Tsarukuyan and Renato Moicano, an injury to the Brazilian forced that bout to be shelved and an intriguing matchup between bantamweight standouts Song Yadong and Ricky Simon to be delayed a week and elevated to the main event position this weekend.
In addition to Song and Simon getting the chance to occupy the spotlight, the second consecutive event at the UFC’s in-house arena brings the opportunity for a handful of debuting talents, a collection of Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) graduates, and a bunch of aspiring competitors to attempt to make the kind of statement necessary to carry them to even bigger matchups and more prominence in the second half of the year.
Some people don’t like to hear it, but it’s repeated because it often rings true: these are the types of cards that have a way of sneaking up on folks and delivering loads of excitement, so don’t be surprised if Saturday’s event delivers an abundance of awesomeness.
Here’s a run through the matchups slated to hit the Octagon this weekend in the latest edition of the Fight-By-Fight Preview.
Main Event: Song Yadong vs. Ricky Simon
Top 10 bantamweights slide into the main event slot on Saturday as Song Yadong faces off with Ricky Simon in a crucial matchup pushed back from last weekend.
Song is a man in two worlds in the loaded bantamweight division — a 25-year-old with a wealth of experience, a secure place in the Top 10, but also plenty of room to continue developing. He enters this weekend’s contest off a loss to Cory Sandhagen in a bout where he was competitive throughout before a cut brought about a premature end, and he can re-affirm his standing as one of the top young talents in the treacherous 135-pound ranks with a win here.
Clocking in at No. 10 in the divisional rankings, Simon touches down in Las Vegas on a five-fight winning streak and brandishing an 8-2 record inside the Octagon. He’s earned finishes in each of his last two outings and three of his last four, and handed Jack Shore the first defeat ever, amateur or pro, back in July.
While there aren’t title implications on the line in this one, unlike the main event, it is a tremendously intriguing pairing between two fighters with similar championship aspirations, but operating on slightly different timelines. There is a little more urgency for the 30-year-old Simon, and it will be curious to see if he can use that to propel himself to victory or if Song can rebuff his advances and solidify his place in the hierarchy instead.
Other Main Card Fights
Caio Borralho vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
It’s a meeting of ascending middleweights as Caio Borralho and Michal Oleksiejczuk square off in the co-main event of the evening.
Borralho parlayed two victories on Season 5 of DWCS into a UFC contract and then proceeded to win all three of his fights during his rookie campaign. A member of the Fighting Nerds team, the 30-year-old “Natural” is 13-1 overall with one no contest, and enters Saturday’s contest on a 10-fight winning streak and 13-fight unbeaten run overall.
Poland’s Oleksiejczuk began last year still competing at light heavyweight but made the move down to the 185-pound ranks following a loss to Dustin Jacoby at UFC 272. In his first two middleweight appearances, the 28-year-old made quick work of Sam Alvey and Cody Brundage, showcasing his tremendous boxing to earn first-round stoppage wins over each.
On paper, this profiles as a “grappler versus striker” matchup and that’s likely how it plays out in practice, as well, as Borralho will aim to close the distance, clinch, and wrestle, while Oleksiejczuk will do his damnedest to maintain space and get loose with his hands. Whichever man is able to most effectively implement their game plan will most likely continue their winning ways and take another step forward in the division.
Rodolfo Vieira vs. Cody Brundage
We stick at middleweight for a clash between Brazilian jiu jitsu world champion Rodolfo Vieira and former Division I wrestler Cody Brundage.
Vieira’s transition into MMA started smoothly, as he parlayed five consecutive victories into an opportunity to compete in the UFC, and maintained his winning ways with victories in each of his first two trips into the Octagon. Since then, the 33-year-old has gone 1-2, with losses to Anthony Hernandez and Chris Curtis stationed on either side of a hard-fought win over Dustin Stoltzfus.
A short-notice fight against Nick Maximov allowed Brundage to get his foot in the door with the UFC, and consecutive first-round wins over Dalcha Lungiambula and Tresean Gore had the Factory X representative moving in the right direction heading into the final month of last year. The loss to Oleksiejczuk halted his momentum, but a rebound here against Vieira and further success for “Hussar” later in the night would certainly work to bolster his standing.
Who will get things moving in the right direction again and who will be forced to regroup following another setback?
Julian Erosa vs. Fernando Padilla
Veteran featherweight Julian Erosa makes another appearance in his adopted hometown of Las Vegas this weekend, welcoming Fernando Padilla to the UFC for the first time. “Juicy J” has been an exciting, all-action fighter through his various stints competing inside the Octagon, and looks to rebound following a first-round loss to Alex Caceres last time out. The 14-4 Padilla fights for the first time in nearly two full years, having won four of his last five, including a second-round stoppage finish in front of the Lookin’ for a Fight crew in his most recent outing.
Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Waldo Cortes Acosta
Brazilian veteran Marcos Rogerio de Lima looks for his fourth win in five appearances on Saturday night, stepping in as the veteran litmus test for recent DWCS graduate Waldo Cortes Acosta.
Now in his 10th year on the UFC roster, de Lima has seemingly settled in at heavyweight, entering Saturday’s contest off a first-round submission win over former champ Andrei Arlvoski and sporting a 5-3 mark since moving to the division at the tail end of 2018. Nearing his 38th birthday, “Pezao” is working to put together his best run to date inside the Octagon.
Cortes Acosta has wasted no time getting acclimated to the UFC roster. He earned his contract with a first-round stoppage win on August 2, debuted with a unanimous decision victory at the end of October, and hustled back into the cage to collect a second win three weeks later. Unbeaten in nine career bouts, “Salsa Boy” looks to keep that unbeaten run going against de Lima this weekend in Sin City.
Which heavyweight will continue having success and moving forward, and which one will start their 2023 campaign by tasting bitter defeat?
Prelim Fights
Martin Buday vs. Jake Collier
Heavyweights close out the prelims as Martin Buday and Jake Collier share the Octagon in Las Vegas. Buday enters with a 2-0 record since joining the UFC roster and riding a 10-fight winning streak overall. Collier kicks off his 2023 campaign looking to snap a two-fight skid and secure a third victory since returning to the Octagon as a heavyweight following a lengthy stay on the sidelines.
Cody Durden vs. Charles Johnson
Cody Durden and Charles Johnson will look to settle their differences in this intriguing flyweight contest on Saturday’s prelims. The American Top Team product Durden has earned back-to-back wins and victories in three of his last four, while Johnson dropped a short-notice catchweight bout against Ode Osbourne in February to halt his two-fight run of success. The origins of their rivalry are unclear, but it adds an exciting wrinkle to this one heading into the weekend.
Stephanie Egger vs. Irina Alekseeva
Swiss veteran Stephanie Egger welcomes Russian newcomer Irina Alekseeva to the UFC in this bantamweight pairing. The 34-year-old Egger has bounced between divisions while posting three wins in her last four UFC starts, pushing her record to 8-3 overall in the process. Nicknamed “Russian Ronda,” Alekseeva has a lot to prove in her debut, carrying a 4-1 record against limited competition into her clash with Egger at the UFC APEX on Saturday.
Brian Kelleher vs. Journey Newson
Veteran bantamweights Brian Kelleher and Journey Newson meet in what should be an energy-filled battle early on Saturday’s card. “Boom” looks to get back into the win column after a pair of losses to surging prospects Umar Nurmagomedov and Mario Bautista to close out his 2022 campaign, while Newson looks to do the same following a unanimous decision loss to Sergey Morozov last time out.
Hailey Cowan vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth
Hailey Cowan hopes the third time is the charm after her first two attempts to make her UFC debut were scuttled. This time, the DWCS grad faces off with Canadian newcomer Jamey-Lyn Horth. A solid all-around athlete with a 7-2 record and back-to-back wins, Cowan had bouts with Ailin Perez and Tamires Vidal scrapped during Fight Week already this year, delaying her debut. Unbeaten in five pro fights, Horth won the LFA flyweight title in her last appearance in December 2021, and holds a pair of amateur victories over current UFC strawweight Loopy Godinez.
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