The UFC returns to Pristine England this weekend because the promotion hosts UFC 292 in Boston on Saturday evening (10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV, with prelims at 8 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN+).
The battle card will likely be headlined with a bantamweight identify battle as Aljamain Sterling seems to be to i’m ready the document for many bantamweight identify defenses towards Sean O’Malley. This will likely be O’Malley’s first UFC identify battle. The ladies’s strawweight identify will likely be at the form within the co-main match as Zhang Weili takes on Amanda Lemos. Past the identify fights, there are enough of canny matchups at the card that lovers will have to reserve an sight on.
ESPN MMA analysts Megan Anderson and Andres Waters spotlight the supremacy storylines to look at all over the fights this weekend.
Sterling vs. O’Malley is greater than only a identify battle
Anderson: There will likely be extra at the form than simply the bantamweight identify when Sterling and O’Malley collision on Saturday evening. O’Malley has a prospect to turn out he’s who the promotion concept he may well be nearest incomes a word with the promotion on “Dana White’s Contender Series” in 2017.
Some really feel O’Malley has had a very easy trail to a identify shot. Of the 10 fighters O’Malley has confronted throughout the Octagon, 4 are now not with the promotion, and a 5th, Thomas Almeida, hasn’t fought since his loss to O’Malley in 2021. In his 3 fights towards higher-level pageant (Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz and Petr Yan), O’Malley has a document of 1-1 with one refuse duel.
In the meantime, Sterling can stake his declare as probably the most completed champion in and perhaps even the best bantamweight in UFC historical past. With a win, Sterling, who’s secured with TJ Dillashaw and Renan Barao for probably the most defenses of the belt (3), will likely be in sole ownership of the document. In step with Sterling, this will likely be his endmost battle at bantamweight. He mentioned he plans to progress up in weight and compete at featherweight.
Does Weili have endurance as the ladies’s strawweight champion?
Anderson: There was enough of giveover on the supremacy of the ladies’s strawweight category over the endmost 5 years. Since Joanna Jedrzejczyk misplaced the identify to Rose Namajunas in 2017, Namajunas has been the one champion to retain the belt for longer than a month. There were six other identify holders since — Namajunas (two times), Jessica Andrade,Weili (two times) and Carla Esparza. Weili has a superior alternative to stamp herself as a champion with endurance on the supremacy of the category.
Weili will likely be taking over a decent challenger in Lemos. Lemos has gained seven of her endmost 8 fights, with every of the wins coming by way of stoppage. Lemos is an impressive and environment friendly striker and will have to be a excellent fresh check for Weili, who has confronted the similar 3 fighters in her endmost 5 fights.
Anderson: Whilst you have an injury like the only Weidman suffered towards Uriah Hall at UFC 261 in April 2021, you’re by no means the similar. An revel in that hideous mentally adjustments you. Life getting back from a significant trauma, in coaching, there are methods to give protection to your self and play games it guard to “baby” the trauma. However there’s refuse technique to absolutely reflect an actual battle to look how your frame and the in the past injured department will retain up. A battle is a lot more reactive, and warring parties who know an opponent is getting back from trauma are most often now not adversarial to exploiting that.
Tavares, his opponent, wishes a win nearest struggling back-to-back losses. So, this can be a superior go back battle for Weidman. Life this can be a winnable duel for Weidman — the previous middleweight champion — I wouldn’t be shocked if that is his endmost battle, irrespective of the outcome. Later he will get to journey away on his phrases instead than strolling away because of trauma.
TUF Season 31 finale
Cody Gibson’s aviation knee TKO had Conor speechless 🫢 #TUF31 pic.twitter.com/dywLnlEXCH
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 7, 2023
Waters: Then 12 weeks, we can in the end crown the most recent “The Ultimate Fighter” winners on Saturday evening. Crew Chandler teammates and previous UFC warring parties Austin Hubbard and Kurt Holobaugh will face off within the light-weight finale. Life Brad Katona of Crew McGregor, every other former member of UFC’s roster and TUF Season 27 winner, will jerk at the winner of Cody Gibson and Rico DiSciullo. On Tuesday evening, Gibson and DiSciullo will sq. off on Episode 12 of TUF. If Gibson wins, each matchups will likely be UFC veterans taking over every alternative for a prospect to re-sign with the UFC. At the alternative hand, if DiSciullo wins, the bantamweight finale will detail two warring parties from Crew McGregor.
Holobaugh claimed a place within the finale nearest beating every other member of Crew Chandler, Jason Knight, in probably the most action-packed battle of the season so far. Hubbard, who additionally beat a Crew Chandler fighter, Roosevelt Roberts, to transform a finalist failed to provoke UFC president Dana White in his endmost bout. He will get a prospect for redemption towards Holobaugh. Katona earned a place within the finale nearest beating Timur Valiev via crack resolution within the closest battle of the season.
Anderson: Garry nonetheless will get his want. Then his win over Daniel Rodriguez in Might, Garry mentioned he sought after to battle both Neal or Neil Magny in his nearest bout. Obviously, the UFC preferred the matchup with Neal as they booked that battle for UFC 292, however sadly, Neal used to be pressured to pull back. Fortuitously for Garry regardless that, the alternative Neil (Magny) used to be in a position to step in and jerk the battle on trim understand.
Clearly, it’s irritating when an opponent pulls out on trim understand. However, a minimum of for Garry, he will get an opponent he needs to battle. Not like Neal, Magny is unranked via ESPN, however he’s nonetheless a superior check for Garry. Magny isn’t any journey within the terrain. He’s very skilled, with 30 fights throughout the Octagon and weighty wins all over this profession. He’s were given an extended succeed in and may be an magnificient fighter within the clinch. And even supposing Garry didn’t get to stand Neal, Magny did get a win over Neal in 2021, so in step with ‘MMA math’, a win for Garry may well be extra important than even beating Neal.
Anderson: Vera is having a look to bop again from a crack resolution loss to Cory Sandhagen. Prior to the loss, Vera used to be at the shortlist of bantamweights at the trail towards a identify shot. A win right here would permit him to stick inside succeed in of identify rivalry, however Vera can have his arms complete with Munhoz.
Munhoz appeared superior in his endmost battle. His persistence and keep watch over had been on show in his endmost battle towards Chris Gutierrez. Each warring parties are very thrilling, however the query this is can Munhoz offer with Vera’s space? A win for Munhoz may just put him only one or two wins clear of his first UFC identify shot.
