This weekend the UFC returns to the UK for the sixth pay-per-view to be hosted here in the country’s history, UFC 286. Leon Edwards defends his belt against the former champion Kamaru Usman and Justin Gaethje takes on Rafael Fiziev in a 3-round co-main event. Two no-brainer fights that you are going to watch but in this article, you’ll find out about some fights that you should tune in for as well as the main and co-main. Here are our UFC 286 ones to watch.
The Featherweights Are Back at It
Former bantamweight Jack Shore moves up to featherweight in the featured prelim of the evening against Makwan Amirkhani. this fight is going to be truly beautiful. Shore has been regarded as the “GSP” of wales by none other than Michael Bisping. That should say a lot about how talented that young man is. After losing his fight against Ricky Simone, Shore has decided to move up a weight division so he can focus more on his skills than cutting weight. Amrikhani is a special fighter from Finland, largely known for his wrestling, notably beating fighters the likes of Mike Grundy in the first round in march last year and Danny Henry in the first round also.
Much to many fans’ disappointment, Lerone Murphy’s British banger with Nathaniel Wood fell through due to Wood slicing his leg open a few months ago. In replace of that bout, Gabriel Santos has saved the day and come in last notice to make his UFC debut against Murphy. Lerone hasn’t fought in a while after an unfortunate string of injuries including getting hit by a car whilst on his bike. This fight should be a banger also.
The Flyweights Are Going to Fly UFC 286 Away
Possibly the biggest prospect in the whole of the flyweight division is Muhammad Mokaev. Having made his debut last march, finishing the fight in the first round via flying knee into a submission. Fighting a total of 3 times in the UFC, two of which he won via submission and remaining undefeated. Mokaev’s goal is to be the youngest champion in UFC history and he only has till this time next year to do so.
On top of that, we have a women’s flyweight bout between a former no.1 contender and a rising prospect. Joane Calderwood takes on Luana Carolina in a 3-round bout. Calderwood has recently been on a very tough skid of late, losing to top contenders on the rise. It’ll be very interesting to see if she can make short work of Carolina or not. Carolina has been also been on the wrong end of losses recently. Famously being on the receiving end of Molly McCanns incredible spinning elbow last march.
Middleweight Showdown
One last fight that you should keep an eye on is the opening fight on the UFC 286 PPV. Marvin Vettori takes on Roman Dolidze in a ranked middleweight contender bout. Vettori will be fighting to jump back into the title conversation after losing to Robert Whittaker last September. Dolidze has everything to play for. If he was to beat the former title contender then that would cement his place as a top middleweight contender. Should be a stand-and-bang banger but could also be a fast pace grappling match.
Who are your ones to watch for UFC 286?
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
