The Ultimate Fighting Championships returns for a new weekend of incredible fights and an event filled with future contenders and experienced veterans. Besides the main event of UFC Fight Night 214: Rodriguez vs Lemos, the entire fight card is worth watching, and here are our predictions for the most important fights.
Chase Sherman vs Josh Parisian
Chase Sherman Preview
Chase is a 32-year-old American fighter. He made his UFC debut in August 2016 against Justin Ledet, whom he lost to via unanimous decision. Between 2016 and 2018, Chase fought 7 fights in the UFC: 2 wins, and 5 losses. In 2018, he was on a three-game losing streak and was fired from Dana White's organization.
In 2020, many fighters refused to compete due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the matchmakers gave Chase a second chance.
But Sherman did not achieve serious success after returning. After defeating Villanueva, he went on a 4-match losing streak. Chase's last fight took place in July 2022. His opponent was Jared Vanderaa. Sherman won by knockout in the 3rd round.
Chase is a basic kickboxer, he prefers to work on the stand. Sherman works aggressively in the stand, throwing a large number of accurate shots. The fighter clinches well and controls the opponent at the net, where he delivers powerful blows with his knees and elbows.
Chase gets too carried away with attacking moves and forgets about defense. He misses an average of more than 5 punches per minute. This can turn into a knockout against a serious puncher.
I will note Sherman's zero skills on the ground. He is too easy to control.
Josh Parisian Preview
Josh is a 33-year-old American fighter. Parisian made his debut in the UFC in November 2020 in a fight against Parker Porter, which he lost by unanimous decision. In total, Josh had 4 fights: 2 won, and 2 lost.
Josh prefers to fight in the standing position and stands out with his aggression at the start of the fight and impressive physical strength. But the American quickly sags in cardio. He gets very tired already in the 2nd round, which is why he starts to make mistakes and misses a lot of punches.
Parisian is not a good wrestler. He can be easily controlled on the ground due to the fact that Josh is either lying still or losing position, trying to get to his feet. Therefore, an experienced grappler will either score him with ground and pound or submit him.
Parisian vs Sherman Prediction
I doubt that Parisian and Sherman will arrange a showdown on the ground and I think that the more effective boxer should be chosen to win. Parisian has enough power for 1.5 rounds, after which he begins to get very tired. An additional problem for the fighter is that he does not have enough knockout power for the heavyweight division.
Tagir Ulanbekov vs Nate Maness
Tagir Ulanbekov Preview
Tagir is a 31-year-old fighter from Russia. He made his UFC debut in October 2020 against Bruno Silva, whom he defeated via unanimous decision. Tagir's last fight was in March 2022. His opponent was Tim Elliott. Ulanbekov lost by unanimous decision.
Ulanbekov is a basic wrestler and prefers to work on the ground in battle. He goes through the defense of the opponent well, strives to take a dominant position, and likes to attempt submissions.
The fight with Tim Elliott showed that Ulanbekov has serious flaws. On the stand, he could not effectively resist Elliott's clumsy boxing, and on the ground, he could not control him for a long time.
Nate Maness Preview
Nate is a 31-year-old American fighter. He made his UFC debut in August 2020 against Johnny Munoz Jr., whom he defeated via unanimous decision. In November of that year, Maness submitted Luke Sanders in the 2nd round.
Nate last won in September 2021 when he knocked out Tony Gravely. Maness' last fight took place in June 2022. His opponent was Umar Nurmagomedov. Nate lost by unanimous decision.
Nate is versatile. In the stand, he relies on boxing technique and physical strength. He constantly feints, trying to confuse the opponent and waiting for the perfect moment to deliver an accurate and powerful punch. On the ground, Maness relies on his BJJ skills.
The main disadvantage of Maness is that he misses about 5 punches per minute. Defense problems led to his first career loss being a hard knockout. Also in the fight with Umar Nurmagomedov, the second weakness of the fighter was revealed: he is not yet at the level of the top fighters in the division.
Ulanbekov vs Maness Prediction
I don't understand why Nate Maness is such a big underdog. The only suspicion is the fact that he is descending to the flyweight division and it is not known in what form he will come out after an intense weight race. I don’t think that the Russian will be able to effectively deal with a larger opponent who demonstrates more skills on the ground than Ulanbekov’s previous opponent.
On the stand, Nate will have the advantage. Despite the fact that Tagir will often hit Maness, the advantage in striking power will be on the side of the American. Nate is a larger and more powerful fighter, so in exchanges, he will deal disproportionately more damage than the Russian.
Grant Dawson vs Mark Madsen
Grant Dawson Preview
Grant is a 28-year-old American fighter. In August 2017, he came to Dana White's Contender Series show, where he submitted Andriano Diaz in the 2nd round and received a contract with the UFC.
Grant's debut took place in March 2019 in a duel against Julian Erosa, whom he defeated by unanimous decision. In total, Dawson spent 7 fights in the UFC: 6 won, and 1 fight ended in a draw.
Grant's base is freestyle wrestling, reinforced by a brown belt in BJJ. Dawson confidently makes takedowns, controls opponents well, and carries out competent positional work. Grant won 12 of 18 victories by submission.
In the standing position, Dawson does a lot of work, pressing aggressively and throwing a lot of punches from different angles. I note Grant's high will to win. In the 3rd round of the fight against Leonardo Santos, it was not clear who the judges would give preference to. Dawson took the initiative, decided to take the win, and finished Santos brightly with 1 second left in the fight.
Mark Madsen Preview
Mark is a 38-year-old fighter from Denmark. He joined the UFC in September 2019 and in his debut fought Danilo Belluardo, whom he defeated by technical knockout in the 1st round. After that, Madsen had 3 more fights and won all of them.
Mark is a skilled fighter. He has achieved his greatest success in sports outside of the UFC. He is an Olympic silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling and a 5-time World Championships medalist in this discipline. Therefore, it is natural that in battle the Dane relies on his strengths – the control of the opponent on the ground.
Dawson vs Madsen Prediction
Mark is a high-level wrestler and Grant may not be able to maintain the status quo on the ground. Most of Dawson's victories came from good grappling, but will he be able to compete with an Olympic medalist on equal terms? Good question.
Darrick Minner vs Shayilan Nurdanbieke
Darrick Minner Preview
Derrick is a 32-year-old American fighter. In August 2019, he tried to get into the UFC through participation in Dana White's Contender Series show. Miner fought Herbert Burns, brother of former title contender Gilbert Burns. The Brazilian submitted Derrick in the middle of the 1st round.
Minner made his UFC debut in February 2020 against Grant Dawson, whom he lost to via choke in the 2nd round. Derrick closed this failure with two victories and then two more defeats.
Derrick Minner's trump card is wrestling. Thanks to the base in BJJ, the fighter, once on the canvas, is constantly looking for an opportunity to perform a submission. In addition, Derrick has a good sense of balance and can sweep an opponent into a dominant position.
Minner is a mediocre fighter. He has a bad striking technique. All his actions in the stance are aimed at quickly approaching the enemy for a takedown. He does not break through combinations but throws sweeping and noticeable blows.
Shayilan Nurdanbieke Preview
Shayilan is a 28-year-old fighter from China. He made his UFC debut in May 2021 against Joshua Culibao, whom he lost to via unanimous decision. In November of the same year, Nurdanbieke closed the defeat by defeating Sean Soriano on points.
Shayilan's last fight was in June 2022. His opponent was TJ Brown. Nurdanbieke won by unanimous decision.
Shayilan prefers to fight on the stand. He throws technical boxing combinations, constantly jabs his opponent, and has knockout power. 17 out of 30 victories Nurdanbek got with the help of KO/TKO.
The Asian has little experience in performing at a high level. Probably, his skills are far from being able to compete on equal terms with the top UFC fighters.
Minner vs Nurdanbieke Prediction
Derrick Miner is not credible enough to be considered an interesting underdog, and Shayilan has only fought mediocre opposition, and betting on him for low odds is an unjustified risk. Nevertheless, this will be one of the most interesting fights in UFC Vegas 64 besides the main event between Marina Rodriguez and Amanda Lemos.