This weekend (Sat., May 20, 2023), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, with UFC Vegas 73. Does anyone feel an urgent desire to see Mackenzie Dern vs. Angela Hill as the short-notice main event? Let’s watch 25 minutes of … that? It sounds far from ideal, but at least the co-main event of Anthony Hernandez vs. Edmen Shahbazyan should provide the violence. Before those bouts, there are some interesting notes on this card, including Joaquin Buckley’s Welterweight debut and a fun veteran battle between Michael Johnson and Carlos Diego Ferreira.
Let’s dig in and take a closer look at the main card matches that lead up to the co-main event:
Catchweight (120 lbs): Emily Ducote vs. Lupita Godinez
Best Win for Ducote? Jessica Penne For Godinez? Cynthia Calvillo
Current Streak: Penne lost her last bout, while Godinez returned to the win column last time out
X-Factor: Godinez fought just a month ago
How these two match up: Both women are well-rounded enough but do their best work on the floor.
Ducote is a veteran of Bellator and Invicta FC, capturing the latter promotion’s Strawweight belt. Her martial arts background began in scholastic wrestling, and she’s developed into a pretty quality finisher on the canvas. Godinez, meanwhile, has earned a reputation for fighting often, filling in on short-notice whenever possible. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt is less of a finishing threat, winning just two of her nine victories before the bell.
Ducote’s last performance opposite Hill was a bit disappointing. The blue print to defeating Hill has been written, and it primarily lines up with Ducote’s strengths: wrestling! Instead, she mostly kickboxed with the striker, and shockingly, it didn’t work out! Based on that performance, this reads like one of those match ups between grapplers that results in a striking match. In other words, things may get ugly.
Ultimately, Ducote seems like the more fluid kickboxer. She hits a bit harder and works at a higher rate, which should provide her an edge in what’s likely to be a competitive scrap.
Prediction: Ducote via decision
Welterweight: Joaquin Buckley vs. Andre Fialho
Best Win for Buckley? Abdul Razak Alhassan For Fialho? Miguel Baeza
Current Streak: Both men lost their last two fights
X-Factor: Fialho has taken a lot of damage in his last two fights
How these two match up: This should be really fun.
It’s genuinely impressive that Buckley achieved as much success as he did at Middleweight. He faced significant disadvantages in height and reach every single time, and yet he still found good results by pressuring forward and putting together multi-level combinations of powerful shots. Unfortunately, the ranked Middleweights were too sharp and able to catch him coming forward.
As such, this Welterweight move feels like the right decision.
Fialho started his UFC career hot, impressing on short-notice against Michel Pereira then picking up a pair of stoppage wins. He’s looked more limited since then, getting pretty thoroughly battered in his last two fights.
Both men seem well equipped to hurt the other. They’re both better offensively than defensively, which means whoever lands first is likely to win here. Buckley’s combination of speed and a 76-inch reach — JOAQUIN BUCKLEY HAS THE REACH ADVANTAGE?!? — seems to favor him landing first, thus being able to put the hurt on Fialho.
Furthermore, Buckley is probably the more effective wrestler if it comes down to that, and it’s always nice to back a fighter with multiple paths to victory.
Prediction: Buckley via knockout
Lightweight: Hayisaer Maheshate vs. Viacheslav Borschev
Best Win for Maheshate? Steve Garcia For Borschev? Dakota Bush
Current Streak: Maheshate lost his last bout, whereas Borschev has lost two in a row
X-Factor: Borschev’s wrestling is still a work in progress
How these two match up: This should be a striker’s delight match up.
At 23 years of age, China’s Maheshate has already scored plenty of finishes and burst onto the UFC scene. His game is still overall a bit rough around the edges, but he has a lot of clear athletic potential and great fighting instincts. Conversely, 31-year-old Russian Borschev has an incredible amount of kickboxing experience. He’s a tremendous striker, but his last two fights have seen him overpowered on the canvas by a pair of really strong athletes in Mike Davis and Marc Diakiese.
I’ll admit to both insider info and bias here. I’ve trained alongside “Slava” for several years. Alongside Raymond Daniels and Eddie Abasolo, Borschev is on the short list of the greatest strikers I’ve worked with in person. He’s got endless tricks up his sleeve, and I’ve seen him sit down countless top fighters with controlled body shots. The wrestling criticisms are real, but I also cannot think of any other striker who is going out and competing in wrestling matches on his weekends in an attempt to improve that aspect of his game.
My bias aside: Maheshate is not a wrestler. He likes to kickbox, and striking with “Slava” is a recipe for disaster. Youthful confidence is a great gift right up until it leads a promising prospect into the lion’s den.
Prediction: Borschev via knockout
Lightweight: Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. Michael Johnson
Best Win for Ferreira? Anthony Pettis For Johnson? Tony Ferguson
Current Streak: Ferreira has lost three straight, whereas Johnson won his last bout
X-Factor: Johnson is famously inconsistent
How these two match up: This is a great fight between two men who have seen it all at 155-pounds.
It’s been so fun to watch Ferreira developed from jiu-jitsu standout to all-around great mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. Though he’s struggled lately, the Brazilian has only lost to top talents in his current losing streak. At 38 years of age, he’s still performing at a really high-level.
Johnson is in the midst of a bit of a resurgence. He’s won two of his last three, and the sole loss was a very debatable split-decision. Prior to those fights, Johnson had lost four fights in a row, so it’s been an impressive turnaround. Regardless of the results, Johnson’s overall approach as a fast and powerful Southpaw kickboxer has never really changed.
If Ferreira is still performing anywhere near the height of his 2016-2020 run, he should take this cleanly. As his skills developed, Ferreira adapted the kind of pressure striking and pressure wrestling style that has always been a nightmare for Johnson. “The Menace” has great takedown defense and sharp counter punches, but when forced to his back foot for a long enough time period, his whole game tends to get sloppier as he fatigues.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Clay Guida wore down Johnson with his wrestling assault, and it seems likely that Ferreira can do the same.
Prediction: Ferreira via decision
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 73 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 73: “Dern vs. Hill 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
