UFC Vegas 64 “Rodriguez Vs Lemos” + Weekly MMA Report
UFC Vegas 63 looked weak on the piece of paper, but it turned into a pretty decent card. Unfortunately, we’ve seen two huge injuries. Roman Dolidze annihilated Phil Hawes in the prelims after his knee popped up, which led to a Performance of the Night bonus for a Georgian fighter too, while Calvin Kattar hurt himself after he landed a violent flying knee on Arnold Allen, which led to a second-round TKO victory for the Brit.
THIS KO FROM DOLIDZE 🥶 #UFCVegas63 pic.twitter.com/Ywrw3eGVp6
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 29, 2022
⚠️Warning graphic⚠️
Significant knee injury for Calvin Kattar in the UFC. Initial injury early in the fight – non-contact landing w inward knee collapse. Concerning for ACL injury, which is then pretty much confirmed when tibia shifts forward/back traumatically to end the fight pic.twitter.com/7HDaIsuljD— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) October 31, 2022
It will also be remembered as one of the worst robberies of all time in the history of the sport. Dustin Jacoby was outstriking Khalil Rountree Jr for three rounds, pushing the pace, and controlling the Octagon, but it led to a controversial decision victory for a Muay Thai powerhouse.
Thoughts on that decision?🤔#UFCVegas63 pic.twitter.com/51AFCGgz37
— The MMA Media (@The_MMA_Media) October 29, 2022
But let’s now talk about the brighter topics. The Fight of the Night bonuses also went into the hands of Christian Rodriguez, who pulled out a slick anaconda win over Joshua Weems, Steve Garcia, who destroyed Chase Hooper with violent barrages of bombs in only 92 seconds, and Tresean Gore, who finished Josh Fremd with a nasty guillotine choke.
Starting the night strong with a first round submission 😤 #UFCVegas63 pic.twitter.com/LlQkGRFaFc
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 29, 2022
A WILD SUBMISSION WIN 🤯 #UFCVegas63 pic.twitter.com/osMIP2E5Ea
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 29, 2022
Steve Garcia Knocks Out Chase Hooper #UFCVegas63 pic.twitter.com/py1JgF4KWu
— Pure Finishes (@PureKnockouts) October 29, 2022
In the main event of Bellator 287, Mansour Barnaoui pulled out a nasty submission victory over dangerous scrappy Adam Piccolotti.
Welcome to Bellator,
Mansour BarnaouiHe submits Adam Piccolotti in the second round of the #Bellator287 main event pic.twitter.com/zeBZlyQHHo
— MMA mania (@mmamania) October 29, 2022
This week, the promotion stays in Mojave Desert, Nevada, for another event inside the UFC Apex Center. This upcoming Saturday, it’s going to be headlined by a stunning matchup between Amanda Lemos and Marina Rodriguez.
Image source: @UFCBrasil Twitter
Marina Rodriguez looks like a great Muay Thai fighter with crisp elbows, knees, and cage control, but Lemos can take a beating and her cardio is on point. This could turn into a great 5-round affair.
Prediction: the fight goes the distance or Rodriguez wins (-210)
Another match of two very tough fighters is happening in the co-main event, as Neil Magny squares off against Daniel Rodriguez. Rodriguez is known for big powerful punches, but Magny’s reach advantage could play a role. This is a 50/50 fight, but Magny’s experience could be the critical factor.
Prediction: the fight goes the distance, or Magny wins (-115)
Main Card (7 PM ET, midnight UK time, ESPN+, UFC on Fight Pass)
Strawweight: Marina Rodriguez (16-1-2) vs. Amanda Lemos (12-2-1)
Welterweight: Neil Magny (26-9-0) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (17-2-0)
Heavyweight: Josh Parisian (15-5-0) vs. Chase Sherman (16-10-0)
Flyweight: Tagir Ulanbekov (13-2-0) vs. Nate Maness (14-2-0)
Lightweight: Mark Madsen (12-0-0) vs. Grant Dawson (18-1-1)
Heavyweight: Jailton Almeida (17-2-0) vs. Maxim Grishin (32-9-2)
Preliminary Card (4 PM ET, 9 PM UK time, ESPN+, UFC on Fight Pass)
Featherweight: Darrick Minner (26-13-0) vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke (37-10-0)
Flyweight: Miranda Maverick (10-4-0) vs. Shanna Young (8-4-0)
Bantamweight: Mario Bautista (10-2-0) vs. Benito Lopez (10-1-0)
Strawweight: Jinh Yu Frey (11-7-0) vs. Polyana Viana (12-5-0)
Bantamweight: Johnny Munoz Jr. (11-2-0) vs. Liudvik Sholinian (9-2-1)
Flyweight: Jake Hadley (8-1-0) vs. Carlos Candelario (8-2-0)
Bantamweight: Ramona Pascual (6-4-0) vs. Tamires Vidal (6-1-0)
Here are my predictions for the upcoming card.
Don’t forget to sit next to your TV/tablet/PC/cell phone on Saturday at 4 PM ET and enjoy watching this card, you might see some spectacular high-level finishes! Never judge the book by its cover, there are no superstars, so what? Give young guns and prospects a shot, they want to put on a show more than any cash cow or a famous celebrity!
[…] UFC Vegas 64 brought tons of lovely finishes despite it looking like a weak card on the piece of paper. In the main event of the evening, Amanda Lemos pulled out a massive upset with a standing TKO over Marina Rodriguez in the third. […]