UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Topuria Preview
This Saturday we'll see a top ten matchup of Featherweights with large implications on the title picture. The entire main card has excellent matchups throughout and is set to be a premiere card for this summer.
Brendan Allen vs. Bruno Silva
Allen has won four of his last five bouts, with wins over #14 ranked Middleweight Andre Muniz (23-5-0), Krzysztof Jotko (24-7-0), and Jacob Malkoun (7-2-0). Allen is primarily a grappler and is extremely dangerous when he gets the fight to the mat, with nine of his twelve submission wins coming via rear-naked choke. He won’t strictly pursue the submission, though, and uses quality top control to land ground and pound and advance to better positions. Training at Kill Cliff FC, Allen is dangerous whether he’s on top or his back and is always looking to finish the fight. Allen has good striking to back up his grappling and has decent hands and kicks, using more of a boxing style when he is on the feet. “All In” doesn’t see the judges too often but can go three rounds and is willing to leave everything he has inside of the octagon. Silva has found victory in three of his last five bouts, with knockout victories coming over Brad Tavares (19-9-0), Jordan Wright (12-5-0), and Andre Sanchez (15-7-0). Silva is a brawler who loves to engage in the pocket and pressure forward, throwing looping shots. Training at Evolucao Thai, he’ll often duck his head to unleash overhands, throws every shot with power and pursues a finish at all times. Silva does an excellent job of varying his attacks, often opening combinations with shots to the body before going to the head. He always starts the fight guns blazing and is most dangerous early on, as he has 14 career first-round knockouts. He is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt but rarely initiates grappling exchanges and doesn’t want to spend much time on the mat, usually trying to get up as soon as possible. Despite his black belt, six of his eight career losses are by submission, so Silva definitely would prefer to keep it on the feet.
David Onama vs. Gabriel Santos
Onama has won three of his last five fights, with his UFC victories coming over Gabriel Benitez (23-11-0) and Garrett Armfield (8-3-0). On the feet, Onama is in perpetual motion and constantly switches stances. He’s always coming forward, fights behind his jab, and throws every shot with fight-ending intentions. Onama has finished all ten wins, with six coming in the first round, so he’s most dangerous early in the fight. He manages distances well and will land damage from the outside, but is more than willing to bang inside the pocket. Training at Glory MMA, he’s a solid grappler with great clinch control, decent takedowns, and advances position quickly on the ground. He’s more likely to pursue a submission than a ground-and-pound finish and has great chokes, with all his submission wins coming via some form of strangulation. Santos has victories in four of his last five outings and lost his promotional debut in a split decision against Lerone Murphy (12-0-1). Training at Evolucao Thai, Santos is a patient striker and prefers power to volume. He keeps his guard high and constantly pressures forward, increasing his pace as the fight continues. He throws every shot with purpose and accuracy and is best in a chaotic dogfight. Santos has a solid chin and will brawl on the inside, but he also uses his striking to set up his takedowns. Santos will often shoot early, and if he can get the fight to the mat, he's dangerous. He’s always looking for a finish on top and will throw ground-and-pound until his opponent is asleep or until a choke presents itself. With all his career submissions coming via rear-naked choked, “Mosquitinho” is an assassin if he can get his opponents back.
Austen Lane vs. Justin Tafa
Lane enters his UFC debut on a six-fight win streak and is coming off a first-round KO victory over Richard Jacobi (6-1-1) on the Contender Series. Lane is a lengthy striker who opens up with a barrage of kicks before blitzing in to unleash combinations. He’s very explosive, throws everything in combination, and spends much of his time in the cage brawling inside the pocket. Training at Bulldog Boxing, he has solid power in his hands and decent cardio, carrying his punching capacity across 15 minutes. Lane is a former NFL player and has finished all his wins, with only two fights in his career seeing a second round. While he won’t typically engage in grappling exchanges, he will throw heavy ground-and-pound if he finds himself in top position. He has shown an ability to survive off his back and will pursue submissions if given the opportunity. Tafa has won three of his last five fights, with his UFC victories coming over Parker Porter (14-8-0), Harry Hunsucker (7-6-0), and Juan Adams (10-5-0). With a style reminiscent of his training partner Mark Hunt, he loves to brawl and has one-shot knockout power. He has an excellent chin and throws bombs, often opening combinations with leg kicks. Training at NTG Fight, Tafa is a patient striker who will look for openings but is willing to eat one to land one. He has never been taken down in the UFC or attempted a takedown, so he prefers to keep it on the feet. He has finished all of his wins, and in UFC fights that left the first round, he averaged 80 strikes landed. Tafa has shown he has the cardio to go 15 but two of his three career losses have come by decision, so he’s at his best early on.
Amanda Ribas vs. Maycee Barber
Ribas has found victory in three of her last five outings and holds wins over #10 ranked Flyweight Viviane Araujo (11-5-0), #7 ranked Strawweight Mackenzie Dern (13-3-0), and Virna Jandiroba (19-3-0). Ribas is a technical Muay Thai striker constantly moving and fighting behind her jab. She has fast, accurate hands and excellent clinch striking, damaging her opponents with flurries of elbows and knees. Training with the Ribas Family, everything she throws is straight and tight, never overextending or throwing looping shots. She has great footwork and throws a solid variety of strikes to the head and body. Ribas has black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo and averages about two takedowns landed per UFC fight. She’s an excellent defensive grappler, defending 88% of takedowns attempted on her. Barber has won four of her last five bouts with wins over #13 ranked Flyweight Andrea Lee (13-7-0), Jessica Eye (15-11-0), and Montana De La Rosa (12-8-1). Training at Team Alpha Male, Barber is an aggressive striker with solid power in both hands. She’s constantly switching stances and throwing looping shots, preferring power to volume. She’s most dangerous inside the pocket and in the clinch, landing elbows and knees. Barber is a black belt in Karate and has a good arsenal of kicks that she uses when at a distance. Averaging about one takedown landed per fight; Barber has excellent top pressure and devastating ground-and-pound. She often finds herself spending lots of time in the clinch working for takedowns, landing just 37% of the takedowns she attempts.
Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria
Topuria is undefeated, with wins over #11 ranked Featherweight Bryce Mitchell (15-2-0), Jai Herbert (12-4-1), and Ryan Hall (9-2-0). He uses a boxing style on the feet, staying very composed and fighting behind his jab, and does an excellent job of mixing up his attacks between the head and body. With exceptional power in both hands, he’s always dangerous on the feet and has finished all his wins but one. Topuria is also a superb grappler with a top-notch submission game and dangerous chokes. He has great wrestling, often using double-leg takedowns to bring his opponent down. He has fantastic top control and does a good job of staying aware of any submission attempts thrown his way; while often pursuing multiple submissions himself. Training at Climent Club, no matter where the fight goes, Topuria always looks for the finish, whether it’s a knockout or a submission. Emmett has won four of his last five bouts and holds wins over #6 ranked Featherweight Calvin Kattar (23-7-0), #13 ranked Featherweight Dan Ige (16-6-0), and Ricardo Lamas (20-8-0). Emmett is an explosive striker, possessing some of the most powerful punches in the division. He loves to brawl inside the pocket and unleash vicious overhands, throwing everything with massive power. He’s patient and looks for openings but is constantly pursuing a finish and willing to eat a shot to land one. Training at Team Alpha Male, Emmett is averaging nearly 69 strikes landed in his last five fights and has shown he carries his power across 15 minutes. He’s also defensively sound, with just 37% of strikes attempted on him landing. He is an excellent wrestler with a great takedown game and heavy top pressure, but he often prefers to keep the fight standing.
Best Bets
Allen by Submission.
Lane vs Tafa does not go the distance.
Topuria by Decision.
