Rafael Fiziev vs. Mateusz Gamrot and Bryce Mitchell vs. Dan Ige Confirmed By Dana White, Giga Chikadze vs. Alex Cacares and Sodiq Yusuff vs. Edson Barboza In The Works
It's been a big and busy day in the world of MMA, with plenty of high-stakes matchups announced across the Featherweight and Lightweight divisions. Let's take a look at some of the fights that are in the works.
Rafael Fiziev and Mateusz Gamrot Get Their Main Event Wish
After verbally agreeing to the bout online via Twitter, Mateusz Gamrot and Rafael Fiziev will now face each other in the main event slot of UFC on ESPN 54 on September 23rd, per Dana White. This bout will mark the second main event slot for both fighters. Both men are undefeated in main event slots, with Fiziev scoring a fifth-round TKO over Rafael Dos Anjos and Gamrot securing a unanimous decision over Arman Tsarukyan.
Rafael Fiziev is coming off a majority decision loss to Justin Gaethje. The two threw down in a Fight Of The Year contender at UFC 286, and despite starting strong and rocking Gaethje, Fiziev would slow down and be outworked by "The Highlight" in the third round. Fiziev will now look to rebound from this loss and secure himself another top-5 matchup if he is victorious. He has phenomenal standup, including a wide variety of accurate and fast kicks, and he'll look to use these to secure his seventh UFC win.
Mateusz Gamrot is coming off a victory over "The Turantula" Jalin Turner. Gamrot would take the matchup on short notice after Turner's original opponent, Dan Hooker, was forced out of the bout due to injury. Gamrot would have a competitive bout but ultimately pull ahead due to his wrestling advantage and was awarded the split-decision win. He'll now look to add Fiziev to his growing resume, and Gamrot will be looking to use his elite wrestling and cardio to do so.
Dan Ige and Bryce Mitchell Added To Co-Main Slot
Elite Featherweights Dan Ige and Bryce Mitchell will face each other in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 54, per Dana White. Mitchell has not fought since December 2022, whereas Dan Ige has already had two bouts in 2023.
Bryce "Thug Nasty" Mitchell is coming off his first UFC loss. He fought Ilia Topuria at UFC 282 and was dominated most of the bout, failing to keep up with Topuria. He was submitted in the second round and has not fought since. Mitchell was scheduled to face Movsar Evloev at UFC 288 but was removed after suffering a shoulder injury. Now, he'll take on Dan Ige and look to return to winning ways.
Dan Ige is riding a hot two-fight win streak after previously suffering three consecutive unanimous decision losses to Chan Sung Jung, Josh Emmett, and Movsar Evloev. Ige would return in 2023 and face Damon Jackson in January, defeating the rising contender via a second-round KO. Then, he took on Nate "The Train" Landwehr at UFC 289 and won via decision. He'll now look to rack up his third straight victory in his toughest fight this year.
Giga Chikadze Finally Returns vs. Alex Caceres
After nearly two years, Giga Chikadze will return to face veteran Alex Caceres on August 26th, per Farah Hannoun. The pair were previously matched together in 2020, but Chikaze withdrew from the bout.
Giga Chikadze is coming off a devastating loss to Calvin Kattar, which happened in January 2021 as the year's first event. After a close first round, Chikadze would suffer heavily with cardio and be outworked by the durable Kattar. He would be dominated across rounds 3,4, and 5, absorbing 157 strikes throughout the bout. However, despite the loss, "Ninja" is still an elite fighter in the Featherweight division, boasting victories over Edson Barboza and Cub Swanson, and will be looking to bounce back in style vs. Caceres.
Alternatively, Alex Caceres has enjoyed five UFC bouts and three grappling matchups since Chikdaze's loss. He's currently riding the best streak of his career, with seven wins in his last eight bouts and the only loss coming against Sodiq Yusuff in a competitive fight. "Bruce Leroy" has racked up wins over Julian Erosa, Chase Hooper, Daniel Pineda, and more during this run and has competed in grappling matches vs. Eddy Torres, Pat Sabatini, and Clay Guida. He'll be looking to use his grappling and awkward but effective striking to secure the victory in this bout.
Sodiq Yusuff vs. Edson Barboza Will Thrown Down On October 14th
Our final fight announcement of the day comes in the Featherweight division. Sodiq Yusuff will face Edson Barboza on October 14th, per Mike Bohn. The main event for this fight night card is currently unconfirmed, so this may serve as the headliner, but this is not verified.
Sodiq Yusuff is coming off a quick victory over Don Shainis after his bout with Giga Chikadze fell through. He secured a guillotine choke submission in precisely thirty seconds last October but has not fought since. On his current two-fight win streak, he also claims a victory over Alex Caceres, where he demonstrated his incredible leg kicks to take the fight away from "Bruce Leroy."
Edson Barboza is also coming off a quick victory. After a year off, "Junior" returned to defeat Billy Quarantillo in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Allen. Barboza perfectly timed a knee on the incoming Quarantillo to secure a highlight reel KO in the first round. He'll now look to secure his second straight win and will aim to use his devastating striking to get the victory.
These are some great matchups in the Lightweight and Featherweight divisions. Which are you most excited about? As a member of the Verdict Community, let us know in the comments below.
