UFC Fight Night: Perez vs. Taira Preview
The UFC returns to its headquarters in Las Vegas with another fantastic Fight Night card. In the co-main event, two explosive brawlers faceoff when Douglas Silva de Andrade meets Miles Johns inside the octagon. In the main event, an established contender, Alex Perez, meets a red-hot prospect, Tatsuro Taira, for a chance to enter the Flyweight title picture. The entire card is filled with excellent matchups all sure to keep fans entertained. Let's take a look at the fights on the main card.
Josh Quinlan vs. Adam Fugitt
Welterweight Bout
Quinlan has won two of his last five fights with one no-contest and has a UFC victory over Jason Witt (19-9-0). A power-punching brawler, he’s constantly pushing the pace and looking for a knockout. He does his best work in the pocket, often floating along the outside before blitzing in with hooks and overhands. Quinlan is always moving, constantly feinting and switching stances while throwing leg kicks at range. Training at Milestone Martial Arts, he has a black belt in BJJ and won’t typically initiate grappling exchanges but is strong in the clinch and has shown solid takedown defense. He’s always throwing bombs and carries his power throughout the fight. Quinlan has finished all his victories, with wins coming in all three rounds, making him dangerous at all times.
Fugitt has won three of his last five bouts and has a UFC victory over Yusaku Kinoshita (6-3-0). He is a classic Muay Thai striker who starts aggressively, usually opening up the fight with a handful of kicks. Although he pushes the pace, he stays technical and constantly feints and changes angles. Fugitt keeps his guard tight and presses forward, looking for openings to land big shots. He has a solid chin and uses his length to his advantage, often landing damage from the outside, but he also has excellent clinch striking. He is a solid wrestler, regularly using trips or clinch takedowns to get the fight to the mat. Fugitt has good top control and ground and pound when on top and will grab a choke if given the chance.
Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Johnson
Flyweight Bout
Almabayev is on a 15-fight win streak and has UFC victories over Ode’ Osbourne (12-7-0) and CJ Vergara (12-5-1). He’s exceptionally well-rounded, with dominant wrestling and flashy striking. He’ll constantly throw spinning attacks on the feet and can land damage at range or in the pocket. Almabayev has landed 11 takedowns in just two UFC fights and has excellent chain wrestling, able to find takedowns from anywhere. Training at Kill Cliff FC, he’s an efficient grappler who never wastes energy or telegraphs his shots or transitions. He has smothering top control, rarely allowing his opponent to throw up any offense as he pursues a finish. Most of Almabayev’s finishes have come after round one, and he tends to heat up as the fight continues.
Johnson has won four of his last five outings and has a UFC victory over Chad Anheliger (13-7-0). A well-rounded, lengthy scrapper, he’s dangerous anywhere the fight goes. He fights behind his jab on the feet, throwing every shot with speed and power while keeping his head off the centerline. Johnson throws every shot purposefully and uses his reach well, accurately picking apart his opponents from range. He’s very fluid on the mat, moving between positions easily, often through big, explosive actions. Training at StriKings, he’s always active on top or on his back, constantly throwing ground and pound and attempting submissions. Johnson pushes a heavy pace on the feet, with all his knockouts coming in round one, but remains dangerous throughout, with all his submissions coming in the second or third rounds.
Brady Hiestand vs. Garrett Armfield
Bantamweight Bout
Hiestand has won four of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Fernie Garcia (10-5-0) and Batgerel Danaa (12-5-0). He’s a powerful wrestler with excellent cardio and a great kicking game. He’s patient on the feet, looking for openings and regularly throwing single shots and kicks from distance. Hiestand constantly switches stances and is willing to hang in the pocket and exchange punches. He’s landed twelve takedowns in his three promotional appearances and is a tenacious grappler, willing to work to get the fight to the mat. Training at Sikjitsu, he has excellent top and back control and is always working towards a finish. Hiestand has proven remarkably durable, capable of surviving in deep waters and still finding a way to victory.
Armfield has won four of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over Toshiomi Kazama (10-4-0) and Brad Katona (16-3-0). A technical, composed striker, he pushes a consistent pace and throws every shot with purpose. He fights behind his jab, never loading up or telegraphing but throwing every shot with power. Armfield has excellent distance management, regularly moving in and out of the pocket without absorbing significant damage. Training at Marathon MMA, he does a great job of holding the center and dictating the fight's pace. He’s yet to attempt a takedown in the UFC but has shown great defensive wrestling, using a low stance that makes it tough for his opponents to finish takedowns. Armfield has found five of his six knockouts in round one but has excellent cardio and gets better as the fight continues.
Timmy Cuamba vs. Lucas Almeida
Featherweight Bout
Cuamba has won four of his last five outings and is looking to score his first UFC victory. He’s a speedy striker with excellent footwork and a solid chin. He’s in perpetual lateral motion, never staying in one spot long and remaining elusive. Cuamba tends to float along the outside, darting in and out of the pocket to land combinations without absorbing much in return. He does a great job varying his shots, mixing kicks into combinations, and attacking the head and body evenly. Training at Xtreme Couture, he won’t typically take the fight to the mat but has shown excellent takedown defense and is strong inside the clinch. Cuamba has excellent cardio and maintains his speed across all three rounds, always throwing in combination and with volume.
Almeida has won two of his last five fights and has a UFC victory over Michael Trizano (11-3-0). A wild finisher who always hunts for a knockout, he throws everything in combination and with considerable power. He does a great job mixing kicks into his punch combinations and will constantly attack his opponent’s legs. Almeida is always willing to eat one to land one, regularly blitzing into the pocket to exchange. He has not attempted a takedown in his promotional tenure but will land brutal ground and pound if he finds himself in top position. Training at Team Kioshi, he tends to load up, often throwing lunging hooks and straights with maximum power. Almeida’s striking gets wilder as the fight goes on, constantly taking risks and attempting flashy attacks.
Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Miles Johns
Bantamweight Bout
Silva de Andrade has won three of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over #4 ranked Bantamweight Marlon Vera (23-9-1), Cody Stamann (21-7-1), and Sergey Morozov (19-5-0). He’s an explosive scrapper with exceptional power and durability. He utilizes a tense, awkward style, throwing everything with knockout intentions. Silva de Andrade doesn’t need much space to hurt his opponent and can land brutal damage from in close and inside the pocket. Training at Corinthians MMA, he pushes a heavy pace from bell to bell, constantly coming forward to unload hooks and overhands. He’s very powerful inside the clinch and can perform slam takedowns, but is at his most comfortable on the feet. Silva de Andrade has been awarded two post-fight bonuses in his last four appearances and is never in a boring fight.
Johns has won three of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Anderson Dos Santos (21-9-0), Cody Gibson (20-10-0), and Kevin Natividad (9-4-0). He has serious power in both hands, technical boxing, and excellent footwork. He does a great job varying his shots, attacking the head and body as well as supplying a steady dose of leg kicks. Johns fights patiently, constantly moving and feinting to draw reactions before throwing precise and powerful combinations. He’s proven a capable grappler, averaging over one takedown landed per fifteen minutes while defending 85% of those attempted on him. When on top, he’s capable of landing brutal ground and pound, not typically pursuing submissions. Training at Marathon MMA, Johns has shown that he can find a finish at any time, with all his stoppage victories coming in round two or later.
#5 Alex Perez vs. #13 Tatsuro Taira
Flyweight Bout
Perez has won two of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #8 ranked Flyweight Matheus Nicolau (19-5-1), Jussier Formiga (24-8-0), and Mark De La Rosa (11-5-0). He is a well-rounded fighter with brutal leg kicks and solid wrestling. He pushes a heavy pace from bell to bell, constantly pressuring forward, dipping his head, and throwing bombs. Perez varies his shots well, attacking the head and body evenly and regularly targeting his opponent’s legs. He’s averaging over two takedowns landed per fifteen minutes and has heavy top control. He’ll usually pursue a submission over ground and pound, and with six of his seven submissions coming via choke, he’s very dangerous if he finds his opponent’s neck. He’s always pursuing a finish, with eight of his eleven UFC fights not seeing the judge’s scorecards. Perez has seen the second round just three times since 2018 and is at his best early in the fight.
Taira is undefeated and has UFC victories over Jesus Aguilar (10-2-0), Édgar Cháirez (11-5-0), and Carlos Hernandez (9-3-0). A dangerous grappler with impressive power, he’s constantly looking to take the fight to the mat and secure a finish. He’s averaging over two takedowns landed and two submissions attempted per fifteen minutes and is very efficient on the ground. Taira has fantastic scrambles and reversals, seemingly always coming out the victor in grappling exchanges. Training at Paraestra Okinawa, he’s highly accurate on the feet, having landed 71% of the significant strikes he’s attempted, always remaining technical. He’ll usually prefer submissions to ground and pound but will unload on his opponent if given the chance. Taira has been awarded two post-fight bonuses in just four UFC appearances and is always pursuing a highlight victory.
Best Bets
Asu Almabayev by Submission: One of the stranger matchups on the card, Almabayev is taking on a massive opponent in the 6'0" Johnson. Although at a significant reach disadvantage, Almabayev is the more powerful, explosive fighter and overall more dangerous. Johnson makes great use of his length on the feet and has a solid submission game, but has a tendency to get overwhelmed and outwrestled. With that said, Almabayev is a pressuring, powerful wrestler, basically the worst matchup for Johnson. On top of that, half of Johnson's losses have come via submission. With all of that in consideration, I expect a dominant win and impressive submission for Almabayev.
Timmy Cuamba Moneyline: This matchup is a guaranteed barn-burner. Cuamba is extremely fast and loves to push the pace, while Almeida is very wild and is always looking for a knockout. While they have a similar goal in mind, they have very different means of achieving it. Almeida is very inclined to take risks, regularly sitting down in the pocket to exchange blows. Cuamba rarely stops moving, constantly darting in and out while landing quick combinations. I expect Almeida to struggle mightily with Cuamba's speed and footwork, leading him to get desperate and wild. When that happens, Cuamba should be able to take over with his technicality and secure his first UFC victory.
Tatsuro Taira by Submission: Taira has shown to be improving at an impressive rate, proven by him scoring his first UFC knockout in his last appearance. He's continually adding more to his game and getting more dangerous as he continues to fight. While Perez proved plenty of people wrong with his last performance, he didn't show many new wrinkles in his game. He's always had an excellent offensive game on the feet, and that's how he's kept himself in the top ranks of the division. He has continually struggled when facing dominant grapplers, and the majority of his losses have come via submission. If Taira can secure an early takedown, I expect it to be a short night at the office for him.
