UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. Fiziev Pre-fight Preview

UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. Fiziev Pre-fight Preview

Jordan Lopez|
July 09, 2022|
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The UFC is back with another great card this weekend and will return to the Apex for UFC Vegas 58 headlined by the former UFC Lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos as he takes on rising contender Rafael Fiziev. The card is full of interesting fights starting from the prelims to the main card. Fighters like David Onama, Tresean Gore, Ricky Turcios, and more are featuring the preliminary card. UFC fans will have a lot to look forward to as there's a ton of action on this card. Let's preview all of the fights that are featured on Verdict.

Rafael Dos Anjos vs. Rafael Fiziev

The battle of the Rafael's will finally take place and headline UFC Vegas 58. This fight between the two has been cancelled on multiple fronts before. They were supposed to headline at UFC Vegas 48 in February earlier this year. However, there were visa issues on the behalf of Fiziev that postponed the fight to UFC 272. Once again, the fight could not take place at UFC 272 because Fiziev had tested positive for COVID-19. Forutnately, Dos Anjos would remain on the card and fight a late replacement opponent, Renato Moicano. Dos Anjos defeated Moicano via unamious decision and is now on a two-fight winning streak heading into UFC Vegas 58. Fiziev is coming into this bout winning five consecutive fights, most recently defeating Brad Riddell via knockout. Both men are ranked inside the top ten in the Lightweight division and with a win, one of them could be in the title picture.

Fiziev has a very decorated background in muay thai. Training at one of the best gyms in the world, Tiger Muay Thai, Fiziev always looks for the finish on the feet. The body kicks and attacks from Fiziev is what separates his striking from others. His takedown defense is at a resounding 95%, but that'll be put to the test against Dos Anjos. Even though he can hold his own on the feet, Dos Anjos has the ability to take his opponents into places they are not comfortable. Having a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Dos Anjos can add another submission win to his resume against one of the top rising contenders in the division. Where it stands now, nearly 57% of the Verdict Community is predicting Fiziev to defeat Dos Anjos at UFC Vegas 58.

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Caio Borralho vs. Armen Petrosyan

One of the most interesting fights resides in the co-main event when rising prospect Caio Borralho takes on Armen Petrosyan. With a professional record of 7-1, Petrosyan is seeking his second straight win in the UFC. He earned a contract on the Dana White Contender Series (DWCS) when he defeated his opponent in the first round via knockout in October of 2021. A few months later, Petrosyan made his UFC debut against Gregory Rodrigues where he would go to the judges scorecards for the first time in his career. Petrosyan got his hand raised via split decision. On the flip side, Borralho is coming off a similar path as well. Earning his contract through the DWCS as well, Borralho made his UFC debut a few months ago when he defeated Gadzhi Omargadzhiev via technical decision. It was an illegal strike from Borralho in the third round to make it a technical decision. Nonetheless, Borralho looked very good in his debut. With a professional record of 11-1-0 (1 NC), Borralho is coming into this contest winning eight consecutive. The fans will enjoy this one for as long as it lasts as both men will try to finish the fight early. As of now, 70% of the Verdict Communtiy has Borralho defeating Petrosyan at UFC Vegas 58.

Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Said Nurmagomedov

It's the classic veteran versus prospect matchup as Douglas Silva de Andrade faces Said Nurmagomedov. In this fan-friendly fight, both fighters are known to finish fights. Silva de Andrade has a 78% finish rate while 20 of his 28 wins are coming by way of knockout. Silva de Andrade is on a two-fight winning streak with his most recent win at UFC 271 whe he defeated Sergey Morozov via submission. He likes to keep it on the feet as Silva de Andrade has knockout power in both hands. He's a crisp boxer that looks for those big shots to end the fight early. On the other side, this is not your typical Nurmagomedov fighter. Said Nurmagomedov is more of a pure striker than he is a wrestler. He does have the ability to have sucess on the ground, but Nurmagomedov likes to push the pace with his striking attacks. Many are anticipating this fight to stay on the feet but in the case that it does go to the ground, that is where it can get interesting. Where it stands now, 85% of the Verdict Community predicts Nurmagomedov will defeat Silva de Andrade in what could be the fight of the night.

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Jared Vanderaa vs. Chase Sherman

Jared Vanderaa and Chase Sherman will try to get back into the win column against each other as both men need a win. Vanderaa is on a three-fight skid with his most recent loss at UFC 273 when Alexey Oleynik submitted him after nearly submitting Oleynik earlier in the first round. Vanderaa is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and he might be looking to get his first submission win in the UFC this weekend. Standing across from him in the octagon, Sherman has a professional record of 15-10 with a 93% finish rate. All but one of his wins are by knockout and there is no better time to add to that record than this weekend. Sherman is currently on a four-fight losing skid while his two most recent losses being by submission (Jake Collier and Alexander Romanov). Sherman can find success in this matchup if he can keep the fight on the feet as he has tremendous power. After showing some holes in his ground game as of late, Sherman's 66% takedown defense may be put to the test once again. While Vanderaa is coming off that submission loss, he nearly submitted Oleynik (who is known for his ground game) as he took the back and nearly got it done. It'll be interesting to see both men deploy their game plan against each other as they try to get back on the right track. As of now, nearly 69% of the Verdict Community are predicting Vanderaa to get it done against Sherman at UFC Vegas 58.

Michael Johnson vs. Jamie Mullarkey

In another veteran verus prospect matchup, Michael Johnson will try to put on another gutsy performance as he takes on Jamie Mullarkey. Johnson is returning to the octagon after fighting a couple of months ago when he defeated Alan Patrick via knockout in the second round. In what was the most important win of his career, he'll try to double it up this weekend. Johnson has a professional record of 20-17, but he has some notable wins throughout his tenure. A few of these impressive wins have been agaisnt the likes of Dustin Poirier, Edson Barboza, Tony Ferguson, and more. On the flip side, Mullarkey is looking to bounce back after suffering a defeat against Jalin Turner at UFC 272. With a professional record of 14-5, Mullarkey has a 93% finish rate in his career. Mullarkey is known for being a striker but he is no stranger in taking the fight to the ground. He averages over three takedowns per fight and has a strong ground game to go with it. Mullarkey likes to keep the fight at a high pace and he has the perfect opponent to do it with. This fight should be fun for as long as it goes on for. Where it stands now, nearly 56% of the Verdict Community are predicting Johnson to upset Mullarkey at UFC Vegas 58. The most common pick is for Johnson to win by a second round knockout too.

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