The UFC will make another trip south of the border to the heart of Mexico in vibrant Mexico City. The event is headlined with a very fun fight in the Featherweight division against electric strikers. There are many Mexican fighters getting the opportunity to fight in front of their home county. The crowd should be loud and energized for what should be a fantastic evening of fights.

Prelims
Lightweight: Claudio Puelles (8-2) vs Marcos Mariano (6-5)- Puelles Submission

Women’s Bantamweight: Sijara Eubanks (4-3) vs Bethe Correia (10-4-1)- Eubanks TKO

Light Heavyweight: Vinicius Moreira (9-3) vs Paul Craig (11-4)- Craig TKO

Flyweight: Sergio Pettis (17-5) vs Tyson Nam (18-9-1)- Nam TKO

Women’s Strawweight: Ariane Carnelossi (12-1) vs Angela Hill (9-7)- Carnelossi Split Decision

Featherweight: Polo Reyes (8-6) vs Kyle Nelson (12-3)- Nelson Submission

Bantamweight: Jose Quinonez (7-3) vs Carlos Huachin (10-4)- Quinonez Unanimous Decision

Main
Featherweight: Martin Bravo (11-2) vs Steven Peterson (17-9)- Bravo Split Decision
Bravo is a former Ultimate Fighter: Latin America winner, but finds himself on a two fight losing streak. Bravo is a well rounded fighter that prefers to strike from distance on the feet. He is a solid grappler as well, and the majority of his finishes have come via rear naked choke. Since moving to Featherweight he has struggled to get in the win column, and another loss could force him out of the UFC. Steven Peterson has a granite chin, and lives by the motto of taking one to give one. He always moves forward, and is fantastic at pressuring his opponents. He throws a wide array of hooks, but leaves himself open and struggles with his defensive striking. Peterson does have solid takedowns in the clinch, and has won the majority of his fights by submission. However, he typically loves to stand and throw leather on the feet instead of mixing it up on the ground. I like Bravo in the matchup, I just feel he is more technical on the feet and will avoid getting into a firefight. I believe he will strike from a kicking range, and will avoid the blitzes forward by Peterson. I expect this fight to be fireworks, and is a dark horse candidate for Fight of the Night.

Women’s Bantamweight: Irena Aldana (10-5) vs Vanessa Melo (10-5)- Aldana Split Decision
Aldana is one of the better strikers in the Women’s Bantamweight division. She has solid kicks, and is really strong in the clinch with her knees. She does have knockout power, and has shown an ability to submit people off her back. Her cardio is top of the line, and almost never stops pressing the action in the standup. Most of her losses have come against superior wrestlers who prevent her from getting her striking game going. Melo is a late replacement in this fight, and is currently riding a five fight win streak. Melo is a solid grappler, and likes to use her takedowns to ground her opponents. She is steal rather green on the feet, and will likely look to make this a grappling contest. This is a huge step up in competition for her UFC debut. I like Aldana in this fight based on her experience fighting higher level talent. She has a big advantage on the feet, and has fought stronger wrestlers in the past. I believe this will be a close contest, but Aldana will use her kicks to slow down Melo. I also expect her to use her size advantage to wear down Melo in the clinch.

Flyweight: Brandon Moreno (15-5) vs Askar Askarov (10-0)- Moreno Unanimous Decision
Moreno was a former competitor on the Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions. He was released from the UFC, and brought back instantly after winning the LFA Flyweight championship. Moreno likes to pressure his opponents on the feet, and is constantly in their face throwing jabs or hooks. He is very slick on the ground, and has won the majority of his fights with chokes. Moreno at times has struggled against wrestlers, and tends to be too comfortable fighting from his back. Moreno has a great gas tank, and never seems to slow down in his fights. Askarov is very technical and methodical on the feet. He likes to use leg kicks, and is comfortable in a counter striking style if necessary. He has solid takedowns, and tends to finish his opponents on with submissions once it hits the mat. He has fought some high level talent outside of the UFC as well, including a win over UFC veteran Anthony Leone. I like Moreno in this matchup because he seems to be the more aggressive striker. I believe he will force Askarov to fight backing up, and will use octagon control to his advantage. This fight should deliver some compelling ground work as both men are talented in terms of grappling.

Women’s Strawweight: Carla Esparza (14-6) vs Alexa Grasso (11-2)- Grasso Unanimous Decision
Esparza is a former UFC Women’s Strawweight champion looking to earn another title shot. Esparza is very small for the division, and at times has struggled against larger opponents. She isn’t a great striker, and tends to lean heavily on her wrestling. She is a former All-American wrestler at Menio College, and has a wide array of takedowns. Esparza is a solid grappler as well with a good understanding of how to settle into the top position once the fight is on the floor. Esparza likes to strike within the clinch position, and also to wear down her opponents as well. Grasso has a big size advantage in this fight, and is very strong for this division. She is the better striker, and likes to use her kicks from the outside. Grasso is also strong in the clinch, and showed her takedown ability against Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Grasso is a solid grappler, but prefers to keep the fight on the feet. At times, she has had issues against superior wrestlers and tends to fade later into her fights. I like Grasso in this matchup based on her size and reach advantage. I believe Esparza will have a hard time landing and securing takedowns against the larger Grasso. I also expect Alexa to give Carla issues on the feet, because she tends to struggle if she cannot secure a takedown.

Featherweight: Yair Rodriguez (11-2) vs Jeremy Stephens (28-16)- Rodriguez TKO
Rodriguez is one of the flashiest strikers in UFC history. He comes from a Taekwondo background, and has a wide array of strikes to hurt his opponent. Rodriguez is dangerous from the outside, and loves to use his kicks to attack his adversaries. He will throw spinning kicks, question mark kicks, and front kicks. He has power in his hands and feet, and does a solid job defensively avoiding pressure style fighters. Rodriguez struggles against superior wrestlers, and was beat up badly against Frankie Edgar. He also has had issues staying healthy, and dealt with long droughts of inactivity unlike his opponent. Stephens is a savage who throws with reckless abandon on the feet. Stephens has knockout power in every limb, and loves to press the action always moving forward. He has powerful leg kicks, and tends to use them to set up his powerful uppercut. Stephens has a wrestling background, but rarely looks to shoot for takedowns unless he is rocked. Stephens issues have come against technical strikers that offset his forward pressure style. He tends to look for the home run shot, and at times puts himself in bad positions in terms of striking defense. This is a really tough fight to call against to polar opposites in terms of style. I will lean with Rodriguez in this fight, and I expect him to deliever in his home country. I believe he will use his technical striking to keep Stephens at a distance, and will frustrate him until he walks into a knockout blow. Stephens has a durable chin, but Rodriguez has an ability to hit his opponents from awkward angles. I just feel Rodriguez has more ways to win on the feet, and unless Stephens elects to wrestle or lands a knockout blow Yair should win this fight.

Photo Credit: https://www.lowkickmma.com/jeremy-stephens-ready-to-embarrass-yair-rodriguez-at-ufc-mexico-city/