The 10: Examining An Interesting Slate On Tap For July

This is a classic “Are they ready?” pairing designed to see where the Canadian stands in the division. Her two UFC setbacks have come against Natalia Silva and next week’s new headliner Tracy Cortez, and a matchup with Araujo will provide a clearer picture of where the still-developing Jasudavicius fits in the 125-pound weight class at the moment.

Julian Erosa vs Christian Rodriguez

Count this one among the fun potential gems that might be seriously instructive this month, as Julian Erosa and Christian Rodriguez square off in “The Mile High City.”

Dana White's UFC 303 Post-Fight Presser

Erosa is allergic to being in a boring fight, operating with his hands low and looking to attack at all times. That approach helped him secure a first-round submission win over Ricardo Ramos last time out and makes him an interesting dance partner for Rodriguez here.

Consecutive weight misses in consecutive wins over Raul Rosas Jr. and Cameron Saaiman resulted in Rodriguez moving up to featherweight, where he added a split decision win over Isaac Dulgarian to his winning streak. The 26-year-old is well-rounded and poised, and continues to look like someone to pay close attention to going forward.

This should be an action-packed fight for as long as it lasts, so make sure you’re locked and loaded once this one hits the Octagon.

Rose Namajunas vs Tracy Cortez

Rose Namajunas gets a hometown main event to wrap the opening card of the month, facing off with streaking late replacement Tracy Cortez.

After dropping her divisional debut last year in Paris, the former strawweight champ collected a unanimous decision over Amanda Ribas earlier this year to solidify her standing as a contender in the 125-pound ranks. Cortez, who was slated to face Miranda Maverick later in the month, replaces Maycee Barber, and aims to add to her unbeaten record inside the Octagon and 11-fight winning streak by collecting the biggest victory of her career.

Will “Thug Rose” make a statement and show she’s on the short list of title contenders in the flyweight division or will Cortez make the most of her main event opportunity and launch herself into the title conversation?

UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs Jandiroba — Saturday, July 20 (Las Vegas, NV) 

Cody Durden vs Bruno Silva

An intriguing flyweight fixture hits the UFC APEX here as Cody Durden welcomes Bruno Silva back to action for the first time in more than a year.

View The Entire July 20 Fight Card

The 33-year-old Durden had his four-fight winning streak snapped last time out by Tagir Ulanbekov but remains a perpetual tough out for anyone angling to make a move up the rankings. Silva has won three straight, collecting Performance of the Night bonuses in each, but his progress up the divisional ladder has been slowed by extended absences.

This lines up as a classic “striker versus grappler” pairing and should come down to where the majority of the fight plays out and whose conditioning holds up better if things progress into the fourth and fifth rounds.

UFC 304 — Saturday, July 27 (Manchester, England)

Muhammad Mokaev vs Manel Kape

Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape meet in what could potentially be a title eliminator in the flyweight division.

Now 6-0 in the UFC after his unanimous decision win over Alex Perez in March, the 23-year-old Mokaev has shown continued growth as he’s progressed up the divisional ladder and looks to be every bit the future contender he was forecasted to be throughout his amateur and early professional careers. It’s never been a question of talent with the gifted Kape, who enters on a four-fight winning streak; it’s his ability to dial in ahead of and during the fight, which has resulted in weight misses and underwhelming performances at times.

There is not a clear-cut No. 1 contender in the division at the moment, and with champion Alexandre Pantoja looking to get back in action in the back half of the year, a dominant showing from either man could put them in the driver’s seat when it comes to determining the next title challenger in the 125-pound weight class.

Arnold Allen vs Giga Chikadze

Suffolk lad Arnold Allen looks to right the ship in his return to fighting on home soil, while Giga Chikadze aims to start building some momentum once again following an injury layoff in this critical featherweight contest.

Order UFC 304: Edwards vs Muhammad 2

Allen won his first 10 UFC appearances but has landed on the wrong side of the cards in each of his last two outings. After more than 18 months on the sidelines, Chikadze got back in the win column last August with a victory over Alex Caceres, only to suffer an injury ahead of his planned bout with Josh Emmett, resulting in another extended stretch out of the Octagon.

Both men are stationed in the Top 10 in the featherweight rankings, but with the amount of talent pushing forward in the division, this feels like a pairing where each man needs to defend their ground and stake a claim for being considered amongst the division’s elite going forward.

Bobby Green vs Paddy Pimblett

Ask and you shall receive!

After Bobby Green bested Jim Miller at UFC 300, the veteran lightweight said he would cross the pond to face Paddy Pimblett on British soil, and now the two will meet in the middle of the UFC 304 main card.

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Green is the quintessential veteran stalwart — a fixture of the 155-pound ranks for over a decade, dangerous in all facets, and capable of frustrating foes with his trash talk and animated style in the Octagon. “Paddy the Baddy” is a perfect 5-0 in the UFC, but this matchup represents a solid step up in competition for the beloved Liverpool man.

Will Green be doing his customary “Triple H” celebration in front of a shook crowd at Co-Op Live or will the partisan masses be in full throat, roaring about another win for the streaking Scouser?

Tom Aspinall vs Curtis Blaydes

Interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall puts his belt on the line against the only man to earn a win over him in the UFC thus far - Curtis Blaydes - in the co-main event of the evening.

Aspinall made the most of his short-notice opportunity last November in New York, stopping Sergei Pavlovich in just over a minute to claim the interim heavyweight title and advance to 7-1 under the UFC banner. Blaydes rebounded from a loss to Pavlovich last year by derailing Jailton Almeida in March at UFC 299, earning a second-round knockout win against the previously surging Brazilian heavyweight.

These two met two years ago in London, with the fight lasting just 15 seconds as Aspinall suffered a non-contact knee injury in the opening moments of the contest. It’s a high-risk fight for the British titleholder, while Blaydes gets his first crack at UFC gold after eight largely successful years slugging it out in the heavyweight division.

The 35-year-old Muhammad enters on a five-fight winning streak and is unbeaten in his last 10, with the only blemish coming when his first meeting with Edwards was halted early in the second due to an accidental eye poke and ruled a no contest. The challenger has been champing at the bit to get his hands on Edwards for a second time, and now will look to send the raucous British fans home sad by wresting the welterweight title away from the British titleholder to close out UFC 304.

Will it be “And Still” or “And New” when the dust settles and the smoke clears?