Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs Daukaus

Heavyweights looking to cement their place in the divisional hierarchy headline this weekend’s fight card as Curtis Blaydes squares off with Chris Daukaus.

Blaydes was Derrick Lewis’ first conquest of 2021, landing on the wrong end of an uppercut from “The Black Beast” in February that halted his four-fight winning streak in a hurry. Seven months later, the Elevation Fight Team member returned to the Octagon and the win column with a unanimous decision victory over fellow Top 10 fixture Jairzinho Rozenstruik to get himself moving in the right direction again.

Daukaus also saw his four-fight UFC run of success fade away at the hands of Lewis, getting roughed up by the perennial contender in the final bout of 2021. Prior to that, the former Philadelphia police officer had earned stoppage wins over Aleksei Oleinik and Shamil Abdurakhimov to push his overall winning streak to five and put himself on the brink of title contention.

Things are fluid at the top of the heavyweight division at the moment, with champion Francis Ngannou set to undergo knee surgery, which gives added importance to this already compelling clash on Saturday. The winner will firmly establish themselves as a Top 5 fighter in the division, and should be in the mix for a marquee assignment in the second half of the year, while the vanquished competitor will need to regroup quickly in order to fend off challenges to their place in the pecking order in the future.

Joanne Wood vs. Alexa Grasso

Originally scheduled to take place back in December, Matt Brown and Bryan Barberena will finally share the cage this weekend in what stands as the early favorite to earn Fight of the Night honors on Saturday night.

A Columbus native, Brown is one of two men to have fought the last time the UFC rolled through his hometown still on the active roster (Jim Miller is the other) and will look to add a second straight win to his resume here. After dropping two straight and considering retirement, “The Immortal” earned a second-round TKO win over Dhiego Lima last time out, and now gets the chance to compete at home again.

A blue-collar battler who navigated a pair of serious injury threats over the last couple years, Barberena stayed on the December fight card after Brown was scratched, collecting a unanimous decision win over Darian Weeks. “Bam Bam” is tough as nails and difficult to put away, making him an ideal dance partner for an aggressive, no-nonsense fighter like Brown.

Whether this one lasts 15 seconds or 15 minutes, it’s going to be action-packed and grimy as both Brown and Barberena are allergic to being in boring fights. Get your popcorn ready for this one.

Ilir Latifi vs. Aleksei Oleinik

Veterans Ilir Latifi and Aleksei Oleinik meet here in hopes of getting their 2022 campaigns underway with a victory on Saturday night.

Latifi returned to the heavyweight division for the first time in more than a decade at UFC 247, dropping a debated split decision to Derrick Lewis. He remained at heavyweight for his lone appearance of last year, edging out Tanner Boser on the scorecards, and looks to secure a second straight victory in the big boy ranks by toppling Oleinik this weekend in Columbus.

COLUMBUS FREE FIGHTS: Curtis Blaydes vs JDS | Chris Daukaus vs Shamil Abdurakhimov

Oleinik has been stuck on 59 professional wins since defeating former champion Fabricio Werdum by split decision in the spring of 2020, and hopes the fourth time is the charm this weekend. The 44-year-old dropped a decision to Serghei Spivac last time out, marking one of the few times in his lengthy career that he’s gone more than a year without a victory.

Will Latifi earn his second consecutive heavyweight win and continue to move forward in the division or can Oleinik finally reach the 60-win milestone?

Jennifer Maia vs. Manon Fiorot

Former title challenger Jennifer Maia looks to halt the ascent of French standout Manon Fiorot as the two square off in another compelling flyweight clash on Saturday’s fight card.

Maia has alternated wins and losses over her last six fights, posting victories over Roxanne Modafferi, Wood, and Jessica Eye while dropping decisions to Katlyn Chookagian (twice) and champ Valentina Shevchenko. The Brazilian looks to solidify her spot as a Top 5 fixture and maintain that pattern this weekend by handing Fiorot the first loss of her UFC career.

A former IMMAF World Champion, Fiorot went 3-0 in her 2021 rookie campaign inside the Octagon, posting second-round stoppage wins over Victoria Leonardo and Tabatha Ricci before collecting a unanimous decision victory over Mayra Bueno Silva in October. The 32-year-old is a physically imposing fighter and her karate background makes her a unique threat in the 125-pound weight class.

This is a major test for the streaking Fiorot, who has earned eight straight wins after dropping her professional debut, but also a dangerous assignment for Maia. How this one plays out should tell us a great deal about where each woman stands in the division at the moment, and help chart a course for the top tier of the weight class in the second half of the year.

Neil Magny vs. Max Griffin

Rankings fixture Neil Magny takes on streaking veteran Max Griffin in this compelling welterweight affair.

Traditionally one of the most active fighters on the roster, Magny only fought twice in 2021, dropping a unanimous decision to Michael Chiesa in January before rebounding with a decision win of his own over Geoff Neal in May. The former Ultimate Fighter contestant has been a permanent presence in the Top 15 for the last several years, and remains one of the more underrated fighters on the UFC roster.

After struggling to produce consistent results through his first nine UFC appearances, Griffin has strung together three straight wins heading into this clash with Magny in Columbus. He scored a third-round stoppage win over Ramiz Brahimaj towards the end of 2020, following it up with a first-round knockout of Song Kenan last March before out-dueling Carlos Condit at UFC 264.

Because of his length, gas tank, and the steady stream of jabs he throws your way, Magny is a difficult matchup for anyone aspiring to land a place in the welterweight Top 10. He is the toughest test Griffin has faced since his promotional debut against Colby Covington, and it will be interesting to see if he can maintain his winning ways when the two share the cage on Saturday.

Marc Diakiese vs. Viacheslav Borshchev

Marc Diakiese looks to break out of a mini-slump in his first start of the year, while Viacheslav Borshchev looks to collect his second win in 2022 in this lightweight gem.

Still just 28 years old, Diakiese has struggled to find success since beginning his UFC tenure with three straight wins, posting just two victories in his last seven starts. He’s lost to quality competition and remains a plus athlete with dynamic striking, which means he’s capable of bouncing back at any time.

Borshchev impressed on Season 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series and then collected a first-round stoppage victory in his promotional debut on the opening card of the year. The Team Alpha Male representative has far more combat sports experience than his 6-1 record suggests and his win over Dakota Bush was just a glimpse of how dangerous “Slava Claus” can be inside the Octagon.

Diakiese needs a win to get things back on track, while Borshchev is aiming to expedite his climb up the divisional ladder. Who will get the critical victory they’re looking for this weekend?

Sara McMann vs. Karol Rosa

Bantamweights at different stages of their careers clash here as former title challenger Sara McMann takes on emerging Brazilian Karol Rosa.

The Olympic silver medalist McMann was hustled into a championship fight with Ronda Rousey in her second UFC appearance and has never really found stability since, posting a 5-5 record in the more than eight years since that bout. She remains a powerful athlete and solid on the canvas, yet has lost three of her last four by submission.

UFC LONDON REWIND: The Scorecard | The Amazing 9 Bonus Winners | Final Results

The 27-year-old Rosa is 4-0 in the UFC and 15-3 overall, standing as one of the few up-and-coming fresh talents in the 135-pound weight class. She’s gone the distance in each of her last four outings and is taking a big step up in competition here after dispatching Bethe Correia last time out.

McMann continues to have moments in all of her fights, but has struggled to carry them through from round-to-round, while Rosa has looked sharp, but never faced anyone as strong or experienced as the Olympian. This should be an interesting clash of styles that tells us where each woman fits in the division heading into the second quarter of the 2022 fight calendar.

Chris Gutierrez vs. Batgerel Danaa

Unheralded bantamweight standouts Chris Gutierrez and Batgerel Danaa clash in what should be a solid Fight of the Night contender early in the evening.

Gutierrez pushed his unbeaten streak to six with a pair of wins in 2021, and is 8-1-1 over his last 10 fights overall. The 30-year-old Factory X Muay Thai representative has had moments where he’s looked really sharp, and others where he’s struggled to get out of the blocks and let go with his offense, so it will be interesting to see which version turns up this weekend in Columbus.

Since dropping his promotional debut to fellow newcomer Alatengheili in the summer of 2019, Batgerel has rattled off three straight first-round finishes. He needed just three minutes to put away Guido Cannetti in 2020, and then logged less than three minutes of combined cage time stopping Kevin Natividad and Brandon Davis last year while showcasing the work he’s done with Brandon “Six Gun” Gibson in Albuquerque.

Neither man has any interest in being the one leaving Ohio with their lengthy run of success in the rear view mirror, but the process of determining who will suffer that fate should be wildly entertaining to watch.