Welcome back to another instalment of Something Old, Something New where again we will run down this week’s debutants and those returning to the UFC octagon after lengthy spells on the sidelines. With two UFC shows on this weekend, Fight Night 99 in Belfast and 100 in Sao Paulo, I have chosen a selection of those making the walk in the UFC for the first time who deserve your attention. With a number of fighters making their debuts, it’s sure to be an exciting week for the talent spotters amongst us.
Alexander “Drago” Volkov (26-6) – Heavyweight
Russian Heavyweight Alexander Volkov enters the Octagon for the first time after spending the majority of his career so far split between Bellator MMA and M-1 Global since turning professional in 2009. Volkov is the current M-1 Global Heavyweight Champion and former Bellator Heavyweight Champion.
During his run with Bellator, “Drago” also won both the Season 7 and Season 10 Heavyweight tournament before two losses in 2015, the last of which was to Cheick Kongo, led to him being released and returning to M-1 Global.
With 18 KO’s in his 26 victories, Volkov is a fearsome striker and has the potential to make some waves in the UFC’s ageing Heavyweight division.
Jack “Hammer” Marshman (20-5) – Middleweight
Former Cage Warriors Middleweight Champion Jack Marshman became the first Welshman to sign with the UFC last month when he vacated his Middleweight belt in order to make his debut against Magnus Cedenblad in Belfast.
Currently on a six fight win streak, the 26-year-old serving paratrooper has finished 17 of his 20 victories within the distance and is known for possessing knockout power.
He will hope to get off and running with an impressive performance this weekend to put Wales on the MMA map and himself in the mix in the UFC Middleweight division.
Bret “The Pikey” Johns (12-0) – Bantamweight
Another Welshman to make his UFC debut in Belfast is highly-regarded Bantamweight Bret Johns, who after winning both the Cage Warriors and Titan FC Bantamweight titles, finds himself facing fellow undefeated prospect Kwan Ho Kwak.
With recent victories over Walel Watson and Anthony Gutierrez in Titan FC, where he was stripped of the belt for missing weight for his fight with Gutierrez, the Swansea native is being tipped as a future star by some in the sport.
Still only 24-years-old and training in Wales at the Chris Rees Academy, “The Pikey” can get his UFC career off to a good start by navigating past his dangerous South Korean opponent on Saturday.
Darren “The Dentist” Stewart (7-0) – Light-Heavyweight
Hailing from East London, Darren Stewart looks to have a bright future after scoring seven straight victories on the British MMA circuit and five of those victories have come by KO or TKO.
Travelling to Sao Paulo for UFC Fight Night 101, “The Dentist” will have his work cut out for him when he faces Brazil native Francimar Barroso. If Stewart can use his knockout power to add another first round victory to his record then not only could he silence the Brazilian crowd but also mark his arrival to the UFC in fashion.
With the emphasis being placed on new faces this week, there’s not many fighters returning from a long period of inactivity. However one name jumps out from the list and it’s a name I’m more than happy to have back.
Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall (13-5-1) – Flyweight
Fighting for the first time since his January 2015 unanimous decision loss to John Lineker, Ian McCall’s bad luck with injuries and late call offs is hopefully over as he goes up against fellow Flyweight Neil Seery in Belfast at UFC Fight Night 99
Having fought only four times since his double header with Demetrious Johnson in 2012 as part of the four man tournament to crown the inaugural UFC Flyweight Champion, “Uncle Creepy” has found it difficult to maintain relevancy and consistency while his own injury problems have plagued him.
After earning a draw in the first fight with “Mighty Mouse”, McCall would lose two fights in a row by unanimous decision in the rematch and against Joseph Benavidez but bounced back with a win over Illarde Santos and Brad Pickett before his injury problems began.
At the age of 32, time is running out for the ex-gang member to make a run at the Flyweight belt but he can get himself back on track by putting a dampener on Seery’s retirement party.
Although there might not be the name value, this weekend’s cards certainly carry enough potential entertainment value to keep us all happy. Join us for more “Something Old, Something New” next week for UFC Fight Night 101 from Melbourne, Australia.
