It’s Something Old, Something New where we get you up to speed concerning those making their UFC debuts this week and reintroduce you to those coming back from long spells on the sidelines. This week we look at UFC on Fox 22 taking place this Saturday night at the Golden 1 Centre in Sacramento, California. The event is headlined by a Women’s Strawweight bout between Paige Van Zant and Michelle Waterson and will also feature hometown hero and MMA pioneer Urijah Faber’s retirement fight against Brad Pickett.
First we look at the fighters who this week will take the walk to the octagon for the first time and look to deliver performances that will kickstart their UFC career.
Paul “Bearjew” Craig (8-0) – Light-Heavyweight
28-year-old submission specialist Paul Craig makes his debut in Sacramento this Saturday night and becomes the latest British talent to make it to the UFC after going undefeated in his professional career, with seven out of his eight wins coming by way of submission.
A school teacher by day, Craig was a late starter in MMA however has won regional grappling tournaments and is a brown belt in BJJ. He earned his call up to the UFC due to his run in BAMMA which culminated in winning the BAMMA Light-Heavyweight Title from Marcin Lazarz in November 2015.
The Light-Heavyweight from Airdrie, Scotland trains at Scottish Hit Squad gym and has not fought since winning the belt however “Bearjew” will look to keep his undefeated record in tact when he faces Brazilian wildman Luis Henrique da Silva at UFC on Fox 22.
Irene “Robles” Aldana (7-2) – Bantamweight
After a successful spell under the Invicta FC banner, Irene Aldana will make her UFC debut against tough veteran Leslie Smith at UFC on Fox 22 this weekend.
Fighting out of Guadalajara, Mexico and training at Lobo Gym alongside fellow Mexican prospect Alexa Grasso, Aldana has fought under the Jungle Fight and Invicta banners going 4-1 in the latter. Her only defeat in Invicta came at the hands of Tonya Evinger at Invicta 13 for the vacant Bantamweight Title.
The 28-year-old, who possesses powerful striking and has finished all her fights within the distance, will look to continue that pattern in Sacramento.
Now to look at those who make a return to the UFC this week after a prolonged period on the sidelines. These fighters will be desperate to make a statement and put themselves back in the picture of their respective divisions.
Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson (13-4) – Strawweight
With injuries forcing her out of action since her UFC debut in July 2015, Michelle Waterson returns to stake her claim as a legitimate contender in the Strawweight division against Paige Van Zant in this weekend’s UFC on Fox 22 main event.
The 30-year-old from Colorado Springs is a former Invicta Atomweight Champion and also fought under the Strikeforce banner in 2008. She had won seven out of her last eight fights before a knee injury and a broken right hand kept her from building on a successful UFC debut when she defeated Angela Magana at TUF 21 Finale by third round submission.
The lifelong martial artist, who’s been a black belt in karate since her teens, first gained attention on Oxygen TV’s reailty show “Fight Girls” and appeared on MTV’s “Bully Beatdown” as a featured fighter.
A long-time member of Jackson’s MMA in New Mexico, “The Karate Hottie” will have a perfect opportunity to show everyone she is ready to challenge the top names in the division with a strong showing in the headlining bout on the card.
Mizuto “Pugnus” Hirota (17-7-2) – Featherweight
An experienced fighter who has fought all over the world, Mizuto Hirota will return to the octagon for the first time since his UFC comeback in September 2015, when he fought to a split decision draw with Teruto Ishihara in the final of Road to UFC: Japan.
The 35-year-old is a decorated champion in his home country of Japan becoming both Sengoku Lightweight Champion and DEEP Lightweight Champion earlier in his career. He has also competed in Shooto and Strikeforce before arriving in the UFC for his first spell in 2013 where he lost his two bouts to Rani Yahya and Rodrigo Damm.
His strengths lie in his boxing game with 10 of his 17 wins coming by way of KO/TKO and he has a good all-round skill set to support it and set up his power shots.
Hirota was on the receiving end of one of MMA’s most unsportsmanlike moments when in a super fight against Shinya Aoki at Dynamite! 2009, his opponent would defeat him by breaking his arm and then gave him and the crowd the middle finger whilst running about the ring excitedly. Despite a later apology, it’s an incident still widely talked about to this day.
In Sacramento at UFC on Fox 22, Hirota will face fellow veteran and long-time UFC competitor Cole Miller to try and start a late career resurgence in the Featherweight divison.
Sultan Aliev (13-2) – Welterweight
Sultan Aliev will look to bounce back from a loss in his UFC debut against Kenny Robertson by defeating Bojan Velickovic in the opening bout of UFC on Fox 22 this weekend.
Coming from Kaspiysk in the Dagestan region of Russia, Aliev’s background and strengths lie in Combat Sambo where he was the 2014 World Champion and is highly respected amongst his peers for his abilities however he has also proved he has the striking talent and power to match with 10 of his 13 wins coming by way of KO/TKO.
Having fought previously under Pro FC in his home country and Bellator across the pond, he was originally scheduled to return against Hyun Gyu Lim at UFC 202 but was forced to withdraw with a wrist injury leaving him to be matched up with Velickovic in Sacramento.
