Middleweights Michael Bisping and Thales Leites will look to show how much they both have left in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Glasgow show, held at the SSE Hydro.
Englishman Bisping, 36, has slid to four defeats in eight but remains relevant thanks to his high volume Muay Thai style, not to mention his motormouth trash-talking.
It should also be noted that, for the most part, Bisping has only been halted by world-class talent with Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort and Chael Sonnen among the seven men who have defeated the Brit, while some of his most impressive wins have come against Jorge Rivera, Brian Stann and Cung Le.
His opponent, now 33, has a lot to prove too, but in a different sense. The Nova Uniao man was cut from the UFC in 2009 but returned four years later to continue an undefeated run which now stands at eight straight wins.
Leites upset Tim Boetsch last time out in January, submitting the American in round two with an arm-triangle choke, while his punching power has accounted for TKO wins over Francis Carmont and Trevor Smith.
The Brazilian is one of the most in-form fighters in the division, and his high-low combinations and jiu-jitsu black belt mean he is always threatening wherever the fight goes.
The battle may open with Leites eating a few leg kicks for his troubles but his gameplan will be to push the pace and force Bisping to fight with his back against the fence. I’d put Thales as a slight favourite, but “The Count” has enough variety on the feet to box through to a decision victory.
The co-main event features a lightweight scrap between Ross Pearson and Evan Dunham. Sunderland’s Pearson, who now trains at Alliance MMA in San Diego, has endured injury troubles of late but recently short-circuited Sam Stout in two rounds via KO in March.
Fighting out of Las Vegas by way of Eugene, Oregon, USA; Dunham upended a three-fight losing streak at the turn of the year by boxing superbly against Rodrigo Damm. On paper both fighters are mirror images in terms of reach and height whereas Dunham, 33, is perhaps more versatile.
So what happens on fight night? Pearson should try to avoid his rival’s stinging jab, mix it to the body and the head, and score with Muay Thai flurries. “The Real Deal” could get a second consecutive win here if he stays smart on the feet.
Another 155lbs showcase pits Ireland’s Joe Duffy against Ivan Jorge. The last man to defeat Conor McGregor, back in 2010 by arm-triangle, Duffy is an excellent boxer with fast hands and nifty footwork. Jorge, fondly known as “Batman”, is vastly inferior in the stand-up, but boasts a dangerous back mount plus patience and weapons on the mat. With McGregor recently grabbing the interim featherweight belt, his compatriot and former rival should prevail here too.
Joanne Calderwood, 28, will have home advantage when he she tackles Cortney Casey-Sanchez in the Women’s 115lbs weight class. A world class striker, the Scot uses kicks in inventive ways and is comfortable marauding forward with her hands down. Casey-Sanchez, who cut her teeth with TuffNuff, is as durable as they come, and boasts a win by flying armbar.
Leon Edwards, the 23-year-old welterweight, caused a stir when he knocked out Seth Baczynski in eight seconds in April. Bringing flamboyant striking, the Birmingham man takes on Polish brawler Pawel Pawlek. Another Brummie, flyweight Vaughan Lee, will take on SBG Ireland’s Paddy Holohan.
Scottish favourite Stevie Ray returns to 155lbs action against Leonardo Mafra after clinching a second round TKO in his April UFC debut against Marcin Bandel. “Braveheart” must stay clever against his crude Brazilian rival, a former welterweight. In the same division Mickael Lebout trades blows with Teemu Packalen.
Up at light-heavyweight Ilir Latifi aims to get back to winning ways against fearsome Dutchman Hans Stringer. Fighting out of Allstars MMA, Latifi was decked inside a round by Jan Blachowicz in October, while he has a difficult task against jiu-jitsu whizz Stringer.
One of the most intriguing bouts on the card features Scottish featherweight Robert Whiteford against Ireland’s Paul Redmond. The home favourite, who hasn’t fought since 2014, possesses excellent judo and an active top game, but for all his grappling prowess, Redmond owns three toe hold triumphs. This could be fast and furious with plenty of scrambles, but Redmond’s submission game is perhaps the strongest here.
Elsewhere, rounding off the card is a heavyweight dust-up between Daniel Omielanczuk and Chris de la Rocha, and featherweight fireworks between Marcus Brimage and Jimmie Rivera.
