written by: Cam Bennett
Chris Gutierrez vs Nathaniel Wood
Chris Gutierrez was able to outpoint his opponent and secure the decision win. Gutierrez is a killer in an already absolutely stacked bantamweight division. Gutierrez has shown a well-rounded game and a very scary leg kicking attack that has earned him a couple of stoppages. He has been on a streak as of late and looks to continue to climb up the ranks. A solid fight for him would be the former Cage Warriors champ, Nathaniel Wood. Wood is another very talented fighter in the division and is looking to comeback in 2022; knowing that for the past couple of years, Gutierrez tends to fight twice a year, I think the timing would line up for both of them and it would be a solid challenge for both.
Mariya Agapova vs Maryna Moroz
Mariya Agapova was able to bounce back after a disappointing loss in her last fight and secure the third-round finish in this one. Agapova looked like she was on her A game from start to finish of the fight and looked very impressive. Now after her fight, in the press conference that followed, Agapovahad some choice words for fellow fighter Maryna Moroz. There is a lot of beef it seems between Moroz and Agapova after some accusations from Moroz about Agapova. I would suggest you look at it yourself to get where Agapova is coming from. Maryna Moroz has a fight scheduled already but win or lose I say that the UFC goes ahead and matches up this grudge match between Agapova and Moroz.
Matheus Nicolau vs Brandon Royval
Matheus Nicolau was able to squeak out the win against the always funky Tim Elliot. Nicolau continues to climb up the ranks in a very exciting flyweight division. There’s no fight in the division that could be matched that would end up being a boring one since the flyweights always seem to be game every time, they go out there. One of those very exciting fighters is Brandon Royval, who is unpredictable and always in an exciting fight. He’s on a two-fight skid, but those losses are coming to the very top of the division. I think this would be a good step for both of these fighters and it seems like now would be a good time for them to cross paths.
Randy Brown vs Nicolas Dalby
Brown took part in an exciting match against Jared Gooden and outpointed his counterpart Gooden. Brown seemed pretty heated over Gooden’s weight miss and it transferred into a taunting while landing some vicious shots throughout the fight. Randy Brown has been on a roll and his last loss was to Vicente Luque. Brown has put together a little streak since that loss and I think a matchup against someone like Nicolas Dalby, who is a tested fighter in the division and is just outside of the top 15 of the division would be a good next step.
Marina Rodriguez vs Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Marina Rodriguez was able to survive on the ground and out strike the BJJ legend Mackenzie Dern in their five round main event this past Saturday night. Rodriguez is a terrifying striker that has been running through the ranks of the women’s strawweight division. This marks her second main event and both of them saw her getting the win at the end of five rounds. Rodriguez looks like she has worked her way into the title talks. We have the rematch of Rose vs Zhang coming soon and Carla Esparza has seemed to make her way on deck in the title conversation. Then that leaves the former queen of the division who hasn’t been interested in a fight that isn’t Rose or Zhang, and that is Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Joanna is also an absolute monster on the feet and a fight between her and Rodriguez could be used as a title eliminator bout. These two women have an amazing gas tank and a phenomenal striking prowess. I say the UFC sets this as another fight night main event and this could set itself up to be a fight of the year candidate.
