The MMA Vivisection Shows: 'Main Card Preview' & 'Prelims Card Preview'

Canada is getting the rough treatment from UFC this weekend. A 14-fight event where 13 of the featured athletes are coming off losses seems like a hard sell, even with four ranked bouts. Sitting atop the heap is a great flyweight matchup between Brandon Moreno and Amir Albazi. Is it the kind of fight you put atop an on0the0road card? Probably not, but b…

UFC 308 is finally here and with it, one of the better PPV main cards of the year. At the top of the event is the featherweight title bout between reigning king Ilia Topuria and the challenger, one Jerome Max Holloway. Straight up banger, full stop. The co-main event of Bobby Knuckles and Khamzat Chimaev is a fight we’ve all looked forward to for a hot …

You guys and gals aren’t going to believe this, but a mythical entity is afoot. The ultra-rare decent Apex card. That’s right kids, we’re getting a pretty solid event with UFC Vegas 99. Not only do we get three ranked fights, we have some really good matchmaking at play, as well. Charles Johnson vs. Sumudaerji is certified fresh.

The main event is good, too. Middleweight doesn’t look completely barren these days. It’s not robust, by any means, but it’s got potential, and it’s been awhile since we’ve been able to say that. Let’s take a look at the bouts of the main portion as well as some alternative stats:

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UFC Vegas 99 Main Card

* Michel Pereira  vs.  Anthony Hernandez 185 lbs

* Rob Font  vs.  Kyler Phillips 135 lbs

* Sumudaerji  vs.  Charles Johnson 125 lbs

* Jake Hadley  vs.  Cameron Smotherman 135 lbs

* Darren Elkins  vs.  Daniel Pineda 145 lbs

UFC Vegas 99 Alternative Stats

* Ranked fights: 3

* Ranked fighters: 6

* Fighters coming off losses: 12

* Contender Series alumni: 5

* TUF alumni: 4

* Debuting fighters: 1 (Smotherman)

Don’t forget to check out the bonus section for a great review of the UFC Vegas 98 card. Make sure to tune in immediately after this weekend’s fights for breakdowns and analysis on our 6th Round Post-Fight Show.

Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to The MMA Vivisection & 6th Round Post-fight Show podcast Substack to enjoy our premium content. Your paid subscriptions are keeping hope alive that we can continue on with our shows. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide.

Thanks for reading MMA Vivisection & 6th Round! This post is public so feel free to share it.

UFC is back in business this weekend with their 98th Vegas themed Apex card, and much as one would expect, it’s kind of miserable. Okay, it’s a lot of miserable. If you don’t believe it, just scroll down to the alternative stats and feast your eyes on those. Outside the main event, there isn’t another truly intriguing fight. There are plenty of interest…

RED ALERT! UFC is giving us a card with SEVEN ranked fights! Of course it’s a PPV, but we can admit when the promotion is churning out solid content, and for the last few weeks, we’ve gotten some good matchmaking. This week features much of the same—although we’re not overly thrilled with the two dinosaur matches on the undercard. Means vs. McGee and OS…

UFC Paris has arrived for 2024 and as you probably guessed, it’s a decent card, as they tend to be when on the road. Have to make sure those seats are sold at a premium, right? At the top of the card is an excellent bout between Number 11 ranked Renato Moicano (Moicano wants MONEY!) and Number 12 ranked Benoit St. Denis. Will Moicano continue to surpris…

UFC 306 week is finally here and with it, a solid card. Is it worth all the hype and huge production budget the promotion has invested in it? Absolutely not. Will it be a fun watch considering the match-ups? Yes it will. Maybe we see Sean O’Malley be the one to stop the Dvalishvili juggernaut, or maybe the Georgian ends Sugar’s title run.

And if the boys…

UFC Vegas 97 isn’t where all the action is happening, or even part of it, but it does have a fight here and there that is worth the watch. It gives that deja vu feeling, though, like we’ve already seen it before. Such is the way of all Apex cards. Who knows, maybe we’ll get better quality cards once the expansion is done. We won’t hold our breath, thoug…

UFC 96 isn’t just a raggedy Apex card. This time around, it also bears the distinction of being a TUF finale event, as well. And before you ask, yes, TUF is still a thing. The show is headlined by a middleweight contender matchup between Jared Cannonier and Zane’s favorite fighter, Caio Borralho. Will the leader of the Fighting Nerds be able get the W?

…

We’re just a day away from a pretty solid PPV with UFC 305, and even the undercard has a little razzle dazzle. Once again, I can’t help but laugh to myself when I stop to think what you all are guessing the title means. It would be pretty great to see some of you came up with before you listened to the show. The comments are right there, just in case you want to share.

MMA Vivisection & 6th Round is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

But right now, let’s see what’s shaking with the prelims. We’re getting a heavyweight bout as the featured prelim, and for that, I will offer up a rare bit of gratitude in keeping unranked heavies on the undercard. Junior Tafa is a crowd favorite and willing to get right in the pocket, so Valter Walker should prepare for that. It’s decent placement for this event. Let’s take a look at the rest of the bouts and some alternative stats:

UFC 305 Undercard

* Junior Tafa  vs.  Valter Walker 265 lbs

* Josh Culibao  vs.  Ricardo Ramos 145 lbs

* Casey O'Neill  vs.  Luana Santos 125 lbs

* Jack Jenkins  vs.  Herbert Burns 145 lbs

* Tom Nolan  vs.  Alex Reyes 155 lbs

* Kenan Song  vs.  Ricky Glenn 170 lbs

* Stewart Nicoll  vs.  Jesus Aguilar 125 lbs

UFC 305 Alternative Stats

* Ranked fights: 4

* Ranked fighters: 9

* Fighters coming off losses: 15

* Contender Series alumni: 5

* TUF alumni: 1

* Debuting fighters: 1 (Nicoll)

Don’t forget to check out the companion episode for our predictions and analysis of the main card. Remember, we’re off this weekend so there won’t be a 6th Round Post-fight Show, but we’ll return next week, as usual. Until then, enjoy this week’s bonus content on the house. We appreciate you all.

Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to The MMA Vivisection & 6th Round Post-fight Show podcast Substack to enjoy our premium content. Your paid subscriptions are keeping hope alive that we can continue on with our shows. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide.

Thanks for reading MMA Vivisection & 6th Round! This post is public so feel free to share it.