We’ve all been wowed by the stellar bout sheet for UFC 296. It’s kind of hard not to. Even the curtain-jerker is a killer match-up. Who wouldn’t want to watch Randy Brown put to the test by Muslim Salikhov? And as you move up from there, the great fights just keep showing up.

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And when is the last time we didn’t complain about the heavyweights? The weakest of the men’s divisions doesn’t produce enough talent outside the top 10 to really make us sit up and take notice, but pairing 11-0 Gaziev up with 13-1 Buday is genius booking for 265.

Eight fights comprise the prelims and all eight are worth checking out. If they don’t provide serious movement in the rankings, they provide potential for what every fan craves, certified bangers. Bryce Mitchell vs. Josh Emmett in the featured prelim spot is also another bit of genius matchmaking. Let’s take a look at the rest of the undercard:

UFC 296 Prelims

* Josh Emmett  vs.  Bryce Mitchell 145 lbs

* Irene Aldana  vs.  Karol Rosa 135 lbs

* Cody Garbrandt  vs.  Brian Kelleher 135 lbs

* Casey O'Neill  vs.  Ariane Lipski 125 lbs

* Alonzo Menifield  vs.  Dustin Jacoby 205 lbs

* Tagir Ulanbekov  vs.  Cody Durden 125 lbs

* Andre Fili  vs.  Lucas Almeida 145 lbs

* Shamil Gaziev  vs.  Martin Buday 265 lbs

* Randy Brown  vs.  Muslim Salikhov 170 lbs

That said, there are a few minor annoyances with a couple of the fights but nothing that seriously detracts from the card. We’ll go through those , but again, it’s nothing that impedes or takes away from the event.

Don’t forget to check out the bonus section for a great review of the UFC Vegas 83 preliminary card. Make sure to tune in immediately after this weekend’s fights for breakdowns and analysis on our 6th Round Post-Fight Show.

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