UFC News & Features
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s latest jaunt to the UFC Apex
serves up seven prelims that could provide some entertaining action
on Saturday in Las Vegas. Natan Levy
and Mike
Davis square off as two athletically talented lightweights look
to build some momentum and overcome their recent inactivity.
Meanwhile, Josiane
Nunes-Chelsea
Chandler should result in a violent battle between two former
featherweights looking to carve out niches as full-time
bantamweights, and the standout bout among the rest comes in the
form of Danny
Silva’s promotional debut. Silva was part of one of the best
fights in
Dana White’s Contender Series history in September and now
tries to overcome a tricky veteran test on Joshua
Culibao.
ODDS: Moises (-410), Ramirez (+320)
If nothing else, this should be an entertaining bounce-back opportunity for Moises. He came to the UFC in 2018, and the Brazilian looked like a prospect with a high floor. Fighting with a poise that belied his 23 years of age, Moises stayed patient and picked apart his opponents with a game buoyed by an impressive level of grappling. It is an approach that has continued to serve Moises well, but it is also one that has been blown apart as he has tried to break into the top tiers of the lightweight division. Some potent opponents have just seized the initiative and never given it back, leaving Moises to either get finished or find himself on the end of some one-sided losses. Moises has at least tried to be more intentional in pursuing his wrestling in recent years, but all his typical issues came back to the forefront against Benoit St. Denis in September. Initially matched up with Brad Riddell here, Moises instead faces late replacement and UFC newcomer in Ramirez. The 31-year-old Ramirez looked like a solid welterweight prospect with some knockout power heading into Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023, but he found himself outgunned against standout striker Carlos Prates. As a result, “The Fight Stalker” cut down to lightweight for a regional win before getting this late-notice call. A late comer to mixed martial arts, Ramirez is generally solid but unspectacular, though he could have a shot at an upset in this assignment. Ramirez’s level of aggression varies from fight to fight, but he should be more than willing to fill the void caused by Moises’ patient style and could cause plenty of early damage in doing so. However, there is also nothing to suggest that Moises’ wrestling and grappling will not also find a lot of success, and that seems like the surer bet. The pick is Moises via first-round submission.
Jump To »
Moises vs. Ramirez
Davis vs. Levy
Nunes vs. Chandler
Filho vs. Osbourne
Culibao vs. Silva
McKenna vs. Amorim
Grigoriou vs. Anheliger
Lightweights
Thiago Moises (17-7, 6-5 UFC) vs. Mitch Ramirez (8-1, 0-0 UFC)Advertisement
If nothing else, this should be an entertaining bounce-back opportunity for Moises. He came to the UFC in 2018, and the Brazilian looked like a prospect with a high floor. Fighting with a poise that belied his 23 years of age, Moises stayed patient and picked apart his opponents with a game buoyed by an impressive level of grappling. It is an approach that has continued to serve Moises well, but it is also one that has been blown apart as he has tried to break into the top tiers of the lightweight division. Some potent opponents have just seized the initiative and never given it back, leaving Moises to either get finished or find himself on the end of some one-sided losses. Moises has at least tried to be more intentional in pursuing his wrestling in recent years, but all his typical issues came back to the forefront against Benoit St. Denis in September. Initially matched up with Brad Riddell here, Moises instead faces late replacement and UFC newcomer in Ramirez. The 31-year-old Ramirez looked like a solid welterweight prospect with some knockout power heading into Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023, but he found himself outgunned against standout striker Carlos Prates. As a result, “The Fight Stalker” cut down to lightweight for a regional win before getting this late-notice call. A late comer to mixed martial arts, Ramirez is generally solid but unspectacular, though he could have a shot at an upset in this assignment. Ramirez’s level of aggression varies from fight to fight, but he should be more than willing to fill the void caused by Moises’ patient style and could cause plenty of early damage in doing so. However, there is also nothing to suggest that Moises’ wrestling and grappling will not also find a lot of success, and that seems like the surer bet. The pick is Moises via first-round submission.
Jump To »
Moises vs. Ramirez
Davis vs. Levy
Nunes vs. Chandler
Filho vs. Osbourne
Culibao vs. Silva
McKenna vs. Amorim
Grigoriou vs. Anheliger
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