Top November UFC Fights to Watch
In a month filled with incredible matchups and fight of the year contenders, MMA in November looks to be one for the ages.
Besides UFC 268’s two title fights and a top-five lightweight matchup covered by Andrew Bozenski and his article https://www.prosportsfanatics.com/more/kkxocrvjfykuuh6hso19enryev2keb Check it out!
Here are a couple of matchups on UFC 268, UFC Fight Nights, and some fighters to watch for.
In an interesting matchup between one of the legends in MMA and a hungry fighter climbing the rankings. Frankie Edgar versus Marlon Vera will be a fight worth watching. Edgar, a former lightweight champion and featherweight title contender looks to come back from a knockout loss against Cory Sandhagen and beat Vera to prove he still has “it” in him. However, for Marlon “Chito” Vera, a win over Edgar pushes him up the rankings and establishes him as a contender. I expect a win or possibly a KO victory for Vera just because of his dynamic striking, height, reach, and submission advantage. For Edgar to win this fight, he would have to take the fight to the ground through his elite grappling and wrestling testing not only Vera’s takedown defense but his mental fortitude.
In a battle for a spot in the top 15 UFC featherweight rankings, Shane Burgos vs Billy Quarantillo will be an amazing striking bout with both men known for their toughness and offense. Ranked as the #14 UFC featherweight, Shane Burgos’s career has started hot with tough wins and finishes over high-level competitors, however, in his last two fights Burgos has lost to proven veterans in Josh Emmett and Edson Barboza. Coming in to take his spot is Billy Quarantillo with his fierce mentality and tremendous striking output. Quarantillo riding a one-fight win streak and a 4-1 record since joining the UFC in 2019, is out there to prove on Saturday night that he is a contending UFC featherweight and deserving of a spot in the rankings. Quarantillo’s best shot to win is to also take the fight to the ground even though Shane Burgos does have a couple of submission wins. So that being said, I predict Shane Burgos to win this fight via finish (KO, TKO, or SUB), but I wouldn’t be surprised if this fight goes to a decision considering both men are tough individuals who can go the distance.
Coming off a dominant victory over Calvin Kattar, former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway is on a journey to prove he is one of the best mix-martial artists in the world by fighting contender after contender. Looking to prevent him from reclaiming the featherweight title is a third-ranked UFC featherweight named Yair Rodriguez. Rodriguez, a special talent coming out of Mexico, is a fighter that overall has the potential to be a champion but due to several canceled fights and injuries, Yair has not been truly tested up to this point. This matchup between Holloway and Rodriguez will be a fight-of-the-year candidate because of their unique styles and overall striking abilities. Max a known pound-for-pound boxer can light up any fighter with quick combinations, kicks, and strikes. Yair, on the other hand, can mix it up with his diverse move set from elbows to knees or even submissions. Overall, this is a fight you DO NOT want to miss. As I recommend watching highlights from these two fighters to understand why there is hype surrounding this fight not just from my end but the MMA community. I predict a dominant victory for Max Holloway but I will say Yair Rodriguez is a fighter who can easily surprise you.
This matchup between Michael Chiesa and Sean Brady is your classic veteran versus up-and-comer fight. What makes this bout exciting is the toughness between these two fighters and the implications around rankings. Being that if Chiesa wins, he resets his win streak and logically stays in the top 10 of the welterweight rankings. For Sean Brady, a win over Chiesa propels him into the top 10 rankings and proves he is a future welterweight title contender. This matchup is tough to predict and will likely go to decision. For now, I predict Chiesa to win but I wouldn’t be surprised if Sean Brady can win via split or unanimous decision.
In a top 10 clash between two great bantamweight fighters in the UFC, Vieira, and Tate appears to be a good fight. This matchup built on the storyline of Tate’s comeback intensifies this fight even more considering every fight could be her last. As Tate’s goal this time is to pursue the title and for her to do that she goes through contender after contender. So in spite of that, Vieira isn’t a fighter Tate should overlook even though Vieira has lost the last two out of three recent fights. I expect this fight to go the distance and Tate to grab the decision victory. As she slowly inches her way towards the title picture once again.
“Fighters” watch
Ian Garry (UFC 268): 7-0, Making UFC debut, and former Cage Warriors Welterweight Champion
Melsik Baghdasaryan (UFC 268): 6-1, Last fight he TKO’d his opponent, and has tough matchup
Adrian Yanez: 14-3 (UFC Fight Night 11/20), Tremendous striking/boxing, and young up-and-comer.
Cheyanne Buys: 6-2 (UFC Fight Night 11/20), TKO’d her last opponent, and a promising prospect.