31 Oct 2019
Let’s take a closer look at the 12 fights going down, including a co-main event between Kelvin Gastelum and Darren Till, at UFC 244: “Masvidal vs. Diaz” this Saturday night in New York City.
UFC 244 PRELIM CARD
The card kicks off with two successful featherweights, Julio Arce and Hakeem Dawodu. Both fighters have won three out of four of their UFC bouts, and a win can get one of them breaking into the top-ten rankings. Lyman Good is one of the local fighters, so the born and raised NYC fighter is ready to bounce back from a loss to Damien Maia with a win over Chance Rencountre. Both welterweights are good all-around fighters and is a quality matchup early in the card.
Katlyn Chookagian is the #1 women’s flyweight contender, and instead of getting the title shot she thought she deserved, will battle #5 ranked Jennifer Maia, in what could decide the next in line for the belt. Former UFC heavyweight title holder Andrei Arlovski is still trying to make a push to the top. The heavy hitter finally snapped a 4-fight losing streak by outpointing vet Ben Rothwell. Jairzinho Rozenstruik is a former kickboxer, and “Bigi Boy” has not disappointed in his UFC run so far, stopping Junior Albini in his debut and a 9 second KO of Allen Crowder. Don’t blink, or you might just miss this whole fight.
Brad Tavares is the #11 ranked middleweight facing #13 ranked Edmen Shahbazyan. While Tavares may be forgotten name in the division, he has won an impressive 6 of his last 8 fights, with the only losses coming to recent title matchup Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker. Shahbazyan is the young undefeated fighter at only 21-years-old, and looking to get his 4th win in the last 12 months against a well-established Hawaiian brawler.
Makwan Amirkhani is the biggest betting underdog on the card as he faces the NYC born and raised Shane Burgos, the big favorite. The #12 ranked American will be looking for his third straight win, as will “Mr. Finland.” Makwan is known for his ability to shine under the bright lights including his memorable UFC debut where he TKO’s Andy Ogle in just 8 seconds in front of over 30,000 fans in Stockholm, Sweden.
Corey Anderson is the #7 ranked light heavyweight, but doesn’t have the name or excitement factor to get in the title shot discussion. Johnny Walker however is a different story. The #11 ranked Brazilian is all style and charisma, and an opportunity on the prelim headliner to make another big splash. 9 straight wins, including his last 3 first round stoppages in the UFC Octagon, have Walker as one of the most hyped fighters in the organization.
UFC 244 MAIN CARD
Kevin Lee vs. Gregor Gillespie
#10 ranked Lee will take on #11 ranked Gillespie to kick off the main card. Lee has been on a quick downfall, where he went from a 5-fight winning streak and title shot to losing two of his most recent bouts. When looking at fighters that could eventually take out undefeated champion Khabib "The Eagle" Nurmagomedov, Gillespie’s name comes up because of his credentials as a four-time NCAA Division I wrestling standout. The fighter out of New York is also undefeated, and the betting favorite plans to take him into the top 10 ranking and step closer to the lightweight title shot with this key matchup victoryt.
Blagoy Ivanov vs. Derrick Lewis
Everybody loves “my balls was hot” Lewis. Derrick is coming off knee surgery, and often fought injured, but looks to get back to his winning ways as he faces Bulgarian Sambo champion Ivanov that has won his last two fights. The heavyweight American is ranked #5 and will have his hands full with #8 ranked brawler. The matchup will help determine who take steps toward a lucrative heavyweight title shot.
Vicente Luque vs. Stephen Thompson
#9 Thompson will face #14 Luque in a battle of the nice guys. The American “Wonderboy” has not been that wonderful as of late, with only one win in his last five fights. Brazilian Luque on the other hand has won an impressive 6 straight fights. Thompson’s chin is the biggest question, as he was KO’s by a much smaller Anthony Pettis in his last fight. Luque has power in his hands, but will have to find his way through the long reach of Thompson to get there.
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Darren Till (17-2-1)
Two former welterweights will square off in the middleweight division as #4 Gastelum will face #10 Till. Kelvin came up just short in his title shot against Israel Adesanya earlier in the year, and will be looking toward the top again against the Scouser. Till often had troubles making the WW division, so makes his first step up in the division in a huge test. Darren has lost two straight fights, but can renew his career really quickly with a win over the former TUF champ. If you want to put a play on an underdog, look to Till to get the upset here.
Jorge Masvidal (24-13) vs. Nate Diaz (20-11)
Although Masvidal is ranked #3 and Diaz #7 contenders in the welterweight division, rankings just don’t matter with the BMF title on the line. “Gambebred” is the East Coast gangster and Diaz is the West Coast gangster, and the two will beattle in the main event at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
With no belt on the line, it is the most unusual headliner, but it is coming in with extreme hype. Nate’s two fights with Conor McGregor, plus recent win over Anthony Pettis has put the Stockton’s fighter’s stock at an all-time high. The same can be said for Masvidal that KO’d Darren Till back in March then landed the massive flying knee KO over Ben Askren at UFC 239.
Diaz is an underdog in this one, and would require Masvidal to get tired quickly for the cardio and volume punching of Nate to give him an advantage late. Based on the power and improving game planning of Jorge, I like him to walk away with the BMF belt.
About Ryan O’Leary
Ryan O’Leary is a veteran mixed martial arts journalist and commentator. The Swedish-based writer is the founder and editor at MMAViking.com, which is the premier source for Nordic mixed martial arts news since 2008.
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