The UFC returns to the APEX in Las Vegas tonight for another exciting night of fights. Some very intriguing matchups should make for a memorable night in the octagon as a great lineup of talented fighters will look to take advantage of a big opportunity.
Two of the top 15 in the women’s strawweight division will clash in what should be a very exciting main event that could set up a title fight in the future. Plus, two very talented middleweights will meet in a bout that could vault the winner into the rankings and two tough fighters will meet in an exciting catchweight bout.
Catchweight bout: Emily Ducote vs. Loopy Godinez
Two strawweight contenders will meet at a 120-lb. catchweight in this contest. Ducote comes into this fight with a 12-7 record, with three knockouts and four submissions. A very well-rounded fighter, she had won four in a row before losing to Angela Hill back in December. Ducote is a talented striker and she’s likely going to want to keep this one on the feet.
Godinez makes an interesting challenge for Ducote. A skilled grappler and a scrappy striker, she comes into this fight with a 9-3 record with one knockout and one submission. She also recently had a winning streak snapped by Hill, though she has since bounced back with a split decision win over Cynthia Calvillo last month. Godinez’s toughness is second to none and even if Ducote gets the better of her on the feet, she is going to push her opponent to her limit.
Middleweight bout: Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Anthony Hernandez
It was not that long ago Edmen Shahbazyan looked like the next big thing in the UFC. The middleweight contender was a perfect 11-0 and had won his first four fights in the octagon, two of them by knockout and another by submission. After that though, he dropped three in a row to some very tough middleweights. He has since bounced back with a knockout win over Dalcha Lungiambula in December, bringing his record to 12-3 with an astounding 10 knockouts. Obviously, Shahbazyan is an explosive athlete and dangerous striker. He just needs to continue to put it all together in the octagon.
His opponent has a similar. Hernandez comes into this fight with a 10-2 record and seven submission victories. Clearly a dangerous grappler, Hernandez is riding a three-fight winning streak, including a submission via arm-triangle choke over Marc-Andre Barriault in September. This is a classic striker vs. grappler matchup and the winner could very well find himself in the top 15 in the class in the near future.
Women’s Strawweight bout: Mackenzie Dern vs. Angela Hill
The women’s strawweight division is very top heavy. The top five contenders have proven they are some of the very best fighters in the world, and of course Zhang Weili has proven herself worth of sitting on the throne atop the division. In this main event, two of the fighters just outside of that elite group will look to earn their way in.
Dern comes into this main event with a 12-3 record and seven submissions. She is coming off of a loss to Xiaonan Yan, who now sits as the third-ranked contender in the class. In that fight though, Dern proved sha can hang with anyone in this division and easily could have earned herself a win. A veteran in the octagon, this will be Dern’s 11th UFC fight and a win here could be huge for her career. It would also be her first win in a UFC main event, after losing her first two.
Of course, if we’re talking about UFC veterans, Hill would be near the top of that list. This will be the 20th time Hill will be stepping into the octagon, with her pro record currently sitting at 15-12 with five knockouts. Hill looked to be on her way out early last year, having lost five out of six. Since then though, she has been very impressive in wins against, you guessed it, Godinez and Ductote. Hill is a very skilled, technical striker and if she can keep the fight on the feet, she could give Dern a lot of problems. That’s a pretty big ‘if’ though.
UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill will be held Saturday, May 20 at 7:00 PM ET. Fight fans can watch live on ABC.