The UFC’s busy month of November continues tomorrow night with another Fight Night event emanating from Las Vegas. Sometimes fights are made to determine the immediate future of the UFC. Other times, fights are just made for the fans. This main event falls under the latter.
Two of the most talented and explosive fighters the UFC has to offer will meet in the octagon after another fighter was forced to pull out of the fight. Plus, two welterweights look right the ship and two middleweights look to crack the top 15 in their division.
Let’s take a closer look at those three fights:
Middleweight bout: Julian Marquez vs. Saparbeg Safarov
Not every fight can feature two red hot fighters looking to get into the title picture. Instead, this bout features two guys coming off of losses who badly need a win to prove they belong on the sport’s biggest stage. Safarov is returning after a submission loss in March and has struggled since joining the UFC, to the tune of a 1-3 record. Still, he is 9-3 overall with six knockout victories. Combine that with the fact that his back is against the wall and he’s a very dangerous fighter.
Marquez is not quite as desperate, with a 1-1 record since joining the UFC. The alum of Dana White’s Contender Series is still coming off of a loss though and wants to get back into the win column. With six of his seven wins (7-2 overall record) coming by knockout and the fact that he’s never been finished by an opponent, Marquez is coming in with an impressive resume. Now he just needs that to translate into a win.
Welterweight bout: Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Khaos Williams
Speaking of impressive resumes, Alhassan boasts a 10-2 record, with 10 knockouts! That’s right all 10 of his victories have come by knockout. The 35-year-old may claim the nickname “Judo Thunder” but it’s the thunder in his fists that earns him his money. He is coming off of a decision loss in July, but prior to that he has won three in a row, of course all by knockout.
His opponent on the other hand, owns a slightly more impressive 10-1 record and has never been knocked out, or finished in any way for that matter. Williams is just 26 years old and already has one UFC win and five professional wins by knockout under his belt. This promising young welterweight has a bright future, but it will help if he can get a victory tomorrow night.
Lightweight bout: Paul Felder vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
In 2020, we’re all accustomed ot the idea that things don’t always go quite as planned. UFC fans know this better than anyone as fighters are forced off of cards all the time for one reason or another. That’s exactly the case with this maine event as Rafale Dos Anjos was slated to take on Islam Makhachev, who had to be pulled due to staph infection. Luckily for us, Paul Felder was willing to step in on just five days notice. The result is a fight that fans of the sport will love to see.
Felder is a veteran of the sport. He also knows the sport inside and out as he has been serving as a commentator for the UFC for some time now. The 35-year-old comes in with a 17-5 record and 10 knockouts. He is coming off of a loss, but it was a split decision against lightweight contender Dan Hooker. Prior to that, Felder had won two in a row against a couple of the sport’s best. Coming in on such short notice, Felder has quite a hill to climb, but he’s not a fighter a lot of people will want to bet against.
Dos Anjos is another veteran, with 42 fights under his belt. The former lightweight champ is one of the best to ever step into the octagon, but lately he’s struggled a bit. Dos Anjos has lost four of his last five to some of the best in the UFC’s welterweight division. Getting back down to 155 lbs. may be the thing that helps right the ship for the 36-year-old. One thing’s for sure though, this is going to be a very fun fight to watch.
UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Dos Anjos will air tomorrow night, November 14 at 7 PM ET on ESPN+.You can get unrivaled UFC access by signing up for ESPN+ here.