Hot off of a spectacular pay per view event just last weekend, the UFC will return to the APEX on Saturday for another stacked fight night card. While there may not be any championships decided this weekend, several contenders will look to continue to build momentum en route to a potential shot at one.
Two of the hardest hitting and most exciting light heavyweight contenders in the world will meet in a main event that could vault the winner to a huge opportunity. Plus, two of the top 15 welterweights will meet to try and climb the ranks and two tough heavyweights will look to impress in their UFC debut.
Heavyweight bout: Mohammed Usman vs. Zac Pauga
It’s rare that we see a fighter make their UFC debut coming off of a loss, but that will be the case for Usman. With a 7-2 professional record, three knockouts and two submissions, he’s a well-rounded fighter with a lot of talent. At 33 years old, Usman doesn’t exactly have a huge window to build up a UFC resume so it’s important for him to get a win in his debut.
The same can be said for Pauga, who will be coming into this fight at 34 years old. However, unlike Usman, Pauga has never tasted defeat in his young professional career, with a 5-0 record. For a heavyweight, Pauga doesn’t seem to put his opponents away as frequently as the rest of the division, with just one knockout. It will be interesting to see what both of these guys bring to the table and which one can make a name for himself.
Welterweight bout: Vicente Luque vs. Geoff Neal
This one is going to be fun. Luque was very recently right near the top of the welterweight division and still sits at number six. He’s a destroyer, with a 21-8 record and 11 knockouts. He also owns wins over guys like Michael Chiesa and former champ Tyron Woodley. He is coming off of a loss, but that came at the hands of Belal Muhammad, who has been running through everyone lately. Luque loves to stand and bang but he can also put guys away with a submission, as he has amassed eight in his career.
Neal is another guy familiar with being near the top of the division. It wasn’t long ago he was in the title picture, but things haven’t quite gone his way in some of his recent outings. He dropped two in a row before righting the ship against Santiago Ponzinibbio last year. Now, he’ll have a chance to build some momentum against a very tough opponent. With a 14-4 record and eight knockouts, Neal can put guys away and he’ll look to do that here.
Light heavyweight bout: Thiago Santos vs. Jamahal Hill
The light heavyweight division is littered with talent up and down, but it’s one that is very much there for the taking in terms of the very top. In a meeting numbers six and 10, this is a huge opportunity for one guy to make a big leap in this division.
Santos has been there before. In 2019, he went toe to toe with Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title and nearly took the belt from the longtime dominant champ. Unfortunately for Santos, he has since dropped three of four to some of the top guys in the class. He’s still an explosive athlete and one of the hardest punchers in the division so he’s a dangerous opponent for anyone. The 22-10 record with 15 knockouts speaks for itself, but Santos is also just a really fun fighter to watch.
That also goes for Hill, who comes into this one with a 10-1 record and six knockouts. He has finished top guys like Ovince St. Preux and Jimmy Crute and has proven to be one of the best athletes in the class. He may not have the look of a power puncher like Santos does, but if you sleep on his power, you’ll wake up staring at the ceiling. Both of these guys love to strike and I expect to see that play out here. It will be interesting to see who gets the better of the striking but there will always be the threat of a quick knockout from either guy.
UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Hill will be held Saturday, August 6 at 10 PM ET. Fight fans can watch live on ESPN+.