The UFC returns to the APEX in Las Vegas Saturday Night for another exciting fight card featuring some very interesting matchups. There may not be any titles or even title shots on the line here, but these are some explosive athletes ready to put on a show.
A fast-rising lightweight will meet a fan-favorite in a main event that promises to be wildly entertaining and get fans on their feet. Plus, a meeting of hard-hitting middleweights could deliver some fireworks and a welterweight matchup will see two promising stars meet.
Welterweight bout: Alex Morono vs. Joaquin Buckley
Alex Morono is a perfect example of an incredibly talented fighter who just can’t seem to get over the hump. Since making his UFC debut in 2016, he has racked up a 12-5 record, with four knockouts. However, everytime he starts to build momentum, he gets derailed by a loss. His last time out, he submitted Tim Means to bounce back from a knockout loss six month earlier. Now, he has a chance to start another winning streak and hopefully crack the top 15 in the welterweight division.
It’s a similar story for Joaquin Buckley, who snapped a two-fight losing streak by knocking out Andre Fialho his last time out. Buckley sports a 16-6 record with 12 knockouts. He’s an explosive athlete with the ability to end any fight in a hurry. Now he just needs to keep that momentum going and get that signature win that vaults him up a tier in this stacked division. This should be a very entertaining fight that I would not expect to go the distance.
Middleweight bout: Joe Pfyer vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan
Speaking of promising young stars, the 27-year-old Joe Pfyer comes into this bout with an 11-2 record and hasn’t lost since his first outing on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020. Since then, he has won four straight fights, all by knockout, including his UFC debut. Only one of Pfyer’s 13 career fights has gone the distance so I would expect him to be looking for the finish here as he tries to stay hot in the octagon.
That will be tough against the veteran Abdul Razak Alhassan, who will be coming in for his 12th UFC fight. However, Alhassan has been struggling of late, dropping four of his last six fights. He is coming off of a knockout victory though, finishing Claudio Ribeiro in January. With all 12 of his victories coming by knockout, this will almost certainly be a standup battle with one of these having a very bad night.
Lightweight bout: Grant Dawson vs. Bobby Green
The UFC’s lightweight division continues to be the most stacked in the sport, with incredibly talented fighters up and down the rankings. This main event between the 10th-ranked contender and an unranked fan-favorite should prove to be very exciting, even if it doesn’t mean a whole lot for the title picture in the future.
Few guys have been as successful as Grant Dawson in the UFC. Since making his debut in 2019, he has accumulated an 8-0-1 record with four submissions and a knockout. The 29-year-old has been very impressive thus far and seems ready for a level up in competition, which he will certainly see here. If he can turn this main event into a grappling contest, he could secure a very big win here.
It’s hard to find a more beloved fighter than Bobby Green these days. From the second the guy steps into the arena, the crowd is on their feet for him, and for good reason. Green puts on a show with his cocky antics and his pinpoint striking. Unfortunately, all of that hasn’t amounted to much success lately, as Green has dropped two of his last four fights. He is however, coming off of a very impressive victory over Tony Ferguson his last time out. If Green can stay hot after a win like that, he could be looking at a spot in the top 15. He’s going to have to stay at range and work his striking if he is going to be able to make that happen.
UFC Fight Night: Dawson vs. Green will be held Saturday, October 7 at 7:00 PM ET. Fight fans can watch live on ESPN+.