Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Luque vs. Muhammad 2

Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad 2

More than five years and a dozen fights each since their first meeting, Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad meet for a second time, with a place near the top of the list of welterweight contenders hanging in the balance.

Luque, who won the first meeting at UFC 205 by first-round knockout, has earned 10 victories against two defeats since that night in New York City, entering Saturday’s rematch on a four-fight winning streak where he’s finished all four opponents. What’s most impressive about the Brazilian’s current run of success is that he’s finished in quicker fashion with each step up the competitive ladder, progressing from the third round to the second round in beating Niko Price and Randy Brown before submitting Tyron Woodley in the first last March and Michael Chiesa 30 seconds faster at the start of August.

Not to be outdone, Muhammad has gone 10-1 with one no contest verdict in his 12 fights since losing to Luque the first time around, entering off back-to-back victories and riding a seven-fight unbeaten streak. A relentless pressure fighter who weaponizes his pace inside the Octagon, Muhammad is coming off the two best performances of his career — unanimous decision wins over Demian Maia and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson where he wore down and wore out the former title challengers.

This is a fascinating rematch between two outstanding, surging contenders with very different styles, so it’s going to be interesting to see which one is able to dictate the terms of engagement and control things this weekend. There is a bit of congestion building at the top of the welterweight division at the moment, but the winner  will very much be on the short list of contenders as we head towards the second half of the year and the return of champion Kamaru Usman.

Caio Borralho vs. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev

Members of the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) Class of ’21 clash in the co-main event as Caio Borralho and Gadzhi Omargadzhiev go head-to-head for graduating class bragging rights in the 185-pound weight class.

Borralho didn’t get a contract after grinding out a win over CFFC middleweight champ Aaron Jeffrey at the end of September, but he stuck around Las Vegas and made the most of his second opportunity to impress the UFC brass, moving up in weight and securing a first-round finish of Jesse Murray to garner a call to the Octagon. The 29-year-old Brazilian has earned seven straight victories and is unbeaten in his last 10 fights as he readies to make his promotional debut this weekend in a familiar setting.

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Unbeaten in 13 professional appearances, the 29-year-old Omargadzhiev only needed one attempt — and less than one round — to convince Dana White & Co. that he deserved the opportunity to compete in the UFC middleweight division. Paired off with lanky Brazilian Jansey Silva, the unbeaten Russian got the fight to the canvas and secured a tap with a kneebar late in the opening stanza to earn his invite to the biggest stage in the sport.

Devin Clark vs. William Knight

Veteran light heavyweights take it up a division in this short-notice pairing, as Devin Clark and William Knight square up in an impromptu heavyweight clash.

The 31-year-old Clark has fought quality competition throughout his six-year, 12-fight UFC run to date, but has never managed to consistently string together positive results. Some of that is because he’s shared the cage with a host of ranked competitors, including former champ Jan Blachowicz and title challenger Anthony Smith, but he’s gotten a little ahead of himself at times, as well.

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Knight finished 2021 on a two-fight winning streak and then jumped on a short-notice opportunity in February at UFC 271, only to miss weight by a considerable amount before losing to Maxim Grishin. The DWCS alum has serious power and is thicker than a bowl of oatmeal, but he’s been too inconsistent with his output and approach through his first five UFC appearances, making him a tough one to read heading into this contest.

Both are physical, powerful men who tend to run hot and then slow down, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them come out of the gates on fire and try to end this one early.

Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Wu Yanan

Mayra Bueno Silva makes the move up to bantamweight, where Chinese veteran Wu Yanan is ready to welcome her to the division this weekend.

Following a five-fight stint at flyweight where she went 2-2-1, Bueno Silva moves up to the 135-pound weight class looking to snap her two-fight run without a victory. The 30-year-old Brazilian held her own with streaking contender Manon Fiorot last time out, and earned impressive submission wins over Gillian Robertson and Mara Romero Borella earlier in her career, so it will be interesting to see what a change of scenery will do for her here.

Wu has dealt with a number of opponent changes and fight cancellations during her four-year, four-fight UFC tenure, including having two fights fall through since her loss to Joselyne Edwards last January. Still only 25 years old, she’s been training with the crew at Jackson-Wink in Albuquerque ahead of this one, and is one of those young fighters that could suddenly take a major step forward at any time.

Will changing divisions give Bueno Silva the fresh start she’s looking for or can Wu snap her two-fight slide and secure a second UFC victory?

Chris Barnett vs. Martin Buday

Everyone’s favorite heavyweight Chris Barnett returns to action this weekend and welcomes Martin Buday to the Octagon for the first time.

A veteran who finally got the chance to compete on the big stage last year, Barnett rebounded from his debut loss with one of the most memorable efforts of 2021, stopping Gian Villante with a spinning wheel kick and ground-and-pound at Madison Square Garden before hitting a memorable celebration. With 22 wins in 29 starts and surprising agility for a man his size, “Beastboy” is an entertaining and experienced competitor perfectly suited for these types of assignments.

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Buday has rattled off eight straight victories since losing to former Ultimate Fighter winner Juan Espino in his second professional appearance back in October 2017. Last fall, the Slovakian big man battered Lorenzo Hood in the clinch on the Contender Series, finishing him with a knee to the head just before the close of the first round to secure his spot on the UFC roster.

Barnett is the most talented and game opponent Buday has faced to this point in his career, but the newcomer will have a massive size advantage on Saturday night. Will experience win out or will Buday get to enjoy a successful first foray into the UFC cage?

Jordan Leavitt vs. Trey Ogden

Lightweight hopefuls meet in this preliminary card matchup as Dana White's Contender Series alum Jordan Leavitt welcomes newcomer Trey Ogden to the Octagon for the first time.

Leavitt has gone 2-1 through his first three UFC starts, slamming his way to victory in his debut before showing his grappling acumen last time out with an inverted triangle choke submission of Matt Sayles. In between, the Syndicate MMA representative dropped a decision to Claudio Puelles that showed "The Monkey King" is still a work in progress inside the cage.

The 32-year-old Ogden arrives in the UFC on a three-fight winning streak and sporting a 15-4 record overall. He impressed in front of UFC President Dana White and the Lookin' for a Fight crew in his last outing, submitting former DWCS competitor JJ Okanovich in the second round to earn a call to the Octagon, where he joins the growing cast of fighters trained by James Krause and representing Glory MMA & Fitness competing on the big stage.

Can Leavitt build off his unique submission finish in his most recent appearance and start a winning streak or will Ogden's long-awaited UFC debut result in a positive outcome for the new arrival?

Istela Nunes vs. Sam Hughes

Istela Nunes and Sam Hughes clash her in a battle of strawweights looking to start fresh in 2022.

Brazil’s Nunes was initially signed in 2019, but got hit with a two-year suspension before being able to step into the Octagon for the first time. She finally made the walk last October, where Ariane Carnelossi submitted her in the third round. Currently stationed at American Top Team and looking to return to the form that saw her win six of seven to begin her career, the 29-year-old should be even better this time around with just six months since her last outing.

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Hughes has faced a tough slate through her first three trips into the Octagon, debuting on short notice against Tecia Torres before dropping consecutive decisions to quality prospects Loma Lookboonmee and Luana Pinheiro. The former collegiate track star recently relocated to the Dallas area and is now training at Fortis MMA, so it will be interesting to see if a change of scenery can bring about a change in results this weekend.

Neither of these women wants to get saddled with another loss, so expect them each to come out guns blazing, looking to make a statement and finally get their hand raised inside the UFC Octagon on Saturday night.

Alatengheili vs. Kevin Croom

Bantamweights get the party started this weekend as Alantagheili and Kevin Croom meet in what should be a competitive, entertaining scrap to kick off the night’s action.

Making his fifth UFC appearance and the 25th start of his career, the 30-year-old “Mongolian Knight” enters on a two-fight drought, having lost to Casey Kenney in October 2020 before battling Gustavo Lopez to a draw last September. Prior to that, Alatengheili earned consecutive wins over Batgerel Danaa and Ryan Benoit as part of a 10-1-1 stretch over 12 fights, which highlights what he’s capable of inside the cage.

Aptly nicknamed “Crash,” the 34-year-old Croom is a durable and experienced veteran hand with an “always up for a fight” approach. He debuted in the UFC at lightweight and dropped his last two appearances against Alex Caceres and Brian Kelleher at featherweight, making this his debut in the UFC bantamweight division and first fight at 135 pounds since January 2015.

Can Alatengheili get things moving in the right direction again or will Croom hand him another setback and secure his first UFC triumph?