UFC Fight Night Norfolk – what you need to know

Flyweight title on the line

A new flyweight king will be crowned inside the Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia, when the current number 1 ranked UFC® flyweight Joseph Benavidez takes to the Octagon® against the third ranked flyweight contender, Deiveson “Deus Da Guerra” Figueiredo. Being a top five ranked fighter since the division was introduced, Benavidez has always been one of the premier talents in the flyweight division. At 35-years-old, the American boasts an impressive record, winning nine of his last ten fights and recording a TKO finish against Jussier Formiga in his last contest.

“Dues Da Guerra”, translating to “God of War”, is the man standing in the way of Benavidez’ glory. The Brazilian arrived in UFC undefeated and has added four impressive wins to his record, including knockouts against Joseph Morales and John Moraga. In the most important fight of his career to date, Figueiredo will look to use his finishing ability to capitalise should his opponent make any mistakes, whilst Benavidez’ southpaw stance and imposing wrestling style should ensure an incredible match against the “God of War”.

European Prospects

Also on the main card, 26-year-old Ion “The Hulk” Cutelaba faces off against Russian, Magomed Ankalaev, in an enthralling light-heavyweight match-up. Aptly named “The Hulk”, the Moldovan comes into the bout with a record of seven fights and four wins, with a first round TKO versus Khalil Rountree in his most recent outing. Fighting out of the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, “The Hulk” possesses a strong wrestling and striking game, which he will undoubtedly look to use against his opponent.

Meanwhile, Magomed Ankalaev is also coming off the back of a victory, recording a TKO against Dalcha Lungimbula with a tactful front kick in his last bout. Born in Dagestan, Ankalaev currently holds a 12-1 career record, and victory over Lungimbula marked his third win in as many fights. However, as neither of these athletes have been knocked out before, we should be in for an eye-watering bout between two highly talented light-heavyweights.

Zarah Fairn also takes on Canadian Felicia Spencer in a featherweight bout.  Following a submission loss against Megan Anderson in Fairn’s 2019 debut, the Parisian will be eager to obtain her first victory in UFC and raise the flag for France. Fairn boasts a well-rounded orthodox stance and will be looking to use her agility to her advantage against Spencer, who will aim to utilise her strength in grappling and leg power to defeat Fairn. “FeeNom” has previously defeated Megan Anderson and is coming off a loss against Cris Cyborg. Having both met Anderson in the Octagon, they are likely to reflect on their respective bouts and alter their game plan accordingly. This is a featherweight contest that is sure to test both athletes’ endurance to the limit and should be an unmissable bout against two promising featherweights.

All In Action

In the prelims, we see Brendan “All In” Allen and England’s Tom Breese go head-to-head. Poised for just his second journey into the Octagon this weekend, the “All In” American packs a dominant submission game, defeating Kevin Holland in his UFC debut with impressive style in the second round. At 24-years-old, the South-Carolina born athlete will be looking to put his stamp on the UFC with two wins in as many contests.

Britain’s Tom Breese stands in the way of Allen’s dream start, as the Birmingham-born middleweight looks to return to the Octagon with a bang. In his last bout in 2018, Breese overcame Dan Kelly with a TKO finish in the first round and will be hoping for a similar outcome against the American. Breese’s southpaw stance versus Allen’s orthodox style should make for an interesting match up and will no doubt produce fireworks in this exciting clash in the middleweight division.

Main Card

Joseph Benavidez vs. Deiveson “Dues Da Guerra” Figueiredo

Felicia “FeeNom” Spencer vs. Zarah “Infinite” Fairn

Ion “The Hulk” Cutelaba vs. Magomed Ankalaev

Megan Anderson vs. Norma “The Immortal” Dumont

Grant “KGD” Dawson vs. Darrick Minner

Prelims

Gabriel Silva vs. Kyler “The Matrix” Phillips

Brendan “All In” Allen vs. Tom Breese

Marcin “Tybur” Tybura vs. Serghei “Polar Bear” Spivac

Luis “Violent Bob Ross” Pena vs. Steve “Mean Machine” Garcia

Jordan “Nativepsycho” Griffin vs. TJ Brown

Aalon Cruz vs. Spike Carlyle

Sean Brady vs. Ismail “El Fenomeno” Naurdiev