Last week in Jacksonville, fans bore witness to a thrilling card, with nonstop excitement from the early prelims to the headline. This weekend we return to the Apex in Las Vegas.
A knockout main event
This week’s headline bout at UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: REYES vs. PROCHAZKA is between two top five contenders in the light heavyweight division, as Dominick ‘The Devastator’ Reyes takes on Jiří ‘Denisa’ Procházka.
Known for his fast-paced and aggressive fighting style, Reyes has established himself as one of the most feared athletes in the light heavyweight division. He is powerful and has the ability to deliver a knockout with his fists or his kicks. He has secured nine first round finishes in his professional career with four of those coming in under a minute. He will be hoping for another quick finish to get back to his best form.
One of the hottest prospects in the UFC, Procházka is on an incredible nine-fight knockout streak. He has won 11 bouts in a row and has looked unstoppable. His sheer force and power have made for incredible viewing, and of his 27 career wins, 23 have been first round finishes. This will be his second bout in the UFC. He won his first in dominating fashion, knocking out Volkan Oezdemir 49 seconds into the second round. These two are masterful at finishing opponents and should make for an explosive end to the card.
Cub looks to make Giga impact
For the co-main event, Giga Chikadze faces Cub Swanson in the featherweight division. A victory for either would be a massive boost to their status in the division.
The Georgian, Chikadze, has won seven bouts in a row and 12 of his last 13. Of his 12 victories, eight have been finishes, all eight of these coming in the first round. Prior to taking up MMA, Chikadze had a very impressive kickboxing record, 38-6 in his professional career, and has utilised those skills to aid his transition to MMA fighting. He looks to start fights fast and end them early, with five career victories coming in 1:17 or less.
A veteran of the featherweight division, Swanson has been competing since 2004. He has accumulated a 27-11 record and has been consistent throughout his career. He is on a two-win streak and has won 12 of his last 18. He is versatile, with 12 wins via KO, four via submission and 11 via decisions. This bout will be an interesting contest between two evenly matched athletes, with this fight having the potential to either be a first round finish, or a closely fought battle that could go all the way.
Brazilian battle
The flyweight division sees an interesting bout between two female Brazilian athletes, Poliana Botelho and Luana ‘Dread’ Carolina.
Developing a reputation for knockouts, Botelho has already registered six KO’s to her name. She finds herself in good form having won six of her last eight. She has four first round finishes to date, the quickest of which was a very impressive 33 second KO of Syuri Kondo. Botelho will be hoping for a quick start in order to take control of this bout.
After losing her professional debut, Carolina has bounced back magnificently, with a 6-1 record since. She has two professional knockouts under her belt, as well as a guillotine submission. Carolina has been exciting to watch, her strengths being her resilience and aggression. This bout should be fast paced with both women’s strength being their standing game and constant attempts to land strikes and look for finishes.
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