UFC Utica-Who To Watch Out For

UFC Utica-Who To Watch Out For

By Dan McConnell

The UFC will make it’s first ever visit to Utica New York this Friday night at the Adirondack Bank Centre at UFC Fight Night 131. There are top contenders, local fighters, veterans and hot-prospect debutants featuring on this card on Friday night.

Unlike most UFC Fight Nights and pay-per-views, we are seeing more Sunday and now Friday night cards compared to the regular Saturday night time slots we have become familiar with.

This card has certainly flown under the radar. Maybe this is because the day change from a Saturday to Friday is uncommon to fight fans. Another possible answer is that there was so much hype going into UFC Liverpool and Darren Till. After-all Dana White himself flew over to be there live, he wouldn’t usually do this for any other regular Fight Night in the US never mind in England.

The main event of this stacked card features two top Bantamweight contenders in New Jersey native Jimmie Rivera who is on a current 20-0 win streak. He will take on former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) Champion Marlon Moraes in the main event, in what’s expected to be a title contention showdown for TJ Dillashaw’s 135 pound belt.

The co-main event is a Lightweight bout between unbeaten 11-0 Kickboxer Gregor Gillespie who also fights out of New Jersey as he faces knockout artist Vinc Pichel.

One of the hottest prospects coming out of the UK and newly signed former Cage Warriors Bantamweight champion Nathaniel ‘The Prospect’ Wood makes his debut inside the octagon against MMA veteran Johnny Eduardo. Wood is under the guidance of former WEC and UFC Bantamweight veteran Brad Pickett and will look to make his mark on his UFC debut.

Jose ‘Shorty’ Torres makes his much anticipated UFC debut as well. The former Titan FC two-weight world champion has been on the UFC’s radar for quite some time and will finally make his walk. Torres faces American Jarred Brooks in a Flyweight contest.

Exciting Swedish brothers Daniel and David Teymur feature on this card together and look to go home with wins over Julio Arce and Nik Lentz respectively

Finalist of The Ultimate Fighter season 26, Sijara Eubanks faces Lauren Murphy in the newly formed Women’s Flyweight division.