UFC Fight Night 140 Preview

UFC Fight Night 140 Preview

By Leigh Dent    

UFC continues to spread its love beyond Brazil and across South America this Saturday, when it makes its historic debut in Buenos Aires, Argentina. With one of its own holding the coveted main event slot in the form of Santiago Ponzinibbio, this weekend’s Fight Night 140 certainly has a lot to live up to after the wildly intense rollercoaster ride that was UFC Denver (Fight Night 139), which I’m not sure the hardcore fans amongst us have fully recovered from.

Here is a rundown of who’s who on the main card.

Cynthia Calvillo v Poliana Botelho

With a record of 6-1 (with her only loss coming from her last fight against seasoned vet Carla Esparza), Cynthia Calvillo still very much remains a ‘one to watch’ in the strawweight division. After a very quiet 2018 (a failed marijuana test has kept Cynthia out of the octagon), it will be interesting to see what lessons she has taken from her first loss and how this is implemented in her offense.

With a record of 7-1 (despite no ‘elite’ names appearing), Brazil’s Poliana Botelho will provide a superb matchup for Calvillo. Coming off a win and a notably quick KO, she could cement herself a position on our radars, depending on how this Saturday plays out for her.

Guido Cannetti v Marlon Vera

It’s Argentina v Ecuador for the second contest on the main card, with Cannetti taking on the much more desirable role of ‘homeboy.’ With a WLWL from his most recent four fights, although Cannetti will get one of the bigger cheers of the evening, he has seemingly struggled to find his stride and establish some level of consistency since his UFC debut back in 2014.

Marlon Vera has again, struggled to ignite our imaginations with a 50/50 rate of wins and losses in his most recent 4 fights, but on the positive side, there is the looming danger of a submission which should keep interests ticking over for now.

Ian Heinisch v Cezar Ferreira

A late replacement asks a lot of a fighter, especially when they are making their UFC debut. Ian Heinisch, a feature of the latest Tuesday Night Contender Series, has certainly shown promise to date and will hopefully step up and provide a worthy replacement to up and coming prospect Tom Breese.

Facing him this Saturday will be Cezar Ferreira, who has certainly led a colourful life both in and out of the octagon. With a ‘meh’ run in the welterweight division, Ferreira has reshaped his style and attributes to carve a decent path amongst the light heavyweights and with 5 out of 6 wins from his most recent fights, will be looking to keep that momentum on track.

Khalil Rountree Jr. v Johnny Walker

Another member of the TUF family, Khalil ‘The War Horse’ Rountree Jr. has proven himself to be a dark horse in the division. Not necessarily for skill and status, but simply because his stand up game holds the potential for a meaty knockout, Khalil is a fun fighter to watch. With 3 wins and a no contest from his last 4 fights, Khalil is still waiting for the explosive moment that people hold in their conversations for days that follow a fight, and it has been well documented that his strengths lie (mainly/ only) when the fight stays on the feet.

Which leads us nicely to his opponent, Johnny Walker. A Dana White ‘find,’ Walker will also show little interest in taking this fight to the ground. The Brazilian probably has the most to gain in this fight, as he looks to explode into the division on his debut. With not too much known about him thus far, this could be a potential contender for a fight not to be missed.

Ricardo Lamas v Darren Elkins

The penultimate fight of the evening may not be too meaningful to the ‘millions of fans watching around the world,’ but it certainly will be to the two fighters in the octagon, both with a point to prove. Ricardo Lamas’ recent losses had been to Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes. No drama there. However, coming off the back of two ‘upset’ wins against ‘newbies’ Josh Emmett and Mirsad Bektic, Lamas’ ambitions of reaching top contender status hangs in the balance.

In a position not dissimilar is his opponent, UFC veteran, Darren Elkins. ‘The Damage’ was on a decent, yet fairly unremarkable run and is now coming off a loss against potential top contender, Alexander Volkanovski. Both fighters are currently the outsiders looking in on the elite of the division, and with the Holloway’s and Ortega’s of the world showing no signs of slipping up, a top contender spot may well just slide further out of reach for one, if not both.

Neil Magny v Santiago Ponzinibbio

This Saturday’s main event could potentially put Argentina on the map in the proverbial MMA world. ‘Home advantage’ (which is questionable at best) aside, it is clear why and how Ponzinibbio is being set up to be a regional star within South America and potentially, beyond. Riding the wave of an impressive 6- fight winning streak, ‘Gente Boa’ has significant wins against household (in the microcosm of UFC) names, Mike Perry and Gunnar Nelson. Whilst still seeking the fight that will cement himself as a top contender in the Welterweight division, this weekend’s main event has the potential to provide Santiago with just that.

Neil Magny has certainly taken the hard road to where he is now; on the cusp of breaking into a top contender spot, but like his counterpart, is still waiting for that ‘moment’ that displays promise and ultimately, greatness. Aside from a notable win against Kelvin Gastelum almost three years ago to date, Magny has struggled somewhat to fend off the ‘big dogs’ of the division. An impressive 7- fight winning streak after a miserable start to his UFC career quite possibly saved Magny, and in turn, he became part of ‘the conversation’ when talking about exciting matchups within the division. Fast forward 3 years and the train is still somewhat in the station.

Could this Saturday’s card be the ‘moment’ that either Magny or Ponzinibbio make a mark on the Welterweight divisions and become a force to be reckoned with? I can’t imagine Tyron Woodley is quaking too much in his boots.

Last week’s Fight Night card holds testimony to the fact that although these cards may not draw in the masses, there is always potential. The ‘casuals’ (I love how this is used as a dirty word), may however, want to give this one a miss.