The MMA Vivisection Shows: 'Main Card Preview' & 'Prelims Card Preview'

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 299 is a hard act to follow but the matchmaking brass seems to have put in the bare minimum effort with their 88th Vegas-themed card. As always, the event is set to go down at the Apex, so you already know it’s going to be threadbare. If you thought the main card was shallow, the prelims certainly do their best to give it competition. It’s downright…

Hosts criticize lackluster matchups in UFC Vegas 88 card, highlighting the absence of compelling fights. Analysis of fighters' striking abilities and defensive techniques, predicting potential knockouts. Discussion on Vossa's strategy against Tybora, emphasizing patience and accuracy. Banter on weight issues, matchmaking in MMA, and evolution of fighters to featherweight division.

The prelims for UFC 299 stand in stark contrast to the main card in that it gives all the appearance of a fight night event rather than the high-priced PPV offering that it is. The good news is that most of those fights would undoubtedly be outside the Apex, proper “on the road” fights. We even have ranked fights and fighters on this portion of the show.The featured prelim, a heavyweight showdown between Curtis Blaydes and Jailton Almeida, is a ranked, high-value bout, and one that looks intriguing. Wrestling vs. BJJ on display at the 265-pound limit. Mix in the old adage that the big boys carry a lot of heat in their mitts and we have the ingredients for a great fight. There are a couple other ranked bouts left on this section of the event, too. Katlyn Cerminara (formerly Chookagian) vs. Maycee Barber and Mateusz Gamrot vs. Rafael dos Anjos. Aside from those, there is a ranked fighter here and there, but all told, the undercard reads like a really good fight night. Considering the depth of the main [ortion, we’re absolutely fine with it. Let’s take a look at what we’re working with, as well as some fun factoids.UFC 299 Prelims* Curtis Blaydes  vs.  Jailton Almeida 265 lbs* Katlyn Cerminara  vs.  Maycee Barber 125 lbs* Mateusz Gamrot  vs.  Rafael dos Anjos 155 lbs* Pedro Munhoz  vs.  Kyler Phillips 135 lbs* Michel Pereira  vs.  M. Oleksiejczuk 185 lbs* Philipe Lins  vs.  Ion Cutelaba 205 lbs* Robelis Despaigne  vs.  Josh Parisian 265 lbs* CJ Vergara  vs.  Asu Almabaev 125 lbs* Joanne Wood  vs.  Maryna Moroz 125 lbsUFC 299 Fun Factoids* Ranked fights: 7* Ranked fighters: 16* Fighters coming off a loss: 10* Contender Series alumni: 8* TUF alumni: 3* Debuting fighters: 1Don’t forget to check out the bonus section for a great review of the UFC Vegas 87 preliminary card. Make sure to tune in immediately after this weekend’s fights for breakdowns and analysis on our 6th Round Post-Fight Show.Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to The MMA Draw Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our network and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 299 is a really good looking card when weighed and measured as a whole. The main event is a rematch that’s been nearly four years in the making, and as the event draws closer to fight night, the smack talk between the two has ramped up. They’re even direct messaging each other with insults. It will be interesting to see if the same Marlon Vera shows…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 87 prelims aren’t the worst fights, by any means. They’re not the best either, but what are you going to do? It doesn’t look like change will be on the horizon any time soon, especially with the UFC experiencing yet another banner year for revenue. As long as they can put the bare minimum effort into these Apex cards, the more warehouse-style …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 87 is the antithesis of last week’s Fight Night card. There are reasons to celebrate (albeit few), and there are reasons to be annoyed, of which there are plenty. Jairzinho Rozenstruik, a ranked heavyweight with an extensive UFC resume, is taking on Shamil Gaziev, an athlete signed to the largest promotion in the world who doesn’t even have a …

UFC Mexico City is a solid card overall, even if the prelims are a hodgepodge of who’s-whos hoping to separate themselves from the pack. The opening fight aka the curtain-jerker, would be more fitting in the featured prelim spot as Naimov is looking like a real deal prospect with a fairly high ceiling. Alas, we get Cristian Quiñonez vs. Raoni Barcelos, which is fine, I guess, but Barcelos has been looking pretty shopworn lately, so we’re giving this one a partial side eye.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.There are a couple themes going on with this event. First, it is a night of rematches. Both the main and co-main events are rematches. Buried inside those rematches are others dotting the resumes of all four men featuring in the top two bouts. This card has three rematches on it, which seems like a lot. I’m making a mental note to go back and find out what the record is for rematches on a single UFC card. I’m willing to bet that this event is pretty far up the list.Edgar Cháirez vs. Daniel Lacerda is the third contest featured in that aforementioned trio of rematches. Their first bout ended in a no contest after the referee in their bout jumped the gun and stopped the fight prematurely. This was back in September. The two were scheduled to run it back in October, but Lacerda pulled out prior to the card citing a medical issue. They will finally get their opportunity at a full fight tomorrow.There is one more contest on this undercard that looks interesting, though. Claudio Puelles vs. Fares Ziam Pits the well rounded skillset of Ziam against the explosive grappling of Puelles. Claudio was made to look like a one-trick pony against Dan Hooker, but perhaps he took some lessons from that one. Either way, that one definitely has our attention. Let’s take a look at the undercard as well as some fun factoids.UFC Mexico City Prelims* Cristian Quiñonez  vs.  Raoni Barcelos 135 lbs* Jesus Aguilar  vs.  Mateus Mendonça 125 lbs* Edgar Cháirez  vs.  Daniel Lacerda 125 lbs* Claudio Puelles  vs.  Fares Ziam 155 lbs* Luis Rodríguez  vs.  Denys Bondar 125 lbs* Victor Altamirano  vs.  Felipe dos Santos 125 lbs* Muhammad Naimov  vs.  Erik Silva 145 lbsUFC Mexico City Fun Factoids* Ranked fights: 2* Ranked fighters: 4* Fighters coming off a loss: 15* Contender Series alumni: 12* TUF alumni: 3* Debuting fighters: 1* Combate alumni: 6Don’t forget to check out the bonus section for a great review of the UFC 298 preliminary card. Make sure to tune in immediately after this weekend’s fights for breakdowns and analysis on our 6th Round Post-Fight Show.Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to the Bloody Elbow Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our new site and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide.Follow us as @BloodyElbow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.Thank you for reading and listening to the MMA Vivisection. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Mexico City is almost here! Just a couple more days until the Battle of the Brandons as the promotion heads back to Mexico City for the first time since 2019 when Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens headlined UFC Fight Night 159. The bout would end in a no contest just 15 seconds in due to an accidental eye poke. They would run it back less than a mo…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 298 is just a couple days away and with it comes a very stiff test for our featherweight champion. Alexander Volkanovski is coming off another loss to Islam Makhachev, a rushed bout where Volk let the UFC pressure him into replacing an injured Charles Oliveira on short notice. Now, Ilia Topuria looms ahead of him, a stout fireplug of a man with exce…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 86 is the most Apex card that ever was…until the next one. They’re all starting to look the same to us. This week’s card is packed with 185-pounders, as if we needed yet another middleweight-led show. And just in case you missed our main card episode, here’s a few facts for you to get started:UFC Vegas 86 Factoids* Ranked fights (meaning both at…