Bantamweights
BETTING ODDS: Castaneda (-120); Vologdin
(+100)
Castaneda (21-8; 4-4 UFC) welcomes
Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Vologdin to the UFC in a
possible bantamweight banger. “Sexi Mexi” joined the promotion as a
brief-discover Covid signing and, like fairly just a few different fighters
that yr, parlayed his shot on the huge time into regular employment
as a dependable mid-card motion fighter.
Castaneda is a stable, excessive-quantity striker and a good offensive
wrestler who always presses the difficulty; he has no reverse gear
and, as soon as the punches begin flying, hardly ever even downshifts. It
makes for constantly enjoyable fights particularly when confronted with a
comparable opponent, however when Castaneda finds himself at a bodily or
tactical drawback, he normally doesn’t make any changes
aside from to maintain doing the identical factor, solely more durable. He’s taken a
good quantity of punishment through the years and at 34, could also be beginning
to sluggish a bit.
Every season of the Contender Series appears to provide one or two
absolute barnburners that go away the Apex a whole lot on their ft and
encourage Dana White to signal the shedding in addition to the profitable
fighter. Vologdin, who got here up brief towards Juan Adrian Luna
Martinetti in a blood-soaked brawl final October, is the latest
beneficiary of that phenomenon, however he has the instruments the be extra
than simply “the Stephan
Bonnar of Season 9.”
The child-confronted Russian, who turns 26 on combat evening however appears 16,
is a brief, burly and really athletic bantamweight. He presents as a
basic wrestle-boxer, however in contrast to many shorter fighters who look to
shut the gap rapidly after which keep on the within as a lot as
attainable, he likes to arrange exterior, feint after which spring into
vary with bursts of punches. It’s an strategy harking back to
Michael
Chandler—a minimum of, when Vologdin sticks to it. In his memorable
scrap on DWCS, he had success early on as an out-fighter towards
Luna, who regardless of being a lot taller needed the shut-quarters
combat. However, as soon as the punches began flying, Vologdin rapidly
deserted that plan, planted his ft and swung again. That led
on to the wild combat, and not directly to his being signed to
the UFC off of a loss, however there’s a first rate likelihood that he may
have crushed Luna with a extra disciplined strategy to his unique
recreation plan.
Everything about this matchup screams “Fight of the Night.” Both
fighters are identified for ratcheting up the aggression, each are
excessive-quantity strikers, and each are able to wrestling however are likely to
neglect it after they’re having enjoyable on the ft. This one is a close to
decide ‘em on the percentages, however I just like the youthful, nonetheless-enhancing
prospect on this one. The decide is Vologdin by determination.
Jump To »
Leblanc vs. Valentin
Boser vs. Saricam
Croden vs. Zheleznyakova
Aldrich vs. Horth
Raposo vs. Nascimento
Castaneda vs. Vologdin
Siraj vs. Yannis
