UFC Greenville: Fight by Fight

Heavy-handed Brazilian slugger John Lineker will face off with Rob Font in a co-main event rematch following their first meeting back in 2016. On that night, Lineker got the better of Font with his signature aggressive style that ends with so many of his opponents down on the mat, staring up at the lights. Font survived that three-round war with Lineker and now he’s back for more as he seeks to avenge the prior defeat while seeking to pick up a win over a top 10 bantamweight in the process. Font is coming off an impressive showing against Sergio Pettis in his last fight and he would love nothing more than to notch a second win in a row by defeating Lineker in the rematch. 

Following a potential Fight of the Year performance in his last outing against Vicente Luque in February, Bryan Barberena returns to face noted striker Randy Brown, who is coming back after a shocking knockout loss to Niko Price in his last fight. Brown has long been considered a top prospect at 170 pounds, but he’s struggled to find consistency since arriving in the UFC from Dana White’s “Lookin’ For a Fight” series. The same could be said for Barberena, who has jumped back and forth between wins and losses over his past six fights. With both fighters looking to avoid two losses in a row, Barberena and Brown will come out guns blazing in a potential show stealer on the main card. 

As flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko awaits her next opponent, Andrea Lee and Montana De La Rosa will fight this weekend with a chance to jump into that short list of 125-pound athletes seeking a title shot in the near future.  Lee has gone undefeated thus far in her UFC campaign with a 2-0 record, including a Fight of the Night performance in her debut. Lee is a dynamic mixed martial artist with well-rounded skills and she’ll look to showcase that when facing a noted grappler in De La Rosa. The former Ultimate Fighter competitor is currently 3-0 in the UFC with all three fights ending by submission. De La Rosa will look to make it four in a row when she meets Lee in a pivotal matchup in the women’s flyweight division. 

Kevin Holland has been a very active fighter since joining the UFC roster, as he’ll make his fourth appearance in the last 10 months while looking to build on his past two wins in a row. Holland is a dangerous striker with a highly underrated ground game to compliment his knockout power. His opponent Alessio Di Chirico is also coming off back-to-back wins, including a huge knockout of Oluwale Bamgbose in 2017. It’s been nearly a year since the Italian middleweight last competed, so Di Chirico will undoubtedly attempt to reintroduce himself to UFC fans when he faces Holland. 

Former Ultimate Fighter competitor Ashley Yoder will look to build on her last win over Amanda Cooper when she faces Syuri Kondo in South Carolina. Yoder has always been a tough out for anybody fighting in the strawweight division, but getting her first win in the UFC last November was a huge confidence boost. As for Kondo, she’s attempting to avoid a three-fight losing streak after falling to her last two opponents. Kondo kicked off her UFC career with a win back in 2017 but she’s suffered back-to-back losses in her most recent performances. Kondo will attempt to return to the win column when she battles Yoder. 

Another potential Fight of the Night candidate is this featherweight battle between Dan Ige and Kevin Aguilar. Ige is coming off three wins in a row, including a knockout over Mike Santiago and a submission finish against Danny Henry in his last fight. Ige is a non-stop action fighter and the same could be said of Aguilar, who is always just one punch away from putting his opponent’s lights out. Aguilar has earned back-to-back wins since joining the UFC roster, and he has a reputation for highlight reel knockouts and jaw dropping performances every time he competes. Ige and Aguilar always seem to deliver and this featherweight fight should be no different. 

It’s been nearly five years since Matt Wiman last appeared in the UFC Octagon but he will make his long awaited return when he faces Luis Pena, who is coming off a unanimous decision win against Steven Peterson in his most recent fight in March. Pena has gone 2-1 thus far in the UFC after joining the organization via The Ultimate Fighter. Meanwhile, Wiman has never shied away from tough matchups in the UFC, with a 3-1 record over his past four fights, including a unanimous decision victory over Isaac Vallie-Flagg in his last fight in 2014. It’s been a long road back for Wiman but now he’ll look for a second win in a row when he faces Pena on Saturday night.  

CROWDER'S BEST YET TO COME | AGUILAR IS NEVER COMFORTABLE

Allen Crowder and Jairzinho Rozenstruik will meet in a heavyweight slugfest that likely won’t reach the judges’ scorecards. Crowder is coming off a disqualification win over former NFL player Greg Hardy in his last fight, but he really wants to prove himself with an emphatic win in his third UFC appearance. As for Rozenstruik, he made quite an impact in his debut back in February with a second round knockout against Junior Albini. Rozenstruik is undefeated in his career, with seven wins, including several knockouts, so expect him to come out head hunting when he meets Crowder this weekend.

Ariane Lipski didn’t get the result she wanted in her first UFC appearance after falling to Joanne Calderwood, but the ultra-exciting Brazilian prospect will now look for a better second impression when she faces Molly McCann in a flyweight clash. Prior to the setback in her UFC debut, Lipski had rattled off nine straight wins, with finishes in seven of those fights. She’ll attempt to start a new streak against McCann, who just picked up her first UFC win with a unanimous decision over Priscila Cachoeira this past February. 

Former college wrestling standout Deron Winn will make his long awaited Octagon debut this weekend as he faces the returning Eric Spicely, who stepped up on short notice to accept the fight. Winn, who is the protégé of heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, holds a perfect 5-0 record in his young career and he is looking to make an immediate impact at 185 pounds. He faces a tough test in his debut, as Spicely brings a wealth of experience, including back-to-back knockout wins – one of which saw him finish of UFC veteran Caio Magalhaes - while also holding a submission victory over top-ranked light heavyweight title contender Thiago Santos. 

After making an impressive debut with a win over former bantamweight champion Renan Barao last year, Andre Ewell suffered a defeat in his most recent outing against Nathaniel Wood. Now Ewell will look to get back on a winning path when he faces Anderson dos Santos, who stumbled in his Octagon debut last November. Before that loss, dos Santos had picked up three wins in a row, but if he wants to get his first victory in the UFC he’ll have to go through Ewell, who has earned two knockouts and a submission in his past five wins.