UFC Raleigh Primer: Blaydes/Dos Santos, Dos Anjos/Chiesa
By Tyler Young
The UFC makes its Raleigh debut this Saturday, with UFC Fight Night:Blades/Dos Santos, Dos Anjos/Chiesa
Breaking down everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s big Fight Night.
Where
PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC. Parking lots open at 2:30 pm. A Clear Bag Policy is in effect for the arena, info on the policy can be found here.
When
Saturday, January 25th. Prelims are set to start at 5pm, main card at 8pm.
How to Watch
The Whole card can be streamed on ESPN+.
Live Feed
FanSided MMA
Fight Card
Prelims
Herbert Burns (9-2-0) v. Nate Landwehr (13-2-0)
Brett Johns (15-2-0) v. Tony Gravely (19-5-0)
Sara McMann (11-5-0) v. Lina Länsberg (10-4-0)
Montel Jackson (8-1-0) v. Felipe Colares (9-1-0)
Justine Kish (6-2-0) v. Lucie Pudilová (8-5-0)
Arnold Allen (15-1-0) v. Nik Lentz (30-10-2)
Bevon Lewis(6-2-0) v. Dequan Townsend(18-8-0)
Main Card
Jamahal Hill(6-0-0) v. Darko Stošić(13-3-0)
Our Main Card starts off in the Light Heavyweight Division. Hill enjoys a four-inch height advantage to go with his three-inch reach advantage over the Serbian, Stošić. Will Stošić be able to use his experience to defeat the American?
Hannah Cifers( 10-3-0) v. Angela Hill (10-7-0)
Next is a matchup in the Women’s Strawweight division. which should be a fun fight as both these fighters like to throw hands. Don’t expect this fight to go to the ground very often. Hill enjoys a two-inch height and 1.5-inch reach advantage which may play a role in striking exchanges in this bout.
Jordan Espinosa (14-6-0, 1NC) v. Alex Perez (22-5-0)
Then we have a Flyweight bout between two guys looking to fight their way up the rankings and into the contender discussion. A good opportunity for No. 11 Espinosa and No. 12 Perez to get their name out there with a big televised fight. Watch for this one as the sleeper fight of the night contender.
Rafael Dos Anjos (29-12-0) v. Michael Chiesa (16-4-0)
Next up, an intriguing matchup in the Welterweight Divison. Chiesa has looked strong since moving to Welterweight and looks to climb the rankings as he takes on the No. 5 fighter in the Division in Dos Anjos. Dos Anjos comes into this fight looking to stop a slide he’s been on recently, losing two of his last three fights since losing the title to Colby Covington.
Curtis Blaydes (12-2-0,1NC) v. Junior Dos Santos (21-6-0)
Now the main event of the evening. This is a fight with major heavyweight title implications down the line. Miocic will fight Daniel Cormier next, with Francis Ngannou the next likely contender. After that, the title picture becomes fuzzy. Blaydes comes into this fight looking to make that picture a little clearer.
Blaydes, the No. 3 Heavyweight in the UFC, is an up-and-comer and is looking to make his mark in the fight game. His opponent knows what it takes to climb the rankings because he’s been to the mountain top before. JDS, the No. 4 heavyweight contender, has held the title before and looks to get back on track toward a second reign with this fight.
What are your predictions for the card? Who do you have in the main event? Fight of the night? Let me know in the comments below.