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UFC on ABC 1: Holloway vs Kattar Prelim Matchmaking

PC: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Joselyne Edwards def. Wu Yanan via Unanimous Decision

Joselyne Edwards – Norma Dumont

Joselyne Edwards became the first female to ever represent Panama in the UFC, and only the second to ever do it. Getting the last-minute call was something Edwards had been preparing for and showed why being ready is key for MMA fighters on the cusp of that call-up. In the first round she nearly pulled off her favorite submission in a triangle choke. She proceeded to win via the scorecards and write her name in history. She will enter a very shallow division in the women’s bantamweight division, so we can expect a difficult fight next time out. Norma Dumont looked very impressive back in November in a decision victory and the two could collide on the prelims in the early summer.

Wu Yanan – Sijara Eubanks

Despite the loss, Yanan will be rewarded with another showing inside the Octagon for accepting the opponent change. She recovered from a very deep triangle opportunity in the early going, and went on to snag a round in one of the judge’s eyes. Loser of her last two fights, Yanan will desperately need a victory in her next performance. Sijara Eubanks is in a very similar situation and a matchup between the two in a loser goes home bout makes a ton of sense.

Carlos Felipe def. Justin Tafa via Split Decision

Carlos Felipe – Alexander Romanov

Carlos Felipe and Justin Tafa put on a performance reminiscent of the Hunt-Big Foot bout. The two heavyweights threw heat for 15-minutes and Felipe emerged victorious in a razor thin decision. Back-to-back wins at heavyweight usually propel you towards the top 15, so don’t be surprised if Felipe gets matched up with a ranked opponent next. He’s 26-years-old so I’d like to see him fight one more time before throwing him into the deep end. A fight with him and Alexander Romanov would be a compelling clash of styles, with the winner earning the right at a Top 15 opponent.

Justin Tafa – Roque Martinez

The comparisons to Australian MMA Legend Mark Hunt will continue for Justin Tafa. His tremendous chin and remarkable power were again on display on Saturday night. Furthermore, his 4-2 record is very similar to that of Mark Hunt’s before he teared through the Heavyweight division. Look for a favorable matchup next time out for the former pro rugby player. A fight with Guam’s Roque Martinez would make for a juicy stand-up contest.

Ramazan Emeev def. David Zawada via Split Decision

Ramazan Emeev – Tristan Connelly

Ramazan Emeev utilized his high-level wrestling to pick up another decision victory. At 20-4, Emeev is one of the more experienced fighters in this division, and deserves to be treated as such. All five of his victories have come via decision however so the UFC may want to see a little more from him before giving him a big name. A matchup with one of the biggest names out of Canada in Tristan Connelly would make for a fun fight. Connelly burst onto the UFC scene with an incredible upset victory over Michel Pereira.

David Zawada – Orion Cosce

David Zawada continues to be booked in hard matchups. Saturday was no different. The fighter from Dusseldorf, Germany will likely be looking at a do or die fight next time out. He’s 1-3 under the promotion with his sole victory coming to Abubakar Nurmagomedov. Predominantly used for international cards, it is likely we will see him compete on Fight Island next time out. If all goes well in Orion Cosce’s recovery from injury, the timeline may work out perfectly for both parties.

Vanessa Melo def. Sarah Moras via Unanimous Decision

Vanessa Melo – Stephanie Egger

It was do or die for Vanessa Melo entering into Saturday night’s fight with Moras. She had lost her last three fights and had yet to pick up a win under the promotion. She had also missed weight in two of those fights which is never good in the eyes of the UFC brass. Despite the win, I wouldn’t expect the UFC throwing her towards the top 15 anytime soon. A matchup with Switzerland’s Stephanie Egger may make sense for the Brazilian. Egger made her UFC debut in a losing effort to Tracy Cortez back on October 10.

Sarah Moras – Sarah Alpar

There is a very good chance that may have been the last time we see Sarah Moras in the UFC octagon. I believe the British Columbia native deserves at least one more go-around. Despite holding a losing record of 6-7, she has only been finished once in those seven losses. If the UFC decides to keep Moras, a matchup with Sarah Alpar would be a opportunity for her to pick up that much needed victory. For Alpar, it would offer her a chance to rebound from the devastating defeat to Jessica Rose-Clark.

Austin Lingo def. Jacob Kilburn via Unanimous Decision

Austin Lingo – Natan Levy

Austin Lingo is the definition of a fast starter. He came out looking for a kill early. Kilburn showed tremendous heart early and forced Lingo to grind out a decision. It was an impressive performance for the Fortis MMA Featherweight. With his first UFC victory behind him, Lingo will likely be looking in the top 20-25 range of the division for his next opponent. A matchup with Israel’s Natan Levy who was one of the standout performers of the contender series would make a ton of sense.

Jacob Kilburn – Anthony Birchak

Jacob Kilburn showed tremendous heart in the early going of that fight. His level changes caught Lingo off guard at several moments throughout the fight, but couldn’t manage to get Lingo on his back. Given the circumstances of his debut on short notice, it is very likely we will see Lingo compete at least one more time in the Octagon. He has hinted a move down to bantamweight as he feels he would have a size and strength advantage at 135. A matchup with recent Anthony Birchak who recently returned to the UFC after competing elsewhere since 2016 would make sense for both fighters. Both fighters would likely be fighting for their UFC careers. The fight would be a nice addition to a fight card at the Apex in Las Vegas.

Sergio Pineiro

Sergio Pineiro is the Founder of FighterPath.com and host of the Quarantinecast podcast. Based in Canada he is both a sports journalist and MMA enthusiast. He practices the sport but has a passion for the individual stories of training, fighting and living the fighting lifestyle.

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