A Complete Guide to UFC Fight Nights 53 and 54
UFC 178 was pretty sweet, but these days the fighting calendar waits for no fan. The train pulls back out of the station today with two destinations on the docket for Saturday.
The first will happen in the middle of the afternoon U.S. East Coast time, when UFC Fight Night 53 kicks off from Stockholm, Sweden. Headlining the 11-fight slate will be Icelandic grappling standout Gunnar Nelson, staking his undefeated pro record against wrestle-brawling American Rick Story.
That evening, it's Fight Night 54. The main event there is welterweight resident fightbot Rory MacDonald, who may be in position to challenge for the title if he can defeat sharp-striking Tarec Saffiedine in front of his Canadian countrymen.
It's a lot to take in. So let us help you. Here's a complete guide to both cards, including quick picks for both undercards and breakdowns, predictions and viewing coordinates for every main card bout.
UFC Fight Night 53: The Prelims
1 of 12
All bouts air on UFC Fight Pass (subscription required).
Middleweight: Scott Askham def. Magnus Cedenblad
Welterweight: Nico Musoke def. Alexander Yakovlev
Featherweight: Dennis Siver def. Charles Rosa
Welterweight: Cathal Pendred def. Gasan Umalatov
Middleweight: Tor Troeng def. Krzysztof Jotko
Welterweight: Mairbek Taisumov def. Marcin Bandel
Featherweight: Zubaira Tukhugov def. Ernest Chavez
Niklas Backstrom vs. Mike Wilkinson
2 of 12
Division: Featherweight
Records: Niklas Backstrom (8-0), Mike Wilkinson (8-1)
See it on: UFC Fight Pass (subscription required)
You differentiate Backstrom from the hockey player of the same name by the eyes. The MMA Backstrom has the crazy eyes, as you can see here in the photo, and as everyone saw after he upset Tom Niinimaki last May in his UFC debut.
Everyone figured Backstrom had a striking advantage there but a disadvantage on the ground. But it weren't so. A flash bulldog choke caused the victory. However, against the British submission grappler Wilkinson, here's guessing the Swede returns to his roots.
Prediction: Backstrom, TKO, Rd. 2
Ilir Latifi vs. Jan Blachowicz
3 of 12Division: Light heavyweight
Records: Ilir Latifi (9-3), Jan Blachowicz (17-3)
See it on: UFC Fight Pass (subscription required)
Blachowicz has been on hardcore radars for some time now, and he'll make his UFC debut Saturday. The 31-year-old made a name for himself in Poland's well-renowned KSW operation, where he has ripped off wins over several UFC veterans. He's not the most imposing or dynamic athlete, but he's solid in every phase, especially submissions.
Latifi is himself a wrestler, so this could be a grappling battle, or it could be one of those cancel-out slugfests. Either way, Latifi has served the UFC well as a light heavyweight plug-in for its European shows, and he'll make for a nice first notch on Blachowicz's belt. The newcomer should be able to outlast Latifi.
Prediction: Blachowicz, unanimous decision
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Akira Corassani vs. Max Holloway
4 of 12
Division: Featherweight
Records: Max Holloway (10-3), Akira Corassani (12-4)
See it on: UFC Fight Pass (subscription required)
Corassani has moxie; you have to give him that. He's got spirit, kid, and that's no applesauce!
He should make things fun with Holloway, a kickboxer by trade who, after more than two years in the major leagues, is still only 22 years old.
Holloway flashed his evolving clinch and submission games in April against Andre Fili; he might flash them again versus Corassani. Either way, he should be able to cruise against the less-skilled Swede.
Prediction: Holloway, unanimous decision
Gunnar Nelson vs. Rick Story
5 of 12
Division: Welterweight
Records: Gunnar Nelson (13-0-1), Rick Story (17-8)
See it on: UFC Fight Pass (subscription required)
Sorry, Rick. You're in too deep this time.
Nelson might be the best grappler in the UFC. That's how good the young man really is. He's famous for never showing much emotion (or breaking much of a sweat) in the cage, and that should chill the marrow of the hot-blooded Story, though not in a good way.
The tough Story will make this fun for a few minutes, perhaps landing a punishing shot or two. Ultimately, though, Nelson will be like a spider sitting in wait for prey, and sooner or later Story will hit the sticky part of the web.
Plus, Story has alternated wins and losses in his last eight contests. If that is to continue, he's due for a defeat. How can you argue with that?
Prediction: Nelson, submission, Rd. 2
UFC Fight 54: The Prelims
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Airing on Fox Sports 1
Lightweight: Daron Cruickshank def. Anthony Njokuani
Welterweight: Nordine Taleb def. Li Jingliang
Lightweight: Jake Lindsey def. Olivier Aubin-Mercier
Lightweight: Jason Saggo def. Paul Felder
Airing on UFC Fight Pass
Welterweight: Albert Tumenov def. Matt Dwyer
Bantamweight: Pedro Munhoz def. Jerrod Sanders
Mitch Gagnon vs. Rob Font
7 of 12
Division: Bantamweight
Records: Mitch Gagnon (11-2), Rob Font (11-1)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Welcome to the main card, Mitch Gagnon. After taking three straight, the Canadian workhorse has earned his way onto the prettier half of a UFC event.
He'll need to be careful against Font. The Mark DellaGrotte student downed George Roop with a vicious right hand in his first UFC outing in July, and he has the muay thai game to do that kind of thing again. Gagnon's pretty wily, though, and his complete game probably means he'll find a way to win, be it through takedowns, top control or volume striking from the perimeter.
Prediction: Gagnon, unanimous decision
Nordine Taleb vs. Li Jingliang
8 of 12
Division: Welterweight
Records: Li Jingliang (9-2), Nordine Taleb (9-2)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
This little match got the call-up when Louis Gaudinot pulled out of his bout with Paddy Holohan and replaced with Chris Kelades. That was relegated to the undercard and here we are.
Jingliang is a moral favorite of sorts, at least if you're rooting for the UFC to take hold in the long-coveted Chinese market. He's 1-0 in the Octagon thus far and may be the nation's current best hope for a successful fighter.
But I'm taking the Tristar-trained Taleb here. His striking skills will be enough to get it done.
Prediction: Taleb, TKO, Rd. 2
Elias Theodorou vs. Bruno Santos
9 of 12
Division: Middleweight
Records: Elias Theodorou (9-0), Bruno Santos (14-1)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
You may recall Theodorou as this year's TUF: Nations winner. You know, the guy who talked about his hair and what not. He's not bad at fighting, either, as evidenced by his record.
He likes to bring aggression to every phase. That is interesting, because so does Santos, after a fashion. The Brazilian is relentless in searching for takedowns and asserting and maintaining top control once he's there. That's a kind of aggression, right?
Like Santos, Theodorou wants the fight on the ground, but he may want to repress that instinct, as he appears to have an edge over Santos when things are standing. He can keep Santos at bay with shots from range and when Theodorou charges in to clinch up.
But at the end of the day, I see the thick Brazilian imposing his will here. It's an upset pick, but I think Santos will be the stronger man and should end the fight quite literally on top.
Prediction: Santos, unanimous decision
Chad Laprise vs. Yosdenis Cedeno
10 of 12
Division: Lightweight
Records: Chad Laprise (8-0), Yosdenis Cedeno (10-3)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Laprise is the TUF: Nations welterweight winner and makes his UFC debut here at 155 pounds. That's his natural weight class, and it's there that he used a sharp striking game to notch four career wins by knockout.
Cedeno will want to make this a street fight. Not to say he's not skilled (he is), but he's aggressive as all get-out and wants the finish, not the blue ribbon for tactical patience. His enthusiasm carries over to the ground game too, and he should be able to land at least one takedown on the Canadian.
I like Laprise just fine, but at one stage or another he'll get overwhelmed by "The Pink Panther." I think he'll recover, though, and outlast his opponent.
Prediction: Laprise, unanimous decision
Raphael Assuncao vs. Bryan Caraway
11 of 12
Division: Bantamweight
Records: Raphael Assuncao (22-4), Bryan Caraway (19-6)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
After Dominick Cruz's dominant win at UFC 178, you heard one thing in the punditsphere first: give that man his title shot. But following on that, you heard another thing: poor Raphael Assuncao.
The man can't catch a break. All he's done is win six in a row in the UFC (a perfect run since moving to bantamweight), and over top competition at that, including some guy by the name of T.J. Dillashaw. His reward? A cable co-main event and a likely chance to watch someone else, deserving or not, cut his place in the contender line.
Regardless, Assuncao should get it done against Caraway. Both men bring well-honed submission games to the table, but Assuncao is probably a little stronger and a little better. In fact, I might look for him to try and make a statement against Caraway, given Cruz's high-decibel declaration last weekend.
Prediction: Assuncao, submission, Rd. 2
Rory MacDonald vs. Tarec Saffiedine
12 of 12
Division: Welterweight
Records: Rory MacDonald (17-2), Tarec Saffiedine (15-3)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Rory MacDonald is so weird. But that's part of what makes him so fun.
Like an MMA Mark Zuckerberg, MacDonald is brilliant but a bit, ah, overprogrammed. That goes for outside the cage and in it, where the proverbial turning wheels sometimes overwhelm his athletic instincts.
But he's still a finely tuned fighter, excellent in every phase. Saffiedine could give him problems with those trademark leg kicks, but I see MacDonald either checking them effectively or simply taking Saffiedine to the mat and keeping him there. With Georges St-Pierre out of the picture, there's nothing stopping MacDonald from working his way to the welterweight title belt, except MacDonald himself. That, Saturday night, is the bigger challenge than Saffiedine, as good as Saffiedine is. I expect Rory Mac to pass, even if the fight does not produce many fireworks.
Prediction: MacDonald, unanimous decision
Scott Harris likes MMA, and he likes to write about it. Tweeting is a kind of writing, so if you enjoyed this, you have no reason not to follow him there.
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