UFC Fight Night 169 - Virginia Breakdown & Predictions
When is UFC Fight Night 169? Sunday 1st March, 2020 - 23:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 169? Chartway Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
What channel is UFC Fight Night 169 on? BT Sport 2
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 169? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ which can you sign up to here!
Are tickets still available for UFC Fight Night 169? https://www.ufc.com/tickets
Joseph Benavidez vs Deiveson Figueiredo
Henry Cejudo has vacated his flyweight title which has given the opportunity for Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo to claim the crown.
It seems Benavidez has always been on the brink of being the flyweight champion as he has been a top five ranked fighter since the division was introduced. He has fought for the title twice; against Demetrious Johnson losing a tight split decision for the inaugural championship and then got knocked out a year later. He has fought 10 times since and only lost once to Sergio Pettis - but that was after a two year lay-off. Interestingly, that lay-off came after a split decision win over Henry Cejudo so it is a shame we won’t get to see that title fight. Now, Benavidez is coming off three wins and feels now is finally his time.
Figueiredo is the man standing in the way of Benavidez’ glory. He arrived to the UFC unbeaten and added four impressive wins to his record which included knockouts over Joseph Morales and John Moraga. He then suffered the first loss of his career, a unanimous decision to Jussier Formiga who Benavidez finished in his last fight. The Brazilian is now coming off two wins to earn his shot – a unanimous decision over Alejandre Pantoja and a submission over Tim Elliot.
PREDICTION
This is the toughest fight of Figueiredo's career but with his finishing ability he can easily cause the upset. He will back his power on the feet and would welcome the fight to go to the floor with his jiu-jitsu to find a finish.
However, Benavidez' experience will be crucial in staying out of trouble and a key factor in this fight could be the fact that Figueiredo has never fought more than three rounds. If he has any cardio issues, Benavidez will exploit them if the fight goes into the championship rounds. He has the tools and the stamina to overwhelm the Brazilian late on and potentially set up a late finish.
Winner: Benavidez via KO/TKO
Felicia Spencer vs Zarah Fairn dos Santos
The second women’s featherweight scrap of the night takes place in the co-main event featuring Felicia Spencer and Zarah Fairn dos Santos.
Spencer is coming off the performance that really put her on the map. It was a loss, but she went three rounds with Cris Cyborg - giving a great account of herself in showcasing her toughness. This broke her unbeaten record of seven fights and came after her UFC debut in which she impressively submitted established featherweight Megan Anderson.
Dos Santos makes her second UFC appearance after losing her debut back in October. She took on Anderson off the back of three wins but Anderson was on the right side of a submission this time wrapping Dos Santos up with a triangle choke in the first round.
PREDICTION
This is not a good match-up for Dos Santos. Her strengths are on the feet and with a significant size and reach advantage she will be desperate to keep the fight standing despite Spencer’s own striking threat.
Spencer’s downfall could come from her confidence in slugging it out with Cyborg and if she doesn’t respect Dos Santos’ power she could get caught. However, the difference is going to be in the grappling. The sooner Spencer decides to take Dos Santos down the the quicker she is expected to notch the fifth submission win of her career.
Winner: Spencer via Submission
Ion Cutelaba vs Magomed Ankalaev
We have a beautiful match-up in Norfolk, Virginia with two talented killers - Ion Cutelaba and Magomed Ankalaev.
Cutelaba is 4-3 in the UFC with losses to Misha Cirkunov, Jared Cannonier and Glover Teixeira. All beasts, but he has interrupted those losses with with impressive wins and finishes. After knocking out Henrique da Silva and Gadzhimurad he got submitted by Teixeira, but he is coming off a brilliant knockout finish over fellow power striker Khalil Rountree Jr.
Ankalaev is also coming off a knockout win but even more spectacularly. He took on Dalcha Lungiambula and in the third round buried him with a phenomenal front kick. This marked three wins in a row after his sole loss which came in the very last second of his fight with Paul Craig, getting caught with a triangle choke.
PREDICTION
This is a fascinating match-up as they are both lethal strikers but also skilled and powerful grapplers. Respecting each other’ skill-sets, we could easily see them both abandon their grappling and try to find the finish on the feet or even in the clinch. As neither of them have been knocked out before, we could see a violent decision, but we can’t count out a finish.
Winner: Ankalaev via Decision
Megan Anderson vs Norma Dumont Viana
Megan Anderson takes on Norma Dumont Viana in the first of two women’s featherweight fights on the card so we are treated to witnessing virtually the whole division compete at UFC Fight Night 169.
We have not seen the best of Anderson so far in her UFC career. She arrived to the UFC off the back of four straight knockouts but tasted a huge step-up in competition for her debut, meeting Holly Holm, and was eventually outclassed in a unanimous decision. She then pocketed a win over Cat Zingano, but the fight was stopped before it got going with Zingano suffering an eye injury. Anderson then took on Felicia Spencer, suffering a first-round submission, but she is coming off a submission of her own against Zarah Fairn dos Santos, who takes on Spencer in the co-main event.
Viana makes her debut after just four fights with her last appearance coming back in 2018 where she earned a decision over Mariana Morais. She started her professional career by submitting Tainara Lisboa and earned a decision over Patricia Borges Fernandes for the Jungle Fight promotion before going on to earn another submission over Erica Leidianny Ribeira in the same year (2017).
PREDICTION
This is a giant step-up for Viana. To take on Anderson after a year and a half out with only four fights under her belt is a huge ask. That said, this is the perfect opportunity for Viana to make a name for herself, but a rejuvenated Anderson will do everything to prevent that from happening.
Winner: Anderson via KO/TKO
Gabriel Silva vs Kyler Phillips
Bantamweights Gabriel Silva and Kyler Phillips kick off the main card in Norfolk Virginia.
Silva is coming off the first loss of his career which came on his UFC debut back in July last year at UFC on ESPN 4. Ray Borg snapped his eight-fight winning streak, wrestling his way to a unanimous decision and landing six out of nine takedowns.
Phillips also only has one loss on his record which came after his TKO win over James Gray Jr. on Dana White’s Contender Series. He did not get a UFC contract and lost his next fight to Victor Henry but after a knockout over Emeka Ifekandu a year ago, Phillips has eventually got his shot.
PREDICTION
Silva has a lot of power for a bantamweight, particularly in his hands. He is a heavy hitter but also a technical boxer and after his fight with Borg he will hope this stays on the feet. Luckily for him Phillips will oblige, though he is also a dangerous striker and he will look to stay out of boxing range to hurt Silva from a distance with a variety of kicks.
All of their knockouts have come in the first round so expect both to start fast. This fight should be a ferocious pace with high outputs, with Phillip getting the nod if he can control the range.