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Jordan Williams
You really have to applaud Jordan Williams for his self-belief and tenacity.
The now 29-year-old middleweight, who makes his UFC debut on Saturday opposite Nassourdine Imavov, turned up on the second season of Dana White’s Contender Series and scored a third-round stoppage win over Tim Caron. That result was overturned after Williams tested positive for marijuana metabolites following the contest, so after getting back into the win column, he returned to Las Vegas last summer to face unbeaten prospect Ramazan Kuramagomedov in his second Contender Series appearance.
While many believed the NorCal Fighting Alliance representative won the bout, including the UFC President, the judges felt otherwise, which meant Williams was headed back to the regional circuit. Once he got there, he found it impossible to get a fight, so when he turned back up at the UFC Apex a couple weeks back for his third appearance on the Contender Series, it was his first bout since his controversial loss the previous summer.
But his persistence paid off, as Williams walked down Brazilian veteran Gregory Rodrigues and dropped him along the fence just over two minutes into their headlining clash, securing himself a UFC contract.
That performance against Rodrigues and all of his Contender Series bouts, actually, show you exactly what to expect from the 9-3 newcomer — forward pressure, high impact power, and a willingness to eat one to land one, trusting that his shots will do more damage.
Imavov is an intriguing new arrival in his own right — a 24-year-old coming off a win over UFC vet Jonathan Meunier who trains under Fernand Lopez at the MMA Factory in Paris — but Williams’ difficult journey through the Contender Series to the Octagon and the fact that he’s firmly in his prime give him the greater potential to make an immediate impact in their joint debuts this weekend.
Dusko Todorovic
The UFC audience has Dusko Todorovic to thank for introducing them to Khamzat Chimaev because it was the unbeaten middleweight having to withdraw from his scheduled fight with John Phillips than opened the door for the surging breakout star to step into the Octagon for the first time during the UFC’s initial trip to Fight Island.
Now ready to compete, the 26-year-old Todorovic aims to build on his Contender Series win over Canadian veteran Teddy Ash with a similar showing in his first foray into the UFC cage as he takes on Dequan Townsend this weekend.
Unbeaten in nine professional bouts, Todorovic choked out fellow Contender Series alum Alexander Poppeck early in his career and stopped UFC welterweight wild man Michel Pereira in the opening round of their clash just under two years ago, so while Saturday marks the first time he’s crossed the threshold into the Octagon, Todorovic has already tested himself against some quality competition.
His win over Ash was one of only a dozen times a fighter has earned a UFC contract by winning a decision on the Contender Series over the first three seasons of the talent search series, and it highlighted his resiliency and ability to navigate challenging waters against a tough, seasoned opponent. Saturday’s pairing with Townsend is a chance to shake off the rust from not having fought since last summer and measure himself against a battle-tested veteran who has made the walk to the Octagon three times and has three-times as many professional appearances.
Things remain fluid in the middle of the middleweight division at the moment and this is a great chance for Todorovic to introduce himself to the UFC audience and make his case for being someone to keep close tabs on heading into the final three months of 2020 and beyond.
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