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KEVIN HOLLAND VS. JACARE SOUZA
Illness necessitated the shuffling of matchups at middleweight over the last couple of weeks, resulting in Kevin Holland and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza facing off here.
Already one of the standouts since the restart, Holland enters the Octagon in search of his fifth victory of 2020 after posting wins over Anthony Hernandez, Joaquin Buckley, Darren Stewart, and Charlie Ontiveros. The talented “Trailblazer” has always flashed Top 10 potential, but after battling inconsistency earlier in his UFC tenure, he appears to be putting it all together now.
One of the longest tenured members of the middleweight class, Souza fights for the first time since last November when he ventured up to light heavyweight and landed on the wrong side of a split decision verdict against current champ Jan Blachowicz. The Brazilian, who turns 41 on December 7, has fought the elite in the 185-pound weight class over the years and remains a dangerous veteran presence standing between emerging talents like Holland and the upper echelon of the middleweight ranks.
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There has been a great deal of movement in the division over the last several months, and this bout is bound to have an impact on the rankings as well, even though neither currently occupies a position within the Top 15. It will be interesting to see if Holland can keep things rolling as he takes on his most experienced opponent to date or if Souza will collect his first victory in over two years and re-claim a place in the Top 10.
JUNIOR DOS SANTOS VS. CIRYL GANE
The pay-per-view main card kicks off in the heavyweight division in a clash between former champion Junior Dos Santos and rising star Ciryl Gane.
Making his third appearance of 2020, “Cigano” seeks to end the first extended losing streak of his career on Saturday night, as he enters this weekend’s event on a three-fight slide. It’s difficult to know how to read Dos Santos’ recent struggles, as the affable Brazilian will turn 37 next month and has been through countless battles inside the cage. At the same time, his setbacks have come against the division’s top three contenders, so it’s hard to fault the former titleholder too much for landing on the wrong side of things.
While Dos Santos has struggled of late, Gane has enjoyed unmitigated success, posting six consecutive victories to begin his career, including three wins in five months last year during his rookie campaign in the UFC. The 30-year-old French fighter posted submission finishes in each of his first two starts, then capped off 2019 with a unanimous decision win over Tanner Boser in Busan, South Korea.
This is a considerable step up in competition for Gane, but also the precise type of matchup the promising rising star needs at this stage of his development. Similarly, a pairing like this affords Dos Santos an opportunity to show that he’s still a formidable talent in the upper tier of the heavyweight division, especially if he emerges victorious.
The heavyweight division will be in the spotlight next year, and the outcome of this contest will have a significant impact on how the top names in the division are booked in 2021.