Taking place at the UFC Apex facility in sunny Las Vegas (well, technically Enterprise, Nevada), UFC Vegas 58 features a ton of classic MMA action. In the main event fight of the night, former UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos takes on 11-1 Rafael Fiziev. Another solid contest to keep an eye on is a veteran heavyweight showdown between Jared Vanderaa and Chase Sherman. In both of these contests, there will definitely be some powerful action along with some big knockout potential.
In this article, SBS will go over what to look for from each fighter and also who you can anticipate to win as well.
UFC Vegas 58 Main Event Bouts | The Pick | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
dos Anjos vs. Fiziev | Fiziev | -210 | -210 | -210 |
Vanderaa vs. Sherman | Vandeera | -175 | -175 | -175 |
Fighter Spotlight: Rafael dos Anjos
A former UFC Lightweight champion, dos Anjos is one of the most respected veterans in the UFC. At 37 years of age he is still recognized as a top 10 fighter in his division and has a chance to claw back up the rankings if he can knock off Fiziev on Saturday. Known for his aggressive fighting style that focuses on high volume striking along with strong takedowns, the Brazilian is certainly a wolverine in the cage when he gets going. With an overall record of 31-13, dos Anjos is currently riding a two-fight winning streak. After a nearly two year absence from MMA, he returned to the octagon earlier this year with a unanimous decision win over Renato Moicano at UFC 272.
Fighter Spotlight: Rafael Fiziev
On the opposite side of the ring from dos Anjos will be the 11-1 Fizieve who is riding an impressive winning streak heading into this bout. Since he lost to Magomed Mustafaev in April of 2019, no one has been able to put down the 29-year old fighter. In his last five fights (all wins), Fiziev has either won by unanimous decision (three times) or knockout (twice). In fact, in his last four fights he has won either “Performance of the Night” or “Fight of the Night” honors. Finally, in last fight against Brad Riddell in December of last year, Fiziev won via a hellacious spinning wheel kick in the third round.
Prediction: In what should be an exciting contest, look for Fiziev to have the slight edge here given the advantage in age and also momentum as well.
Fighter Spotlight: Jared Vanderaa
Competing in the UFC since 2020, Vanderaa is looking to turn things around in Vegas on Saturday after some tough losses in his last couple contests. The former EFC and SG (SMASH Global) Heavyweight Champion, Vanderaa has had some mixed results since coming over to the UFC. In his last three contests he has lost via TKO (Alexander Romanov), split decision (Andrei Arlovski) and submission (Alexey Oleynik). With that in mind, he still has some tremendous knockout power which is illustrated by his seven career knockouts (out of 12 total wins).
What to look for from: Chase Sherman
A former bare-knuckle boxer, Sherman certainly has earned his stripes as one of the toughest fighters in the UFC. Known as the “Vanilla Gorilla,” the Mississippi native is well-known for his knockout ability. In fact, of his 15 career victories, 14 of them have come by way of knockout. While he has had some trouble as of late stringing together wins (he is on a four fight losing streak in the UFC), his power is certainly something to be very careful of for opposing fighters. If Sherman wants to win this bout on Saturday, he has to make sure to avoid submission holds since his last two contests have been undone by tapouts earlier this year.
Prediction: A powerful showdown, look for Vandeera to have the edge here given his better overall track record vs. heavyweight UFC competition.
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