UFC on ESPN 65 Preview
Ranked Featherweights Set To Square Off In Las Vegas
After the electric atmosphere of the Mexican crowd last weekend, the UFC Apex in Las Vegas will offer a more subdued setting for an intriguing fight card this Saturday night.
Let’s dive into the matchups featured on the main card of UFC on ESPN 65..
Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy (Featherweight)
Veteran fighter Josh Emmett (19-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) returns to the Octagon for the first time since his spectacular knockout of Bryce Mitchell in December 2023.
Although Emmett is now 40 years old, he remains a significant threat in the 145-pound division. Since transitioning to featherweight in 2017, he’s set the record for the most knockdowns in the division’s history (12).
On the other hand, undefeated fighter Lerone Murphy (15-0-1 MMA, 7-0-1 UFC) brings a seven-fight win streak into the cage, which ranks as the second-longest unbeaten streak in featherweight history, just behind Movsar Evloev’s 8.
Joanderson Brito vs. Pat Sabatini (Featherweight)
Brazilian Joanderson Brito (17-4-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) looks to get back on track after suffering a split-decision loss to William Gomis at UFC Paris in September, snapping a five-fight winning streak.
He’ll face Pat Sabatini (19-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC), a submission specialist who has collected 13 submission wins in his career.
Cortavious Romious vs. Chang Ho Lee (Bantamweight)
Cortavious Romious (9-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will be hoping to secure his first UFC victory when he faces Chang Ho Lee (10-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), a veteran of Road to UFC.
Romious suffered a decision loss to Gaston Bolanos in his Octagon debut back in November, while Lee triumphed over Long Xiao via split decision at UFC Saudi Arabia last June.
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Martin Buday (Heavyweight)
Kennedy Nzechukwu (14-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) will look to extend his unbeaten streak to 3-0 since moving up to the heavyweight division last October. After scoring quick finishes over Chris Barnett and Lukasz Brzeski, it’s clear the switch has been a success for the “African Savage.”
Martin Buday (14-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has secured four of his five UFC wins by decision, and he’ll be aiming to wear Nzechukwu down over the course of their bout.
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Brad Tavares (Middleweight)
Brad Tavares (20-10 MMA, 15-10 UFC) makes his 26th appearance in the Octagon this Saturday. Not only does he hold the record for the most UFC appearances in the middleweight division, but he’s also one win away from matching Michael Bisping’s record of 16 UFC victories at 185 pounds.
Gerald Meerschaert (37-18 MMA, 12-10 UFC) is the leader in divisional history for both stoppage wins (12) and submission victories (11).
Robert Valentin vs. Torrez Finney (Middleweight)
Switzerland’s Robert Valentin (10-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) aims to recover from a loss in the finals of the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. After securing two first-round finishes on the show, he suffered a TKO defeat to Ryan Loder in his UFC debut last August.
He’ll meet Torrez Finney (10-0), who finally earned his UFC contract after competing three times on Dana White’s Contender Series, a journey that showed his resilience and determination.
Paul Browne is a professional mixed martial arts commentator, feature writer and podcaster based in Dublin, Ireland.
