Preview: UFC Fight Night 129 ‘Maia vs. Usman’

Featherweights
Enrique Barzola vs. Brandon Davis
Odds: Barzola (-195), Davis (+160)

This is the modern iteration of the striker vs grappler matchup. Barzola has gotten results in the UFC behind his grit, cardio and pace. The Peruvian is a wrestler by trade, and the skill has translated to the highest level of the sport; “El Fuerte” averages more than five takedowns per fight. He is becoming increasingly adept at masking his shots with combinations of punches, getting his foe’s guard high and exposing their hips while moving them back toward the fence. Barzola can hit trips inside but favors the high-amplitude double. And despite his slight frame, he can keep up a pace for 15 minutes. So can Davis. The Mississippi native trains under head coach Alan Belcher and coach Jason Knight’s kickboxing. He is dynamic, dangerous with all eight limbs, and never throws less than three shots at a time. He can mix kicks and punches together, and will often throw from the same side consecutively. But in his three big-show fights (including one from the Contender Series), he has won when his opponent elected to stand and bang with him. Davis has solid footwork when pressured by mid-level brawlers, pivoting back to space and covering his movement with jabs. But when Kyle Bochniak refused to stand in front of him, Davis aimlessly followed him around without cutting off the cage. Bochniak led him into shots before darting back out of range. Barzola might be able to mimic the kind of lateral movement the New Yorker used, but he’ll likely want to plant Davis, and I think he can do it. Barzola is the most dogged and capable wrestler Davis has faced. “Killer B” has demonstrated solid takedown and grappling defense, but he’ll be on the defensive for most of this fight without a definitive way to keep Barzola off of him. The Peruvian banks another decision and moves to 5-1 in the UFC.

Bantamweights
Enrique Briones vs. Frankie Saenz
Odds: Saenz (-280), Briones (+240)

Two aging 135ers - both men are 37, definitely old for bantamweight - square off here. Since Briones blasted and submitted Cannetti in 2014, he has lost three straight while fighting only once a year due to injury. In fact, he was booked against Brad Pickett three times in that span and never fought him. It is safe to wonder how much longer the soon-to-be 38-year-old has in the sport. The Mexican is a boxer by trade, training alongside Moreno in Tijuana at Entram Gym. “Bure” has solid footwork and combination punching, but his jab and head movement are inconsistent. His lack of other weapons - he rarely shoots or kicks - exposes his deteriorating chin and his already average athleticism is slipping. Saenz is no spring chicken but looks to have more in the tank and a style less hampered by his advancing age. The former D-1 wrestler was surprisingly taken down 11 times by Merab Dvalishvili in his last fight. But he ultimately won that scrap because Dvalishvili could not keep him down, clinging to him and trying to drag him back down. Meanwhile, Saenz landed more effective offense with knees in the clinch. Perhaps Saenz’s biggest issue has been his lack of head movement, as Eddie Wineland and Augusto Mendes made him pay. But he is willing to mix it, landing nearly four significant strikes per minute. The Fight Ready MMA rep’s ability to get inside and dictate where the fight takes place will be what swings the fight for him. Saenz outduels Briones for a hard-fought decision victory.

Lightweights
Claudio Puelles vs. Felipe Silva
Odds: Silva (-310), Puelles (+255)

Puelles is 22 and made it to the finals of TUF Latin America 3 before being punched out by Martin Bravo back in November 2016. He hasn’t fought since. He trains out of the same Pitbull Martial Center that spawned Barzola. The Peruvian is a southpaw kicker, going to the body frequently with either leg. But on the show, he also used his wrestling liberally, leveraging his size and strength advantage as one of the few legitimate lightweights on the show. He is still extremely young and will be expected to make significant strides from fight to fight. While Puelles began his MMA career by training Muay Thai, Silva literally has the words tattooed across his chest and boasts a 45-3 kickboxing record. The 33-year-old comes from the same CM System gym as Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, so he does not lack for quality sparring, despite training at a lesser-known camp. Silva is a vicious, ill-intentioned power puncher who can mix in cracking leg kicks. He’ll also throw nasty hooks to the body, especially when he has his man cornered. Puelles’ loss to Bravo is instructive here. Denied the space to kick and unable to get his wrestling going, he wilted under the pressure and volume of Bravo. The Brazilian figures to turn up the pressure as well but hits substantially harder. Even if he can get a little reckless at times, Puelles doesn’t have the stopping power of someone like Mairbek Taisumov to make him pay. Silva notches another first-round TKO victory.