UFC 263 Preview
By: Devin Hall
The UFC makes its pay-per-view return Saturday, June 12th with a card stacked with what should be immaculate fights throughout. The prelims for UFC 263 will also have some great rising stars in action such as 10-1-1 Chase Hooper, who returns with his funky style of jiu-jitsu, Lauren Murphy looks to continue her rise to a shot at the women’s flyweight belt, and Drew Dober looks to bounce back against the sneaky Brad Riddell. Dana White has made sure the prelims are interesting for fans, leading up to a stacked main card.
Two strong fights start off the nights main card. First, we get to see a light heavyweight bout between the Scottish Paul “Bearjew” Craig and the undefeated (8-0) Jamahal “Sweet Dreams” Hill that will bring chaos to the octagon. The UFC veteran Demian Maia returns with his beautiful submission game against Belal “Remember the Name” Muhammad, who looks to return to the octagon after his fight with Leon Edwards was stopped due to an accidental eye poke. Two great starters for the main three fights of the night, which is loaded with two championships and one non-championship 5 round fight with two juggernauts.
To start off the trio of super fights, 21-12 UFC icon Nate Diaz returns from a two-year hiatus to face 18-3 Leon “Rocky” Edwards. Leon Edwards is coming into the fight on a 9-fight win-streak in the welterweight division. Not known to be a finish artist in the octagon, Edwards has a tremendous skillset that can wear down any fighter he faces. Sadly, he will not have an easy fight. Nate Diaz, younger brother of the legend Nick Diaz, has became a superstar in the MMA world. With his savage personality and toughness in the octagon, the Stockton, California native has a massive fanbase coming to support him this Saturday. Edwards looks to get another win for a chance to bring gold back to England, as Diaz looks for a big return. Dana White has already said that the winner of this has the next shot at Kamaru Usman for the title after his bout with Colby Covington, so a lot is at stake.
Next, the most highly anticipated fight on the card will be for the men’s flyweight championship, as Deiveson “Deus da Guerra” Figueiredo (20-1-1) and Brandon “The Baby Assassin” Moreno (18-5-2) get their rematch to settle the draw between the two at the end of 2020. At UFC 256, Figueiredo and Moreno put on one of the best brawls that the flyweight division has ever saw. Figueiredo is the current reigning champ, being only the third champion in the division’s history. Moreno is currently the number 1 contender in the division. Moreno was once the last pick on his season of the Ultimate Fighter, cut from the UFC after 2 straight losses, and has came back to have a chance to become the second Mexican fighter to ever hold a belt. Each fighter’s dignity is on the line in this fight. Both look to make history for their great careers. This is the fight to keep your eyes on for the night.
Last, but not least we have the middleweight championship for our main event. Marvin “The Italian Dream” Vettori (17-4-1) looks to put an Italian champion in the UFC as he faces the all-time great talent Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya (20-1). Adesanya has became one of the most intimidating fighters’ pound-for-pound in the UFC. He is undefeated in the middleweight division, with his only loss coming from his last fight against the light heavyweight champion, Jan Blachowicz. Adesanya was unsuccessful with his attempt to fight at 205 pounds but is coming back to terrorize the middleweight division. Marvin Vettori has come out on top in some great battles over the past few years, earning him a shot at gold. His last loss actually came at the hands of Adesanya, as he lost to a split decision. Adesanya looks to stay at the top and Vettori is looking for revenge.
UFC 263 looks like it will not disappoint its passionate fanbase and it should have enough action to wow the casual fan. 2 belts will be at stake and one of the longest active winning streaks in the game will be on the line against one of the toughest individuals to ever step foot in the octagon. Outstanding fights from top to bottom. Be sure to catch all the action this Saturday and to watch my reaction and thoughts on the card immediately following the action on the Main Event Sports Show Youtube page or our Facebook page.