This yr’s version of Dana White’s Contender Sequence is nearing its finish as we’ve reached week 9. Tuesday’s card packs a ton of worldwide taste, highlighted by Brazil’s Jansey Silva dealing with Russia’s Gadzhi Omargadzhiev within the headliner.
Along with the primary occasion, week 9 options bantamweights Christian Quinonez and Lengthy Xiao dealing with each other. Unbeaten prospects Javid Basharat and Oron Kahlon will settle their variations, however earlier than that ladies’s flyweights, Qihui Yan and Karine Silva are set to sq. off. Within the evening’s sleeper bout, Manuel Torres takes on Kolton Englund at light-weight, and kicking issues off will probably be a featherweight matchup between Olivier Murad and Bin Xie.
Dana White’s Contender Sequence Preview
Jansey Silva (7-1) vs Gadzhi Omargadzhiev (12-0)
Silva enters as the most important betting underdog on the cardboard as he makes an attempt to be the primary man able to defeating Omargadzhiev.
The 26-year-old from Brazil trains at Tata Struggle Staff in Rio de Janeiro, the place he’s labored alongside middleweight contender Thiago Santos. Silva is at the moment using a three-fight profitable streak, most lately scoring an opening-round TKO by way of knee final March. He possesses a great body for the division, standing six-foot-two with a 79″ attain.
Omargadzhiev hails from Russia and is regarded as one of many brightest prospects at the moment coming from the area. The 28-year-old has scorched his approach by means of the regional scene, profitable all however two of his fights by end. Omargadzhiev travelled to Paris, France previous to this upcoming with a purpose to prepare at a number of of their prime gyms.
Proper off the bat, Silva ought to have a slight edge on the bottom whereas Omargadzhiev ought to have a definite benefit within the stand-up. One other factor that’s notable is the very fact Silva has by no means crushed somebody who didn’t both have a shedding file or was making their professional debut. In the meantime, Omargadzhiev’s final win got here towards fellow unbeaten top-prospect Vladimir Vasilyev. The Russian-born fighter ought to be capable to pose enough grappling protection to maintain this combat the place he desires it.
Prediction: Gadzhi Omargadzhiev by stoppage
Christian Quinonez (15-3) vs Lengthy Xiao (16-6)
The co-main occasion sees a pair of bantamweights who each turned professional upon turning 18-years-old, creating an skilled tandem regardless of their ages.
Mexico’s Quinonez trains at Entram Jiu-Jitsu MMA in Tijuana. The 25-year-old has some high quality wins underneath his belt, together with 11 finishes, however he fell sufferer to finishes in every of his three defeats. Quinonez is thought for being a really well-rounded blended martial artist.
China’s Xiao is barely 23-years-old, regardless of already having 22 professional bouts to his title. After starting his profession simply 4-6, Xiao has reeled off 12 consecutive wins, all underneath the Wu LinFeng banner. He obtained this chance after tallying back-to-back finishes earlier this yr.
Quinonez enters because the second largest betting favourite on the cardboard, however that’s largely bought to do with the dearth of footage for his opponent. Quinonez tends to get hit pretty simply, however he has a great chin and is keen to eat pictures so he can execute his recreation plan. He’s very happy to make it a dirty combat, and it stays to be seen how Xiao responds to that.
Prediction: Christian Quinonez by choice
Javid Basharat (10-0) vs Oron Kahlon (16-0)
This season’s fifth pairing of unbeaten fighters comes at a catchweight (Kahlon missed weight) within the type of Javid Basharat versus Oron Kahlon.
Born in Afghanistan, Basharat fights out of the Legacy Match health club in the UK. All 10 of his victories have come by means of end, with seven occurring within the very first spherical. The 26-year-old is a really various striker and he tends to assault D’Arce chokes as soon as the combat hits the mat.
Israel’s Kahlon additionally enters this bout with a one hundred pc end charge, with a strong mixture of knockouts and submissions to his title. The 36-year-old has completed all however two of his fights in underneath 5 minutes. Notably, he’s solely averaged one combat per yr since turning professional in 2005, however he’s fought 12 instances since 2016.
One factor you’ll discover instantly from Basharat is that he holds his arms low, however he owns crisp footwork and head motion to assist him in evading clear pictures. Whereas, Kahlon retains a excessive guard to suppress injury whereas he seems to be to seize ahold of his opponents. Issues bought very heated on the weigh-ins so these boys would possibly get after it instantly.
Prediction: Javid Basharat by stoppage
Qihui Yan (11-3) vs Karine Silva (13-4)
Ladies’s flyweights sq. off as China’s Yan faces Brazil’s Silva in what needs to be a back-and-forth grappling contest for so long as it lasts.
Yan has completed 9 of her 11 professional bouts and he or she’s at the moment using a three-fight profitable streak. The 25-year-old possesses strong kicks however isn’t an enormous menace along with her arms. Most of her success comes along with her wrestling, particularly when she’s in a position to acquire prime place.
Silva is an affiliate of Gile Ribeiro Staff in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil. The 27-year-old is on a four-fight first-round end streak after dropping back-to-back bouts prior. Like Yan, Silva isn’t a serious menace along with her stand-up. It’s her offensive submission recreation that instills concern in her opponents.
Silva is a bantamweight who’s dropping down a weight class for this combat, making her the larger athlete. As most anticipate this to be a grappling-heavy affair, Silva’s dimension benefit ought to give her a giant edge in that side. Yan has by no means been submitted, however she has been inclined prior to now of some ground-and-pound.
Prediction: Karine Silva by choice
Manuel Torres (11-2) vs Kolton Englund (9-3)
Mexico’s Manuel Torres takes on Texas’s Kolton Englund in a light-weight bout.
Torres has gotten work at Entram Jiu-Jitsu MMA alongside the aforementioned Quinonez. Of his 11 victories, Torres has completed six by submission and 4 by knockout. The 26-year-old will probably be preventing stateside for the primary time in his profession when he steps into the octagon Tuesday.
Englund trains at Metro Struggle Membership in Houston, Texas and he’s already picked up three wins this yr. The 28-year-old has fought a number of instances for LFA in addition to Fury FC the place he grew to become champion in 2017. Englund owns a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
With the tape that’s on the market, it’s exhausting to pinpoint the place Torres will look to take this combat. It appears as if Englund can have the sting on the ft and he’s proven the power to maintain a great fuel tank, however Torres is a wild card. Moreover, I peg him because the fighter with the upper ceiling, nevertheless it stays to be seen.
Prediction: Kolton Englund by choice
Olivier Murad (5-0) vs Bin Xie (8-2)
Haitian-American Olivier Murad takes on ONE Championship veteran Bin Xie in a featherweight scrap.
Murad has solely been professional since 2018, however he’s been fairly spectacular. He gained his first 4 fights by way of end earlier than going the gap along with his hardest opponent to this point in his earlier outing. The 27-year-old trains at a health club known as Freedom Fighters positioned in Miami, Florida. Murad has proven prior to now to be a really quick starter so be careful for that.
Xie has fought all 10 of his professional fights underneath the banner of ONE Championship. After starting his profession simply 1-2, Xie has gained eight in a row, which incorporates three D’Arce choke submissions. The 23-year-old trains at K1-Membership MMA and Tianjin High Staff in his native nation.
Xie is among the finest prospects out of China to look on the Contender Sequence. He has excellent grappling and strong wrestling, coinciding with a reasonably efficient proper hand. In the meantime, Murad remains to be rising as a fighter, he’s strong in every single place, however not nice wherever. He might be hit on the ft and he might be managed on the bottom by a grappler like Xie.
Prediction: Bin Xie by stoppage
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