Fight By Fight Preview | UFC 284: Makhachev vs Volkanovski

Hometown boy Jack Della Maddalena faces off with Randy Brown in a compelling matchup between welterweights seeking to break into the Top 15.

A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) Class of ’21, Della Maddalena posted three first-round finishes in his 2022 rookie campaign, stopping Pete Rodriguez in January, Ramazan Emeev in June, and Danny Roberts in November. The 26-year-old from Perth lost the first two fights of his career, but has won each of his last 13 fights, establishing himself as one of the most intriguing newcomers on the roster.

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While the Australian is only a year into his UFC run, Brown is now in year eight, owning a 10-4 record inside the Octagon and carrying a four-fight winning streak with him into Saturday night. He’s developed into a long-range fighter that utilizes his speed and diverse striking acumen, frustrating opponents with kicks to the midsection, sharp jabs, and overall sound technical skills.

Both guys are looking to take another step forward in their progression up the welterweight ladder, and a big performance from either should aid them in those pursuits. A place in the rankings may not follow this one, but a matchup against someone with a number next to their name just may.

Justin Tafa vs Parker Porter

Justin Tafa and Parker Porter meet in a main card heavyweight battle between fighters looking to make meaningful headway in 2023.

Tafa last fought on the final card of 2021, missing weight before knocking out Harry Hunsucker to snap a two-fight skid. He withdrew from a pair of contests last year, comes from a fighting family, and has devastating power, but has struggled to achieve consistent results through his first five Octagon appearances.

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Porter carried a three-fight winning streak into his second appearance of 2022 but ran into Brazilian freight train Jailton Almeida. The Connecticut native is a burly, durable heavyweight with more than twice as much experience as Tafa, and it will be interesting to see how that factors into things on Saturday.

Jimmy Crute vs Alonzo Menifield

The main card also features a light heavyweight matchup between DWCS alums Jimmy Crute and Alonzo Menifield that is guaranteed to be exciting.

The 26-year-old Crute went 4-1 over his first five UFC appearances after earning a contract in the summer of 2018, earning stoppages in all four outings and bonuses in his last two triumphs. Since then, Crute has gone 0-2, suffering stoppage losses to former title challenger Anthony Smith and new champ Jamahal Hill, and missed all of 2022 recovering from a major knee injury.

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Menifield has gone 6-3 in nine starts since earning a contract on the first episode of Season 2 of the annual talent search competition. The explosive powerhouse has gone 4-1 over his last five fights, earning a pair of first-round stoppage wins in 2022 to once again emerge as an intriguing finisher in the light heavyweight ranks.

Neither of these two men is particularly fond of letting the judges have a say in their fights, with just six decisions between them over a combined 31 fights. This should be an all-action affair from the outset and is going to come down to who is able to dictate the terms of engagement on Saturday night.

Prelim Fights

Tyson Pedro vs Modestas Bukauskas

Josh Culibao and Melsik Baghdasaryan face off in a meeting of streaking featherweights aiming to garner greater recognition and a more high-profile assignment next time out.

After losing his promotional debut to Jalin Turner up a division in early 2020, Culibao has gone 2-0-1, battling Charles Jourdain to a draw before garnering decision wins over Shayilan Nuerdanbieke and SeungWoo Choi. The 28-year-old from Sydney is 10-1-1 overall and can transform himself into a fighter to watch going forward with a win over Baghdasaryan at UFC 284.

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“The Gun” has been limited to just two appearances since garnering a contract with a win over Dennis Buzukja in the fall of 2020. He’s collected victories each time out, stopping Collin Anglin before earning a unanimous decision triumph over Bruno Souza at UFC 268, but he was forced out of a pair of bouts last year and will need to shake off any accumulated rust in order to get by Culibao on Saturday.

Will the Australian continue to string together strong performances and climbing the ladder or will Baghdasaryan halt his ascent and collect a third straight victory of his own?

Shannon Ross vs. Kleydson Rodrigues

Shannon Ross and Kleydson Rodrigues meet in a battle of Contender Series alums hoping to start 2023 with a victory.

Ross suffered a second-round stoppage loss to Vinicius Salvador last year at the UFC APEX but was awarded a contract after the event when it was discovered he fought while battling appendicitis. The 33-year-old from Queensland is 13-6 overall, but had won five of his previous six prior to last year’s trip to Las Vegas, which makes him an interesting addition to the 125-pound ranks and Saturday’s fight card.

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A member of the Class of ’21, Rodrigues landed on the wrong side of a split decision verdict in his promotional debut at UFC 274, losing to fellow DWCS grad CJ Vergara. He was scheduled to face Salvador at the end of October before the lanky Brazilian withdrew, only for Rodrigues to then be forced out of a short-notice pairing with Cody Durden for undisclosed reasons.

The flyweight division continues to add depth and talent, and these two are part of those recent additions. How far they can climb is yet to be determined, with Saturday’s contest serving as a chance to take a first step forward.

Jamie Mullarkey vs. Francisco Prado

Contender Series grad Jack Jenkins makes his first official trip into the Octagon this weekend, facing off with Don Shainis.

The Eternal MMA featherweight champion collected a third-round stoppage win over Freddy Linares in September to earn a place on the UFC roster, extending his winning streak to seven in the process. While there will be comparisons to Della Maddalena, Jenkins is a couple years older than his countryman, though that’s not to say he can’t develop into a notable name over the next few years.

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Shainis got called up last October and thrown into the deep end, dropped into a matchup with Sodiq Yusuff that ended in 30 seconds. This weekend, he gets the opportunity to compete with a full camp behind him and against an opponent of similar experience and standing in the promotion at the moment, so this fight should provide a greater representation of where he fits in the 145-pound ranks at the moment.

Will Jenkins garner a victory at home in his maiden voyage into the UFC cage or can Shainis hand the Australian his first loss in nearly five years while grabbing a win for himself?

Loma Lookboonmee vs. Elise Reed

Loma Lookboonmee and Elise Reed clash in this bout between strawweights that have struggled to find consistency thus far in their respective UFC careers.

The first fighter from Thailand to compete in the Octagon, Lookboonmee has gone 4-2 in six appearances, losing to more experienced foes Angela Hill and Loopy Godinez. She rebounded from her loss to Godinez with a unanimous decision win over Denise Gomes in September, and continues to display clear improvements and development each time out.

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Reed has alternated losses and wins over her first four trips into the UFC cage, going 2-1 in a trio of strawweight bouts after a debut loss at flyweight. Last time out, the former CFFC champ defeated Melissa Martinez, pushing her record to 6-2, which includes wins over fellow UFC competitor Jasmine Jasudavicius and current Invicta FC champ Jillian DeCoursey.

Saturday's contest should be a good indicator of where each of these two are at in their development, as well as what to expect from them over the next year. There have been positive flashes amidst the inconsistent results, and if those moments become more frequent, either or both could make meaningful headway up the ranks.

Shane Young vs. Blake Bilder

New Zealand’s Shane Young looks to get things moving in the right direction, while Blake Bilder aims to make a positive first impression in his promotional debut in this compelling featherweight clash.

Young dropped his UFC debut to Volkanovski all the way back in 2017 before claiming a pair of wins over Rolando Dy and Austin Arnett. Since then, he’s suffered back-to-back losses to Ludovit Klein and Omar Morales, and returns this weekend for the first time in nearly two full years.

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Unbeaten in eight career starts, Bilder collected an impressive first-round stoppage win over Canadian Alex Morgan on the Contender Series last fall to land on the UFC roster. While he faced limited competition early in his career, the 32-year-old newcomer has posted good wins over veteran competitors over his last three outings, and is an intriguing addition to the featherweight class.

Young is an aggressive, attacking fighter when at his best, brandishing good power and a clear edge in experience. It will be interesting to see if he can use those things to his advantage on Saturday as he welcomes Bilder to the Octagon for the first time, or if the debutant will take to competing on the big stage like a duck takes to water.

Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Elves Brener

In the opening bout of the evening, veteran Zubaira Tukhugov faces off with Brazilian newcomer Elves Brener.

The 32-year-old Tukhugov has been an enigma for the entirety of his UFC career, showing flashes of brilliance, but also struggling to compete with regularity at times. He looked outstanding garnering a unanimous decision win over Ricardo Ramos last time out, but that fight took place at UFC 267, with Tukhugov being forced out of a pair of bouts in 2022, which plays right into his frustrating pattern.

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Brener steps in for Joel Alvarez, who was forced to withdraw from the bout. The 25-year-old is another member of the Chute Boxe Diego Lima team that includes Charles Oliveira, and he touches down in Australia with a 13-3 record and riding a tidy two-fight winning streak. This is a gnarly assignment for a young newcomer, but also a chance for Brener to make a lasting first impression, even in a losing effort.

The first of only three pairings on the card that doesn’t include a fighter from the Oceanic region, this one should set the tone for an entertaining and exciting night of action inside the Octagon at UFC 284.

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