UFC 276 is the best card of the year thus far and it’s not close.
A dozen fights, top-to-bottom, where almost all of them carry importance in one way, shape, or form. Obviously, the championship bouts determine who sits atop the throne in the middleweight and featherweight divisions, respectively, but most of what comes before those ultra-competitive, ultra-compelling matchups also carries either some amount of divisional significance or provides a meaningful test for an emerging talent.
You know it’s a great card and must-see theater when the hardest of hardcore fans are counting down the hours until things pop off inside the Octagon, so get yourself familiarized with some of the key names to know and matchups that make UFC 276 a can’t-miss card on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
In the inimitable words of UFC broadcaster Jon Anik, “One More Sleep. Let’s Go!”
FIGHTER TO WATCH: ANDRE MUNIZ
Saturday’s card features a number of important contests in the middleweight division, and Muniz’ clash with Uriah Hall is one
The 32-year-old Brazilian enters with a 4-0 record in the UFC, a 22-4 record overall, and riding an eight-fight winning streak. He feels like the evolutionary successor to Demian Maia — a more athletic, more rounded version of the grappling ace who challenged for titles in two divisions with seven years of success between those two shots.
Muniz has won three straight by armbar, including snapping the arm of legend Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza last May, and like Maia, is the type of grappler where his simply getting ahold of you means you’re in danger.
Hall is a seasoned veteran and an explosive striker who will look to use his speed, power, and movement to keep Muniz at bay and force him to fight on the feet, but if the Brazilian gets inside, gets this to the canvas, and gets another win, he will elevate himself into the Top 10 and set himself up for an even greater test in the second half of the year.
FIGHTER TO WATCH: IAN GARRY
On paper and in the early returns, Garry is a world-class prospect — a telegenic 24-year-old Irishman with a 9-0 record that includes top-end success against good competition under the Cage Warriors banner (the UK’s top promotion) and a pair of solid victories since migrating to the UFC.
He trains with a great team, has the body to be a real threat in the welterweight division, and is taking the right approach to things by preaching and practicing patience, rather than trying to hustle his way up the divisional ladder quicker than he should. All that’s left is to continue taking those incremental steps forward to keep seeing where his limits — if there are any — reside at the moment.
Garry takes on Gabriel Green in one of those matchups where if he’s as good as advertised, he’ll blow the American out of the water and look good doing it, but if there is still considerable work to be done, things will be much closer.
The Next Conor McGregor he is not — no one will be, just like there was never going to be “The Next Jordan” — but he’s an extremely talented kid with a world of upside and a tremendous opportunity to take another step forward this weekend in Las Vegas.
FIGHTER TO WATCH: SEAN O’MALLEY
The flamboyant bantamweight with the neon mop of hair and swagger for days is basically Garry, but three years further along in his UFC journey.
A breakout name from the first season of Dana White’s Contender Series, O’Malley became an instant fan favorite with his brash style in and out of the Octagon, where he’s blazed up with Snoop, showed up uninvited to Open Workouts ahead of pay-per-view events, and put up seven victories in eight starts, with the last five coming by way of stoppage.
Aside from one hiccup, “Suga” has looked outstanding while working his way up the divisional ladder rung-by-rung, taking fights that fit his pay grade, collecting Performance of the Night bonuses, and leaving everyone wanting to see him tested against a tenured veteran in the 135-pound ranks.
He gets that test in the form of Pedro Munhoz, a 35-year-old Brazilian marauder with a granite chin, hands of stone, and a dangerous and opportunistic submission game in his back pocket as a “use in case of emergency” weapon. Munhoz has been in the Octagon with the best the division has to offer, holds stoppage victories over former champ Cody Garbrandt and Top 10 fixtures like Rob Font and Jimmie Rivera, and will not be the least bit fazed by O’Malley’s movement, power, or aura of awesomeness when he stands across from him tomorrow night on pay-per-view.
This is the kind of matchup O’Malley needs to win to validate his hype and really establish himself as a future contender in the talent-rich bantamweight division. Saturday night, we find out if “The Suga Show” is ready to move into prime time or not.
FIGHTER TO WATCH: ALEX PEREIRA
The last non-title fight of the evening is a middleweight pairing between Pereira, a former two-division kickboxing champion with just a couple UFC wins under his belt, and Sean Strickland, an intentionally off-putting misanthrope who also happens to be riding a six-fight winning streak and a perfect 20-0 while competing in the 185-pound weight class.
So why spotlight Pereira and not the surging Strickland?
He towering Brazilian earned a pair of victories over reigning middleweight champ Israel Adesanya during their kickboxing days, and has been very clear that he intends to beat him once more when they cross paths inside the Octagon. As good as Strickland has been over the last two years, this is a chance for the unranked, unproven-in-MMA striker to potentially topple a Top 5 opponent and punch his ticket to a grudge match with Adesanya, provided he retains his title in Saturday’s main event.
Strickland has all the tools to beat Pereira, usurp his championship opportunity, and foil the obvious blueprint the UFC is working from in the middleweight division, but the former kickboxing superstar is also a gigantic human being that can put you to sleep with one clean shot, so it’s going to be mighty interesting to see how this one shakes out on Saturday.
FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT: ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI VS. MAX HOLLOWAY III
Volkanovski is 2-0 against Holloway, having beaten him to claim the featherweight strap at UFC 245 and retained the belt with a razor-thin split decision win in the rematch seven months later at UFC 251 in the summer of 2020.
Each have fought and won twice since — Volkanovskidominating Brian Ortega before running through “The Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung Jung, earlier this year; Holloway posting back-to-back outstanding efforts against Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez — and now they meet for a third time on Saturday night: the champion looking to lay this rivalry to bed, and the challenger aiming to get a measure of revenge and perhaps set up a fourth encounter between the two.
This might be the best matchup the UFC could put together across any division at the moment, as Volkanovski and Holloway are undeniably the top two talents in the featherweight division and amongst the pound-for-pound best in the sport today. Their first two encounters were tense, competitive, technical, and riveting, and there is no reason to think the trilogy bout will be any different.
A case could be made for this fight being deserving of the main event spot this weekend, and there is a real possibility these two combine for a Fight of the Year contender this weekend.
MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT: ISRAEL ADESANYA VS. JARED CANNONIER
After facing familiar foes in each of his last two title defenses, Adesanya gets a fresh challenge in the form of Cannonier in the UFC 276 main event.
While he came up short in his bid to become a “Double Champ” in 2021, no one questions Adesanya’s dominance at middleweight, where he’s 22-0 and has successfully defended his title five times. He’s equal parts flashy and fundamentally sound, capable of making opponents look completely overmatched or digging deep in those rare moments where he’s found himself faced with someone rising to his level.
Cannonier began his career at heavyweight, had a stopover at light heavyweight, and has found himself and his best form since settling in at middleweight, where he’s gone 5-1 with four stoppage victories to establish himself as a legitimate contender.
His time fighting as a much bigger man is an intriguing X factor in this contest because he’s likely going to need to bully Adesanya and get in his face in order to have prolonged success this weekend, and the physicality that comes with being that size isn’t something you lose, even when you work your way down a couple divisions.
But this could be another instance where we see “The Last Stylebender” do something special, as it’s been a minute since he added to his highlight reel and following Volkanovski and Holloway might push him to show out a little more.
Will it be “And Still!” or “And New!” when the dust settles on Saturday night?
There’s only one way to find out…
