The final Ultimate Fighting Championship card of a busy February, UFC on Fox 28 in Orlando looks to end the month in style with an exciting night of fights out of the Amway Center.
Here are five reasons you should tune into the prelim fights in Orlando:
1. Women’s Action.
The UFC on Fox 28 prelims feature plenty of action in two women’s divisions this weekend. In strawweight action, Angela Hill takes on Maryna Moroz in a fight between two women looking to get back to winning ways after a loss in their previous appearance. In bantamweight action, McMann will take on Marion Reneau. Both fights present opportunities for all four to climb up the rankings with an impressive win over a quality opponent and will serve as highlights on the prelim card.
2. Upstart Kelleher vs. aging Barao.
Brian Kelleher has enjoyed significant success in his first three Octagon appearances, scoring two wins and two performance bonuses in his debut year. Fresh off a “Fight of the Night” win against Damian Stasiak at UFC Fight Night 118, Kelleher will face his toughest test to date in the prelim headliner against Barao. Up against a former UFC champion who has fought many of the best bantamweights and featherweights in the world, Kelleher will either sink or swim against the experience of his opponent, which makes for a highly interesting fight between a fighter on the rise and a cagey veteran who knows what it takes to grind out a W.
3. Alvey’s UFC light heavyweight debut.
One of the UFC’s most active fighters and a poor man’s “Cowboy” Cerrone, it is no shock Sam Alvey is back in the Octagon early into 2018. He will headline the UFC Fight Pass prelims against Marcin Prachnio and will be taking on a new challenge in the light heavyweight division. After relative success at welterweight, the prospect of Alvey moving up a weight class makes his clash with Prachnio worth tuning into the FP prelims prior to the main prelims on Fox. At 31, Alvey could still find a way to become relevant in the weakened 205-pound division.
4. Jouban’s attempt to right the ship.
After enjoying a lengthy career of moderate success in the UFC, things went south for welterweight Alan Jouban in 2017. He lost both of his fights last year and at the age of 36, appears to be on his way out if he fails to defeat Ben Saunders in the opener to the Fox prelims. Up against a fellow veteran in the 34-year-old Saunders, who is also coming off of a TKO loss at UFC Fight Night 109 to Peter Sobotta, this fight certainly shapes up as a potential “loser leaves town” match for two welterweight vets.
5. McMann is always worth the price of admission.
One of the first notable names in women’s mixed martial arts and a headliner of UFC 170 against Ronda Rousey, McMann is still one of the top veterans at bantamweight. The former Olympic wrestler is one of the sport’s pioneers and her appearance this weekend against Reneau demands attention. McMann has struggled to defeat top names in her career, but she is still a fighter who deserves respect -- and eyeballs -- whenever she steps into the Octagon.