Lightweights
Rafa Garcia (13-3, 2-3 UFC) vs. Maheshate Hayisaer (9-1, 1-0 UFC)It will be interesting to see what Hayisaer can put together. The Chinese prospect was essentially a question mark heading into his 2021 Dana White’s Contender Series fight against Achilles Estremadura but looked good in a clear decision win. Hayisaer is still obviously raw and has some work to do defensively, but he had enough size, athleticism and power to hold together a disjointed game for 15 effective minutes. His proper UFC debut in June also showed just how dangerous the 23-year-old can be, as he faceplanted Steve Garcia in just 74 seconds with a sharp counter. He looks to follow up that performance with a win over another Garcia—no relation. Mexico’s Garcia was a successful regional fighter who looked set to slide out of the UFC after a rough start with the promotion, but he has looked solid in his last three fights. He managed to find a path to his wrestling in wins over Natan Levy and Jesse Ronson, and what looked like a rough matchup on paper against Drakkar Klose turned into a solid showing in a loss. Garcia does not have the package of skills that signals a huge move up the ladder, but he should be a perennially tough out and a rough test for Hayisaer here. Garcia fights with enough pressure that he could just walk into a Hayisaer knockout blow, but he has been historically durable and could control some large swaths of this fight with his wrestling. It is far from a lock, but this looks like a bit too much too soon for a talented prospect. The pick is Garcia via decision.
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Vlismas vs. McKenna
Matthews vs. Semelsberger
Marquez vs. Winn
Nurmagomedov vs. Kakhramonov
Garcia vs. Hayisaer
Fakhretdinov vs. Battle
Kape vs. Dvorak
Morozov vs. Newson