Shamil Gaziev has done everything right thus far. Yet doubts still linger.
The Gaziev-Rozenstruik showdown and its resulting fallout for the heavyweight division is but one storyline to watch at UFC Fight Night 238. Here are three more:
Litmus Test
Vitor Petrino has the look of a future contender lying in wait. The unbeaten CM System export will attempt to take the next step in his development when he does battle with Tyson Pedro in the light heavyweight co-main event. Petrino last suited up on Nov. 4, when he punched out former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Modestas Bukauskas in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 231 encounter to improve to 10-0 as a pro. He has secured eight of his 10 career victories by knockout or technical knockout, four of them inside one round. Pedro, meanwhile, has yet to fulfill the great expectations that were foisted upon him following back-to-back first-round finishes of Khalil Rountree and Paul Craig in November 2016 and March 2017. Though losses to Bukauskas, Ilir Latifi, Ovince St. Preux and Mauricio Rua interrupted his rise at various stops along the way, the Aussie still shows signs of development at the age of 32. Can Petrino clear his latest hurdle at 205 pounds and further establish himself as a person of interest moving forward?
An Irresistible Force
It seems as though only time and opportunity stand between Muhammad Mokaev and an eventual shot at the undisputed flyweight championship. A true blue-chip prospect who has matched the considerable hype surrounding him with virtually flawless performances inside the cage, the 23-year-old KHK MMA Team product will turn his attention to onetime Tachi Palace Fights champion Alex Perez in a three-round showcase at 125 pounds. Mokaev sports an 11-0 record with eight finishes. He last competed at UFC 294, where he subdued “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 24 winner and ex-Titan Fighting Championship titleholder Tim Elliott with a third-round arm-triangle choke on Oct. 21. On the other side of the docket, Perez enters the cage reeling from back-to-back losses to Deiveson Figueiredo and Alexandre Pantoja. Nevertheless, past victories over Jussier Formiga, Jordan Espinosa, Mark De La Rosa, Jose Torres, Eric Shelton and Carls John de Thomas have made the Team Oyama mainstay a fixture in the flyweight Top 10. Will Mokaev continue what feels like an inevitable climb to title contention by victimizing another high-level martial artist in the 125-pound weight class?
Fly High
No one knows what to make of Steve Erceg quite yet. The once-beaten Aussie will put his 10-fight winning streak on the line when he confronts onetime Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder Matt Schnell in a three-round flyweight attraction that should shed some light on where both men stand at 125 pounds. Erceg, 28, made a successful Octagon debut in June with a unanimous decision over David Dvorak at UFC 289, then outpointed Alessandro Costa to a unanimous verdict at UFC 295 on Nov. 11. The former Eternal MMA champion holds the rank of black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, with those skills having resulted in six submission victories—all via choke—on the Australian regional scene. Schnell, meanwhile, has enjoyed something of a rollercoaster ride in the UFC, and losses to Brandon Royval, Matheus Nicolau and the aforementioned Pantoja have all but established a hard ceiling for the 34-year-old Fortis MMA standout. Does Erceg have what it takes to leapfrog Schnell into the flyweight Top 10?