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Tune in to this Saturday’s most anticipated fights for both feather and welterweights before leading into the main event of Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze at UFC Fight Night 254. There’s a lot at stake here for several fighters in the early stages of their career, but it all comes down to grit and mental fortitude. We’ve got expert predictions and analysis of the top three fights coming.
A top main card featherweight bout kicks off with South Korean Seungwoo Choi taking on Argentine challenger Kevin Vallejos. Choi boasts an 11-7 record with 55% of his wins coming by KO/TKO compared to Vellejos with 71%, although Vallejos posts up a 1-1-0 record as a relatively new fighter.
Vallejos has Choi beat in total punches landed per minute with 6.85, 51% of those being significant strikes. While Vallejos also posts a higher defense rate of 55% against his opponents. Choi is 6’0″ with a 74.5” reach, compared to Vallejos’ 5’7″ height a with 68″ reach. Vallejos’ record doesn’t show too much about him except that he likes to strike, so without much else in his locker, Choi and his reach advantage could prove fatal for the Argentine.
In another main-card fight between welterweights, American Chidi Njokuani takes on the Brazilian Elizeu Zeleski Dos Santos. Njokuani (24-10) and Dos Santos (25-8-1) boast similar winning records with the same number of fights under their belts while both coming off a win. Njokuani has a 58% win rate by KO/TKO compared to Dos Santos’ 60%, and while their stats are extremely close in record terms, Njokuani has 22% more significant strikes landed in his fights.
Both fighters pose an even 56% defense rate, although Dos Santos has shown his ability to absorb more punches than his opponent with 3.41 per minute. Neither fighter likes to go for takedowns, so it will mostly be a striking match, where the American’s 4″ height advantage could make the difference. Njokuani also has a seven-inch advantage in terms of reach, so unless Dos Santos has a plan for getting inside Njokuani’s standing defense or taking him down, the American should secure the victory.
The main event of UFC Fight Night 254 will be a middleweight bout between #8 Marvin Vettori from Italy and #12 Roman Dolidze from Georgia as a rematch following Vettori’s unanimous decision victory the last time the two met in 2023. Vettori is coming fresh off a loss in his last fight while still holding a 19-7-1 record. His opponent, Dolidze, posts a 14-3 record with a victory in his last bout. The main difference between the two is that Vettori likes to win by submission, with 50% of his fights ending in that manner, while 57% of Dolidze’s wins have come by KO/TKO.
The Georgian stands just two inches taller than his Italian opponent, with a slight arm reach advantage of two inches as well. Considering how Vettori likes to win by a takedown and has a 69% takedown defense rate himself, it’s likely that Dolidze will take the fight to him standing with strikes. A big factor in this fight will be who gets taken down to the canvas first, because if Vettori is the one to take down Dolidze, this fight could be over early. If he fails to do so, Dolidze may fire off some impactful shots, although the Italian usually showcases a bolstered defense.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.