The UFC is back in action tomorrow with UFC Vegas 27, as former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt takes on rising contender Rob Font in a main event that deserves way more promotion and attention that it has gotten during the week. The co-main event will also be one fans need to keep an eye on as Carla Esparza takes on Yan Xiaonan in what should be a title eliminator in the strawweight division.
Full weigh-in results
Main card (7p.m. EST)
Cody Garbrandt (135.5) vs Rob Font (136)
Carla Esparza (116) vs Yan Xiaonan (116)
Justin Tafa (265.5) vs Jared Vanderaa (264)
Felicia Spencer (145) vs Norma Dumont (146)
David Dvorak (126) vs Juancamilo Ronderos (128.5)*
Jack Hermansson (186) vs Edmen Shahbazyan (185)
Prelim card (4p.m. EST)
Bill Algeo (145.5) vs Ricardo Ramos (146)
Ben Rothwell (265.5) vs Chris Barnett (263)
Court McGee (170.5) vs Claudio Silva (169.5)
Victor Rodriguez (125.5) vs Bruno Silva (125.5)
Josh Culibao (146) vs Yilan Sha (146)
Damir Hadzovic (156) vs Yancy Medeiros (155)
Rafael Alves (154.5) vs Damir Ismagulov (155.5)
Last-minute fight change:
MMA Fighting was first to report that following weight-cut complications that sent him to the hospital multiple times, Raulian Paiva was pulled from his fight at UFC Vegas 27 against David Dvorak. With just a few hours to spare, the UFC found a last-minute replacement in Juancamilo Ronderos who weighed in at 128.5 pounds, but the fight will remain on.
Three questions to be answered at UFC Vegas 27:
What version of Cody Garbrandt will we see? After taking time off due to injuries and other reasons, Cody Garbrandt returned to action after a year-long layoff and with a new coach in his corner, Mark Henry, “No Love” delivered a spectacular highlight-reel knockout punch against Raphael Assuncao. That performance not only stopped his three-fight losing streak, but it brought back flashbacks of the old Garbrandt who devastated opponents with his power on his way to the top.
If that version of Garbrandt is back on Saturday, he could make a big statement in the title contention of the bantamweight division. However, if Garbrandt is not who we saw in his last fight, it might be the perfect opportunity for Rob Font to seize the moment and take his spot atop the division.
Will the winner of the co-main event be the next strawweight title challenger?
Former champion Carla Esparza may have an opportunity to compete for gold once again, but first, she’ll have to get through Yan Xiaonan in the co-main event. Esparza comes into the bout with a four-fight winning streak to her name but Xiaonan will be one of the toughest challenges of her career. Xiaonan is 13-1 in her professional career and undefeated since joining the UFC. Already have beaten names such as Angela Hill, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, and Claudia Gadelha, Xiaonan can add a former champion to her resume.
It would be hard to deny either woman a title shot opportunity after a win this weekend, but with the former champion Weili Zhang still in the mix as well as Joanna Jedrzejczyk, it might take a very impressive performance for the winner of Xiaonan-Esparza to be considered next for a title fight against Rose Namajunas.
Will women’s featherweight stay alive?
The UFC put out a great piece on fighters you should know leading into tomorrow night’s action, but two fighters could be fighting to save their division. Former title challenger Felicia Spencer will take on Norma Dumont in a women’s featherweight clash, with very little competition around them. Champion Amanda Nunes has both the bantamweight and featherweight belts, but she also already owns a victory over Spencer, so where does featherweight go from here? It will be interesting to see if any result from this contest could possibly keep the division alive, especially with Nunes reigning above all.
How to watch UFC Vegas 27
UFC Vegas 27 goes down exclusively on ESPN+ on Saturday, May 22, from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The prelim card will begin at 4pm EST, while the main card begins at 7pm EST.
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