UFC fighters who began their careers late Brock Lesnar – Heavyweight. Before smashing his way into the MMA world, big bad Brock Lesnar was a fulltime professional. Yoel Romero – Middleweight. The Cuban born former World and Olympic freestyle wrestler. Rankings were generated by a voting panel made up of media members. The media members were asked to vote for who they feel are the top fighters in the UFC by weight-class and pound-for-pound.
UFC 258 is just five days away, but the promotion has added another fight to the lineup.
Andre Ewell and Chris Gutierrez will square off at the event Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The fight will take place at a 140-pound catchweight.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after
Ufc Fighters Who Started Late
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
Bobby Green vs. Jim MillerAnthony Hernandez vs. Rodolfo VieiraDhiego Lima vs. Belal MuhammadMallory Martin vs. Polyana VianaPRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)
Brian Kelleher vs. Ricky SimonGabe Green vs. Phil RoweMiranda Maverick vs. Gillian RobertsonAndre Ewell vs. Chris GutierrezWith another night of action in the rearview mirror at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, it's time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard's shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 258‘s key winning and losing fighters outside the main event.
Alexa Grasso
Katlyn Chookagian
Should fight: Katlyn Chookagian
Why they should fight: The top of the women's flyweight division got a little more interesting with Alexa Grasso putting on arguably the best performance of her UFC career to beat Maycee Barber in the co-main event.
With Valentina Shevchenko reigning atop the 125-pound mountain, most write it off as a largely hopeless division. That might be the reality, but there are some important fights coming up that will shape the title picture, and Grasso (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) has inserted herself nicely into the mix.
With Shevchenko expected to fight Jessica Andrade next, then top contenders Laure Murphy and Joanne Calderwood angling to scrap, the highest ranked player available is Chookagian (15-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC). And conveniently enough for Grasso, 'Blonde Fighter' is actually campaigning for the matchup.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46525968/usa-today-8353656.0.jpg "Late")
It's a layup if there ever was one in terms of matchmaking, and if Grasso wins, she's a legit title contender.
Maycee Barber
Diana Belbita
Should fight: Diana Belbita
Why they should fight: It's not time to hit the panic button on Maycee Barber just yet, but it is important to proceed with caution after she went from undefeated to on a two-fight losing skid in less than 13 months.
Barber (8-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) was by no means outclassed by Grasso in their matchup, and she really started to come on late in the fight. Perhaps that can be chalked to some rust following a long layoff and serious knee surgery, or maybe she was just inferior to Grasso on the night regardless.
No matter how you slice it, though, Barber's on a two-fight skid. Unless the UFC wants to give up on the 22-year-old for some unknown reason, it's important not to let that slide in outcomes go any further. That doesn't mean give her a freebie, but a rather favorable matchup would be wise.
Belbita (11-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has twice the professional experience of Barber despite being just two years older. Putting her in a fight with Barber where she'd likely be a massive underdog wouldn't be doing any favors after a rough start in the UFC, but that's how the game works sometimes.
Kelvin Gastelum
Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Ufc Fighters Who Started Training Late
Should fight: As a replacement
Why they should fight: So, here's the deal with Kelvin Gastelum after his much-needed win over Ian Heinisch that snapped his three-fight losing skid: He's in kind of a weird spot.
The UFC middleweight division is ridiculously locked up at the moment with notable fights that are going to forge the future of the division until Israel Adesanya's future gets a little more clarity based on the outcome of his UFC 259 title fight with Jan Blachowicz in March.
In the meantime, upcoming fights include Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa, Darren Till vs. Marvin Vettori, Derek Brunson vs. Kevin Holland and Uriah Hall vs. Chris Weidman. We all hope those fights go down as planned, but in the COVID-19 era, nothing is certain.
Gastelum (16-6 MMA,11-6 UFC) expressed post-fight that he'll be on standby in case something happens to Whittaker or Costa for their fight, but he should really be ready for any opportunity that may surface. In the current chaotic climate, it would be in his favor to stay ready and keep his phone on.
Belal Muhammad
Li Jingliang
Should fight: Li Jingliang
Why they should fight: As soon as he was presented an opportunity to make a post-fight callout after beating Dhiego Lima by unanimous decision, Belal Muhammad took advantage by pointing his finger at a ranked welterweight.
Muhammad (18-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) said he wants a piece of Jingliang (18-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC), and that seems nothing short of perfect at this point. Allow him to explain exactly why (via Twitter):
Can you complain? Because I can't.
