5 fighters to watch at UFC 277
UFC 277 is fast approaching, bringing with it two title fights and a wealth of talent up and down the card. The main event of the card will see Julianna Peña defend her bantamweight title in a rematch with Amanda Nunes, while the co-main event will result in either Brandon Moreno or Kai Kara-France being named the interim flyweight title.
#UFC277Julianna Pena's daughter had her back for the faceoff ❤️ #UFC277 https://t.co/Pc76ymoZa8
The top of the card is stacked, but there are plenty of other names to look for earlier in the night. From up-and-coming prospects to fighters in make-or-break situations, there are several high stakes match-ups for fans to look forward to.
Here are five fighters to keep an eye on at UFC 277:
#5. 'Blood Diamond' Mike Mathetha - UFC welterweight
Mike Mathetha is very much a new face on the UFC roster, having made his promotional debut earlier this year. There was plenty of hype surrounding Mathetha prior to his debut, and many expected the fighter, who is teammates with Israel Adesanya, to come in and have similar success in the octagon.
Things did not exactly go to plan, as 'Blood Diamond' suffered the first loss of his professional MMA career via first-round submission against Jeremiah Wells. The result cooled a lot of the excitement surrounding him and puts him in a very interesting position heading into his second bout inside the octagon.
#UFC277 official weigh-in result:
Blood Diamond 169.5
Full results: bit.ly/UFC277weighin https://t.co/gRelFgr0CG
At UFC 277, he will face 7-1 contender Orion Cosce, who also lost in his first bout for the promotion. Cosce earned his contract via Dana White's Contender Series, so he is a little more proven than his opponent. This is a huge fight for 'Blood Diamond' — a loss would likely eliminate the possibility that he achieves the same success as his teammate, Adesanya.