UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Stephens
The event will mark UFC’s third visit to Orlando, and first since Dos Anjos vs. Cerrone in December 2015 and will be broadcast Live and Exclusive on SONY ESPN SD & SONY ESPN HD on 25th February 2018 at 6:30 AM. UFC Fight Night Orlando is headlined by the featherweight bout between Josh Emmett and Jeremy Stephens.
FIGHT CARD
Weight Class
Featherweight
Josh Emmett vs. Jeremy Stephens
Women's Strawweight
Jéssica Andrade vs. Tecia Torress
Light Heavyweight
Ovince Saint Preux vs. Ilir Latifi
Welterweight
Mike Perry vs. Max Griffin
Main Card Bouts
Josh Emmett vs. Jeremy Stephens
Two of the hardest hitting fighters Josh Emmett and Jeremy Stephens will lock horns at 145 pounds in the main event in the Featherweight division on Sunday. Emmett will look to secure his third win in a row while Stephens will attempt to build on his last two victories over Gilbert Melendez and Dooho Choi.
Statistically, Stephens seems very similar to Emmett when it comes to the output from a volume and accuracy standpoint. Other than this, Stephens has had a great run against top-notch competition throughout his career as he has earned more than a few jaw-rattling knockouts and fought his way to some exciting decisions.
Andrade vs. Torres
Currently ranked second, Jessica Andrade looks to take one more step towards another title shot as she gears up to face off Tecia Torres in the women’s strawweight division. Tecia who is also eying a gold with a victory, scored first finish of her MMA career in 2017 and one of her three consecutive wins last year propelled her into a co-main event against fellow contender Andrade.
Four wins in Invicta FC including a trio of victories over Paige VanZant, Felice Herrig and future UFC champion Rose Namajunas, established Torres as a fighter to watch. Ranked fifth in the world, Tecia is 6-1 in the Octagon and is expected to be next in line for a crack at the 115-pound title.
With dominant wins over several top ranked straw weights, Andrade is a monster with huge power on the feet and on the ground. The last place anybody wants to be is with Andrade attacking her from the clinch or if she is on top on the ground as she does maximum damage with each and every strike she throws.
Andrade lands an incredible six significant strikes per minute with over 51 percent accuracy and she mixes in two and a half takedowns per fight with over 52 percent accuracy just to show how well rounded she can be.Torres is a great karate stylist with quick kicks, fast hands and great footwork and she will need all three to deal with Andrade in this fight.
Torres lands nearly five significant strikes per fight and her defence is outstanding as she avoids just over 70 percent of her opponent's offense on the feet.
Ovince Saint Preux vs. Ilir Latifi
Over the course of his 32-fight career in the last nine years, Saint Preux has competed throughout the United States and in various foreign ports of call. Preux took part in one-night tournament in Aruba and followed it up with a bout in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
He knocked out Jason Day in eight seconds in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, forced Ryan Jimmo to tap in Vancouver, British Columbia and dropped Brazilian legend Mauricio “Shogun” Rua with a short left hand before a stunned crowd in Uberlandia.
The only place he has not fought yet is his home state of Florida. He will step into the cage in the Sunshine State for the first time this weekend. With three wins in a row under his belt, Preux will look for No. 4 spot when he meets Ilir Latifi in the light heavyweight matchup on the main card.
Saint Preux has always been a top-flight light heavyweight talent but lately he has really started to put everything together from his wrestling to his submissions to his striking and it's shown during that win streak.
In this fight, Saint Preux will enjoy a massive seven-inch reach advantage over Latifi.In the wrestling department, Saint Preux and Latifi are fairly similar except the Swedish "Sledgehammer" (Ilir Latifi) has never been taken down during his UFC career.
Mike Perry vs. Max Griffin
Mike Perry will look to add another knockout to his resume when he takes on Max Griffin this weekend in Orlando. Perry has faced some tough losses when he takes on a fellow striker willing to show off a little more technique rather than raw power which has cost him in fights against opponents such as Santiago Ponzinibbio and Alan Jouban.
Griffin has definitely shown flashes of brilliance during his UFC career including a nasty TKO over Erick Montano, but the fact that he is more than willing to engage in a standup war, while not attempting a single takedown inside the Octagon, means he will be on his feet exchanging shots with Perry until this fight is over.
Live and Exclusive on SONY ESPN SD & SONY ESPN HD on 25th February 2018 at 6:30 AM