UFC fight tonight: 3 most underrated fighters featuring in UFC 258
The UFC 258 fight card is stacked! Welterweight king Kamaru Usman will be making his third title defense against his former teammate Gilbert 'Durinho' Burns. Apart from this headliner event, the rest of the card also features some exciting matchups.
In the co-main event, flyweights Alexa Grasso and Maycee Barber will lock horns. Barber will be making her return to the Octagon after a year-long hiatus due to a torn ACL. Also on the main card, No. 10 ranked middleweight Kelvin Gastelum will go against Ian Heinisch. Gastelum is coming off a three-fight losing streak and will seek to regain his momentum against the up-and-coming Heinisch.
Along with these gladiators, the UFC 258 fight card also features some other fighters that might be going under the fan radar. Here are three such promising fighters who will make an appearance on tonight's fight card:
#1 Ricky Simon
Just three weeks after securing victory over Gaetano Pirrello on Fight Island, Ricky Simon is looking to make a quick turnaround at UFC 258. Simon will face Brian Kelleher, who has won three of his last four battles inside the cage. Ricky Simon is riding high on a two-fight winning streak with his latest victory coming via submission. His bout against Kelleher will be contested in the featherweight division as the two have agreed not to cut weight to their usual 135 lbs weight class.
#2 Belal Muhammad
UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad is currently ranked #13 in his division. The Chicago native is coming off three straight victories and is 7-1 in his last eight fights. Having fought tough competition like Geoff Neal and Takashi Sato, Muhammad is now looking forward to facing Dhiego Lima, brother of Bellator champion Douglas Lima. This is an exciting matchup as both combatants are known to take a technical approach to their game.
“A lot of fighters know how good I am — that’s why a lot of them are afraid to fight me and take this fight,” said Muhammad in an interview with the UFC. “I know that a lot of guys say no to me, so for me, it’s about staying the course and staying patient."
#3 Julian Marquez
After a 30-month long hiatus, UFC middleweight Julian Marquez will make his return to the octagon against Maki Pitolo at UFC 258. Marquez had to wait on the sidelines due to a tear in his latissimus dorsi muscle in July 2018. Marquez is known for being a standup fighter with 6 of his 7 career wins coming via knockout. For his return Marquez trained with elite UFC athletes including Eryk Anders and heavyweight Walt Harris.