The UFC is back to celebrate Mexican Independence Day as Noche UFC brings a lot of promise as the event is headlined between former title challenger, Diego Lopes, and fan-favorite, Jean Silva. With the third annual Noche UFC event taking place from the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio,TX, September 13th has combat sports fans busy all day as the highly anticipated fight between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford also going down that day from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Despite an unexpected change of venue from Mexico to San Antonio, the card features several up-and-coming contenders, experienced veterans, and potential future title challengers that could bring about new matchups. Here’s a breakdown and analysis of the main card and who could get their hand raised.
Santiago Luna vs. Quang Le
The first bout on the main card features debuting Santiago Luna against the UFC Bantamweight, Quang Le. While Luna is undefeated coming into this fight, Le is coming off a second round submission win against Gaston Bolaños this past May. While Le does have the experience factor against Luna, the fighter nicknamed “Border Boy” comes into the fight with all of his six wins coming by way of finish, half of those being in the first round.
Luna’s grappling and pressure-style could be a determining factor in the fight as Le has shown a slow start in his two UFC losses. While Quang Le can have some moments early on, I predict Santiago Luna to dictate the pace with his wrestling over the course of three rounds and win via unanimous decision.
Alexander Hernandez vs. Diego Ferreira
Alexander Hernandez is coming off an impressive first-round knockout at UFC 319 just a few weeks ago over Chase Hooper, while Diego Ferreira is looking to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to Grant Dawson at UFC 311. With this being a matchup of two household names in the lightweight division, this has potential to be a dark horse fight as both fighters like to scrap and get aggressive.
Hernandez appears to be gaining momentum as he has won three straight fights coming into this bout while also fighting in his home city of San Antonio, Texas. On the other side, Diego Ferreira has proven to be a tough-nosed, durable grappler, that can be a difficult opponent for anyone. This fight comes down to whether Hernandez can stick and move against Ferreira and keep the fight standing without gassing out. If so, Hernandez can out-pressure and piece up Ferreira on the feet that could get him his hand raised, either by a late stoppage or a unanimous decision victory.
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
While Kelvin Gastelum’s record has been uneven over the last several years, his toughness and durability has remained a constant throughout his career. Many fans may look at Gastelum’s record and see the inconsistencies with raised eyebrows, yet his recent losses come against highly skilled fighters while Dustin Stoltzfus comes into the bout with a 3-6 UFC record.
Despite both Gastelum and Stoltzfus coming off their own losses, Gastelum’s grittiness and pressure could be enough to get the win over the German Stoltzfus. Gastelum’s hard-nosed style and pressure-forward grappling could be enough to wear Stoltzfus down over three rounds, with a unanimous decision victory on the table for the Huntington Beach resident.
Rafa Garcia vs. Jared Gordon
In the featured bout, Mexico’s Rafa Garcia takes on Jared Gordon as two hard-handed lightweights face off. What will most likely determine the winner is whether Garcia can get it to the ground or Gordon keeps it standing; if Garcia can get the fight to the ground and clinch Gordon against the cage, he has the advantage. However, if Gordon can keep the fight standing and use his volume striking in his favor, he stands a better chance of winning.
Gordon has also proven his excellent cardio in volume striking in the past with his knockout wins over Mark O. Madsen and Thiago Moises, averaging 5.67 significant strikes per minute. If history is any indication, Gordon’s output and durability should be enough to get his hand raised via unanimous decision, or potentially a knockout in the works.
Rob Font vs. David Martinez
In a battle of between an established veteran and a dangerous prospect, Rob Font remains one of bantamweight’s most consistent fighters as his high-volume striking and cardio have carried him far. On the other side, David Martinez is coming off an impressive first-round knockout over Saimon Oliveira in Mexico City, as he looks to establish himself as a problem in one of the UFC’s most competitive divisions.
While the oddsmakers have this as an almost 50/50 fight, Font’s jab and forward-pressure should carry him to a unanimous decision victory that forces Martinez on the back-foot. If Font can avoid making mistakes and stick to his traditional gameplan, he should get his hand raised.
Diego Lopes vs. Jean Silva
With Jean Silva being the last undefeated Fighting Nerd left in the UFC, the pressure is on for him to deliver in San Antonio as Diego Lopes is looking to bounce back after being defeated at UFC 314 against the featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski.
Lopes’ biggest strengths comes in his ability to work off his back, something that isn’t really seen today at featherweight, while also having exceptional scrambling abilities that can make grappling exchanges difficult for Silva. However, Volkanovski proved Lopes can be hittable as it showed in their title fight with Lopes’ striking defense being imperfect, something that can cause problems against the excellent counter-striker in Jean Silva.
On the other side, Silva’s accurate boxing and power has led to four of his five UFC wins ending in KO/TKO, while also proving to have solid defensive grappling. However, he has been prone to be pushed backwards by pressure fighters that could give him problems against the forward-charging Diego Lopes.
This has potential to be a fight of the year contender if it goes deep, or a short night at the office for either fighter. While both fighters have potential to finish the fight, Silva has proven to be the more composed fighter. Lopes could have his moments, but Silva’s composure and striking could let him control the majority of the fight and possibly end the fight in the later rounds.