In an event with a Brazilian squad, Overeem faces Volkov with an eye on the heavyweight belt

A. Overeem (left) makes a respectful face with A. Volkov (right) towards the UFC Las Vegas 18. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

After a new season on 'Ilha da Luta', in Abu Dhabi, Ultimate is back in the United States. This Saturday (6), the organization promotes the first event on North American soil of 2021, with the UFC Las Vegas 18. In total, there are 13 fights scheduled, with five Brazilians and the giants taking center stage alistair overeem e Alexander Volkov.

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MMA legend and one of those responsible for spreading the sport in the 2000s, Overeem is still active and with the dream of winning an Ultimate title. To 'stay alive' in the race, the Dutchman must get past the dangerous Volkov, who is coming off a triumph in the organization.

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In the co-main fight, Frankie Edgar has a similar scenario to Alistair. A veteran of mixed martial arts, the former UFC lightweight champion (up to 70,3kg) will make his second fight at bantamweight (up to 61,2kg) and will fight against Cory Sandhagen – current number three in the group. If he wins, Edgar puts himself in a prominent position to challenge the winner of Petr yan e aljamain sterling, who fight in UFC 259, next month.

Brazil will be represented by five athletes, divided between the preliminary and main cards. In the first half of the event, Karol Rosa, Lara Procópio and Danilo Marques they will be responsible for taking the yellow-green to the Octagon.

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In the second half, Diego Ferreira and Alexandre pantoja will try to achieve their respective victories for Brazilian spectators.

Overeem vs. Volkov

Professional in MMA since 1999, alistair overeem He gained worldwide fame in MMA, working for Pride, K-1 and Strikeforce, before moving to the UFC. In the company chaired by Dana White since 2011, the Dutch giant experienced ups and downs, but still competed for the heavyweight title in 2016, losing to Stipe Miocic.

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After more than 20 years of career, Overeem remains a prominent name within one of the most dangerous categories in the sport. The fighter, who has already admitted that he is close to retiring, needs a victory to confirm his good form and get in touch with the elite athletes, who should compete for the title in the near future.

The sports legend's task, however, will not be easy. To leave the octagon with a positive result, the Dutchman will have to overcome the dangerous Alexander Volkov, which comes from victory over Walt Harris, and fights directly for Alistair's position in the top 5.

Edgar x Sandhagen

One of the great names in the history of Ultimate, Frankie Edgar He is also going through one last run for a belt in the organization. At 39 years old, the former lightweight champion is making his second fight at bantamweight and is looking to maintain his 100%.

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This Saturday, Frankie will exchange forces against the current number three in the category led by Petr yan. If you overcome Cory Sandhagen, Edgar will be able to qualify for a new fight for an organization title.

The veteran, however, must be careful not to be surprised by the opponent. In his last performance, Cory ran over Marlon moraes and guaranteed its prominent position within the category.

Brazilian squad

Willing to maintain his good form and with the dream of progressing even further in the lightweight division, Diego Ferreira wants to prove that he is capable of competing on equal terms in one of the divisions with the greatest talents in world MMA. Coming from six consecutive victories, the Amazonian will have his dream rematch against Beneil Dariush, for those who lost in 2014. If he overcomes his rival, the Brazilian – currently number 10 in the ranking – will take another step towards the top 5.

Ready to erase his last performance when he was defeated by Askar askarov and temporarily withdrew from a fight for the flyweight title (up to 56,7kg.), Alexandre pantoja will be responsible for giving a 'welcome' to Manel kape in the UFC. Current number five in the group dominated by Deiveson Figueiredo, the Brazilian needs to get back on track to win to continue dreaming of a chance to fight for the belt.

In the fight that closes the preliminary card, Danilo Marques will have his second fight with Ultimate gloves. Representative of the light heavyweight division (up to 93kg), the São Paulo native beat Khadis Ibragimov in his debut and is willing to maintain his 100% against Mike Rodriguez. With two victories in the last five fights, the North American needs to surprise to stop the Brazilian's momentum.

Reaching her eighth fight as a professional in mixed martial arts, Lara Procópio makes her second commitment with the Ultimate gloves. After losing in the debut to her compatriot Karol Rosa, Minas Gerais will face Molly McCann and wants to prove that he can fly high at bantamweight (up to 61.kg.).

Executioner of Procopius, Karol Rosa will also be present at the show. Undefeated in the Ultimate in two commitments, the Espírito Santo will face the Panamanian Joselyne Edwards, who also did not lose in the company. The clash will mark the fifth fight of the night.