Watch UFC 215 this Saturday

Duel will be the main attraction of UFC 215 (Photo: Disclosure/UFC)

Ultimate arrives in Edmonton, Canada, for UFC 215, an event that takes place this Saturday (09), and will feature the return of the women's bantamweight champion Amanda nunes, which faces Valentina Shevchenko. The show would also feature a flyweight title fight between Demetrious Johnson and Ray Borg, but the challenger fell ill in the early hours of this Friday (08) and was removed from the card.

See too

Valentina is favorite against Amanda Nunes in UFC 215 betting

Watch the UFC 215 weigh-in live, with Amanda, Dos Anjos and four other Brazilians

In the main attraction, the Lioness has a rematch with the challenger Valentina Shevchenko. They already faced each other in March 2016, with the Brazilian winning on points. Still in the main portion of the show, another former Ultimate champion stands out. Now at welterweight, Rafael dos Anjos, who was already number 1 in the lightweight division, faces the North American Neil Magny, in a duel that could define the next challenger in the under-77kg category. The UFC 215 card will also feature four more Brazilians: Ketlen Scallop, Wilson reis, Luis Henrique KLB and Adriano Martins.

PUBLICITY:

To get you in the mood for UFC 215, the SUPER FIGHTS prepared five reasons for you to attend the event.

1) Finally, the rematch for the belt

A. Nunes faces V. Shevchenko (Photo: Reproduction/Youtube/UFC)

PUBLICITY:

It will be two months late, but Amanda nunes e Valentina Shevchenko They will finally face each other for the UFC women's bantamweight belt. The fight was scheduled to take place at UFC 213, in July, in Las Vegas (USA), but the Brazilian's health problems postponed the plans. Now, in Edmonton, Canada, the two will write the second chapter of the rivalry that began in March 2016, when the Lioness defeated the blonde by decision at UFC 196.

To remain the owner of the rooster category, Amanda will meet an old acquaintance. In March last year, she faced and won Valentina Shevchenko by decision. After dominating her rival for two rounds, Nunes had gas problems in the last round and came close to being knocked out. She guarantees that the issue was not so much physical, but mental and says she is prepared to silence critics of her physical preparation.

PUBLICITY:

Since the two met, both Amanda and Valentina have won two fights. The Brazilian finished Miesha Tate and knocked out Ronda Rousey, both in the first round, while Shevchenko won a five-round decision over the former champion Holly holm and finished Julianna Pena. Both champion and challenger arrive at UFC 213 full of morale. It remains to be seen who will leave with 6 kg. of gold at the waist at the end of the event.

2) Rafael dos Anjos looking for his second belt

Dos Anjos debuted with victory at welterweight (Photo: Reproduction Facebook UFC)

Former UFC lightweight champion, Rafael Dos Anjos He moved up a division due to the difficulty in weight cuts up to 70 kg. Comfortable at welterweight, the Brazilian has the speed to overcome bigger and heavier opponents. And, at UFC 215, he will put that thesis to the test once again against Neil Magny, one of the tallest fighters in the category. If he passes the dangerous North American, RDA will start knocking on the champion's door Tyron woodley.

PUBLICITY:

Currently in tenth place in the division rankings, Dos Anjos will face number six on the list. If the victory doesn't guarantee him a place in the top-5, at least the Brazilian puts himself in an excellent position for a future challenge to Woodley's crown.

Currently, the champion does not have a clear challenger after winning Demian Maia e Stephen Thompson. RDA, as the former owner of a UFC belt, has greater morals than some of the athletes ahead of him in the rankings, as he has passed through several former champions such as Anthony Pettis e Ben henderson. In addition to his good debut at welterweight, overcoming the dangerous Tarec saffiedine, who was once the welterweight king in Strikeforce. Based on his resume and, mainly depending on a good performance against Magny, RDA can reach greater heights.

3) Duel between former flyweight challengers

Cejudo (left) and Reis (right) have already lost to D. Johnson (Photo: Disclosure/UFC)

Promoted to the main card after the cancellation of Johnson x Borg, the duel between Wilson reis e Henry Cejudo pits two former flyweight challengers against each other.

After failing to take the belt from DJ in his last fight, the Brazilian, number 4 in the rankings, will have another difficult mission: Olympic gold medalist Cejudo, who needs to recover from two consecutive setbacks – after being knocked out by Demetrious, was surpassed in the decision by Joseph Benavidez.

The clash brings an intriguing element for fans: will the American's decorated wrestling neutralize the black belt jiujiteiro born in Januaria, Minas Gerais, and based in San Diego, California? The victor will certainly be put back in line for a new title fight.

4) More Brazilians in action

Adriano, KLB and Ketlen are on the preliminary card (Photo: Disclosure/UFC/Montage: SL)

In addition to Amanda, Dos Anjos and Reis, three more Brazilians will represent Brazil at UFC 215, all in the preliminary portion. The first to step into the octagon will be Adriano Martins, who faces the missing Kajhan Johnson. Without fighting for 11 months, when his streak of three victories was interrupted by his compatriot Leonardo Santos, the man from Manaus knows that leaving with his arm raised next Saturday will put him back in the mix for a fight in the fierce lightweight rankings.

Moving up in weight, Luis Henrique KLB is also looking for recovery. With 2-2 in the company, the 110kg Rio native will have to get past newcomer Arjan Bhullar to prove that he can become a new force in the devastated land of heavyweights. If we take into account that KLB was only defeated by members of the top 10 – Francis Ngannou e Marcin tybura, we can say that it has the potential to go further.

Last but not least, the undefeated Ketlen Scallop, who already has two wins in the UFC, is looking for a three-peat against the experienced Sara McMann, 6th in the women's bantamweight rankings. With an 8-0 record, the 'Phenomenon', as she is known, will have the biggest test of her short career, while the American will try to reach her fourth consecutive triumph and win, once again, the opportunity to fight for the belt – her first chance was in February 2014, when she lasted 1m06 seconds against the former champion Ronda Rousey.

5) It's worth keeping an eye on

Quartet is in the main portion (Photo: Disclosure/Montagem SL)

Stephens, Melendez, Latifi and Pedro are on the main card (Photo: Disclosure/Montagem SL)

It's also worth paying attention to the two battles that open the main card. Former lightweight champion of the now defunct Strikeforce, Gilbert Melendez has not yet performed as expected in the UFC. Although he has already challenged for the belt on two occasions – he lost on points to Ben henderson and was completed by Anthony Pettis -, he still owes: in five fights, only one victory, against the warrior, but limited Diego Sanchez. His bad phase at 70kg took him to the featherweight division, where he will make his debut against the heavyweight division Jeremy Stephens, who also played in the top division in the not too distant past.

If he wins, El Niño can finally begin to prove his talent in Ultimate. In case of defeat, even a dismissal would not be unfair at all. On the other hand, 'Esquentadinho' still wants to show that it has a chance of being among the best under 66kg, even with the irregular campaign presented in recent years.

Among the light heavyweights, the fight is for a better place in the rankings. Ilir Latifi, the 10th, measures forces with Tyson Peter, 13th. Furthermore, aggressiveness can dictate the pace of the fight, as both fighters do not usually let the fight fall into the hands of the judges.

Latifi is more experienced in the house. At 34 years old, he has five triumphs and three setbacks, the last of which was in September 2016, when he was knocked out by Ryan bader. He hasn't played since then, and that's why, this Saturday, he'll try to return to the winning path that put him in the spotlight at 93kg.

Pedro, in turn, is undefeated in MMA, at 6-0. His UFC debut took place 10 months ago, when he submitted Khalil rountree, training partner Anderson Silva, still in the first round. Less than four months later, another positive result, this time with a knockout against Paul Craig. At just 25 years old, the Australian is treated as a great promise in the shallow light heavyweight category.