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Preview: UFC on ESPN 60 ‘Lemos vs. Jandiroba’
By Tom Feely,
2 days ago
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to the Apex for a one-week stopover, and as per usual, this is a card low on starpower but with some action potential. The UFC on ESPN 60 main event is clearly the most important fight on the card, as potential strawweight contenders Amanda Lemos and Virna Jandiroba each look for a big win, with Jandiroba in a particularly strong position if she winds up on top. Jun Yong Park gets a chance to show his wares against Brad Tavares in the co-main, and past that things are matched for violence; Steve Garcia 's matchup with Seung Woo Choi and Kurt Holobaugh 's fight with Kaynan Kruschewsky pair off fighters that keep looking to make things happen. Add in the returns of underrated flyweight Bruno Silva and "The Korean Superboy" Doo Ho Choi , and this is overall a solid main card.
The strawweight title picture is as wide open as ever in terms of potential future challengers for Weili Zhang , so a win here for Jandiroba could get her into a surprisingly strong position for a title shot. Jandiroba came to the UFC in 2019 with an undefeated resume against a high level of competition, though her late-notice UFC debut was a rude awakening; primarily a wrestler and grappler, Jandiroba got beat at her own game by former champion and divisional stalwart Carla Esparza . But "Carcara" recovered nicely; after submission wins over Mallory Martin and Felice Herrig allowed her to show off her skills, Jandiroba displayed a solid striking game even in some losses against much better athletes. Jandiroba hasn't been particularly dynamic now that she's facing better competition, but the progress she's made over the years has allowed her to surprisingly play spoiler again and again; she sold out on aggressive wrestling to swamp and neutralize Marina Rodriguez for an ugly decision win, and a fairly complete victory over Lupita Godinez proved she could hold her own against another strong wrestler.
Up next is Brazilian countrywoman and former title challenger Lemos in what should be an interesting clash of styles. Lemos was essentially a non-factor for her first two and a half years on the UFC roster; signed as a bantamweight in 2017, "Amandinha" lost her late-notice debut in one-sided fashion, failed a drug test and vanished as she served out her suspension. But she was a completely different fighter -- in a positive sense -- upon her return; now unrecognizable as a strawweight, Lemos was also now a complete powerhouse, capable of landing both knockout shots or simply strangling her opponents in close quarters. Lemos is able to win fights with big moments, though as with many fighters in a similar mold, her approach isn't exactly a round-winning style; Lemos makes good on the opportunities she's given, but left to her own devices she's content to coast out long stretches of inactivity that give her opponents the ability to steal rounds. It's also looking like her takedown defense is becoming a bit of a liability; Zhang wrestled early and often to a dominant title defense when she fought Lemos last August, and even Mackenzie Dern -- whose career has been marked by her frustrating unwillingness to wrestle -- was able to bank a lot of control time in a Lemos win this past February. Add in some spotty cardio, and that gives Jandiroba the opportunity to grind out an ugly win provided her durability holds up, since she's unlikely to get caught in Lemos' grappling game. There's such a clear athleticism gap that Lemos could end this fight at any moment with one punch, but while it won't be pretty to watch, the pick is Jandiroba via decision.
Tavares has been quietly consistent during his decade and a half on the UFC roster, but there is the worry that he's finally starting his late-career slide. Tavares toiled in obscurity on the prelims as a decision machine, but eventually settled in as a clear gatekeeper to the middleweight elite within a few years; Tavares was consistently durable, able to pump out offense and sneakily had some of the best takedown defense on the roster, a combination that would usually find some opening to keep the Hawaiian ahead on the scorecards. It might not have been a career filled with clear highs, but a look at Tavares' record shows a surprising lack of lows; even during the rare times Tavares got blown out, it was usually against a future champion like Robert Whittaker . But starting with a loss to Bruno Silva last year, it does seem like Tavares is starting to slip past his margin of error; he looked flat in coasting by a particularly poor version of Chris Weidman , and his February loss to Gregory Rodrigues was mostly one-way traffic, with Rodrigues finding a surprising amount of success with his wrestling. The matchmakers also haven't done him many favors here by pitting him against Park, who looks ready to step into Tavares' slot.
"The Iron Turtle" has been a fun and crafty fighter during his five years on the UFC roster; initially more of a pot-shotting striker, the Korean recently rode his wrestling and grappling game to a four-fight winning streak that included three submissions. The hope was that Park could then make the jump into the UFC's rankings, but a somewhat controversial loss to Andre Muniz in December served as a reminder of the holes in Park's game; at his core, he's still a fighter focused on giving his opponent the initiative and countering what comes, and opponents like Muniz can use that opportunity to get the jump on Park with a dedicated wrestling game. Admittedly, Park did well enough on the mat by reversing some positions and landing some ground-and-pound that most felt should've outweighed Muniz's control time, but it's still an issue that keeps coming up, including in Park's unsuccessful UFC debut against Anthony Hernandez . Of course, none of that is an issue here against Tavares, who's increasingly defined by his lack of initiative; it could be a bit tedious, but Park should be able to coast to a win as the much sharper fighter, particularly if Tavares' takedown defense is now betraying him. The pick is Park via decision.
When the UFC picked Garcia up on late notice in 2020, "Mean Machine" looked like the type of fighter -- aggressive but under-athletic -- that might bring a ton of entertainment but find little success, a diagnosis that only got stronger after he dropped a wrestling-heavy debut to Luis Pena . But if that was supposed to be the case, somebody forgot to tell Garcia, who's won four out of his last five. Admittedly, there's a quick knockout loss to Hayisaer Maheshate in that mix, but Garcia has proven dogged and violent otherwise; he can get outwrestled and often has to dig his way out of a hole, but Garcia has continually stormed back and found knockout after knockout, including some particularly vicious ground-and-pound.
Choi is next up for Garcia and should be both a dangerous opponent and potentially winnable matchup. Choi's had an up-and-down UFC career, starting out as a sharp striker but seemingly falling in love with the knockout at some point to some negative results; losses to Alex Caceres , Josh Culibao and Michael Trizano were all fun, but really felt like fights that Choi could've taken had he not over-extended himself trying to add to his highlight reel. A much-needed win over Jarno Errens last August was a bit more measured, but it's also hard not to see Choi consenting once Garcia looks to instigate a brawl, which should happen sooner rather than later. Either man is fully capable of getting knocked out, but Garcia seems more comfortable in the chaos; the pick is Garcia via first-round knockout.
This should be a good time, as is true of most Holobaugh fights. This marks Holobaugh's third stint under the UFC banner after he went winless in the first two; the first was a loss to Steven Siler after Holobaugh came over in the Strikeforce sale, and the second saw him get matched up against Raoni Barcelos , Shane Burgos and Thiago Moises , a particularly rough run in retrospect. But Holobaugh persisted with his pressure-heavy and violent approach, racking up enough wins to earn another return to the UFC via “The Ultimate Fighter,” winning a veteran-laden season in August to wind up back under contract. Though after a March loss to Trey Ogden -- another fight where Holobaugh's aggression couldn't make up for a lack of athleticism, and one where Ogden mostly neutralized Holobaugh, to boot -- the worry is that Holobaugh's latest stint might end up in the same place as the first two. But for now, there's the opportunity for violence against a willing dance partner in Kaynan Kruschewsky . A well-traveled veteran who went the Contender Series route to earn a contract last year, the Brazilian stepped in on days notice for his UFC debut, giving it a go and eventually getting knocked out by Elves Brener . But like Holobaugh, Kruschewsky has a commitment to making things happen both on the feet and on the ground, so this should be a barnburner for as long as it lasts. Holobaugh gets the nod due to seemingly having the durability and cardio advantages, but this one's all about the action; the pick is Holobaugh via third-round submission.
It's been a long process for the UFC's flyweight division to gain some depth, but there's now enough 125-pounders on the roster that someone like Cody Durden can chug along, separating the wheat from the chaff. A 2020 signing, Durden still has the hallmarks of a fighter that ran through a weak level of competition on the regional scene; constantly aggressive, particularly with his wrestling, Durden's also struggled to smooth out the defensive liabilities that have cost him when he steps up against ranked competition. But when faced with someone who isn't a clear submission threat - or, in the case of Jake Hadley , doesn't have the athleticism to hang with Durden - his doggedness is usually enough to swamp his opponents for the better part of three rounds. After a loss to Tagir Ulanbekov to cap off 2023, Durden attempts a rebound here against the underrated Silva. Silva had a rough start to his UFC career with three straight losses, but has righted the ship with three wins where he's looked impressively solid, both as a knockout and submission threat. It does look like "Bulldog" will essentially wind up in the same gatekeeper role as Durden -- though in Silva's case it's more athleticism than technical depth that's holding him back -- but for now it's nice to just see him back in the cage; injuries have limited the Brazilian to just one fight in the last three years, to the point that he's no longer even the most prominent Bruno Silva on the UFC roster. The read is that Durden can lean on his wrestling to gut this one out, but that's far from a sure bet given Silva's tendency to impress; the pick is Durden via decision.
It's now been nearly a decade since Choi took the UFC by storm, starting his Octagon campaign with three straight knockouts and gaining a ton of notice in the process, in part thanks to the contrast between Choi's youthful baby face and the violence that he brought to the cage. A 2016 fight against Cub Swanson figured to be the stepping stone win for "The Korean Superboy" to launch into some big things, and that didn't exactly happen; it was a three-round war that's reached legendary status and elevated Choi's profile in the process, but it also ended in a Swanson win -- and as a result, it's now been over eight years since Choi last won a fight. Injuries and Choi's military service have slowed down his career, but there was cause for concern even before his hiatus between 2019 and 2023; Choi's aggressive and defensively void style wound up getting him knocked out by Jeremy Stephens and a then-unknown Charles Jourdain . Choi came back a different fighter for his fight against Kyle Nelson early last year, though it's still hard to tell how things are going to shake out; he wasn't nearly as dynamic, but showed a well-rounded game and mixed in some wrestling, putting in a workmanlike performance that ended in a draw after a late point deduction for Choi due to a foul. It's now a year and a half later, and hopefully some questions get answered here against Algeo, who might need to prove some things himself.
There's a class of featherweights that are subpar athletes but get by through durability and aggression, and that group certainly includes Algeo; a rangy fighter that doesn't make much use of his frame, "Senor Perfecto" typically marches forward and keeps trying to make things happen with the knowledge that his chin and gas tank will outlast his opponents. That's usually been a safe bet, as Algeo has even banked a win over Joanderson Brito that's aged well in the two and a half years since, but his last showing was a bit concerning; the aforementioned Kyle Nelson was able to quickly crack Algeo and earn a stoppage victory that was a bit early, but still saw Algeo get just about as wobbled as he's ever been in his mixed martial arts career. Algeo's been at this since 2012, so that could be the first sign that his approach is nearing its expiration date -- or it could just be another feather in the cap for Nelson, who's in the midst of a career renaissance. If Algeo's durability is fading, this certainly could go south for the American in spectacular fashion, though it's still hard not to favor his track record against someone with as many questions as the 2024 version of Choi; the pick is Algeo via decision.
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