The UFC’s first trip to Uruguay brings with it the debut of featherweight Luiz Eduardo Garagorri, the latest addition to the suddenly stacked weight class.
The UFC is coming to Montevideo, Uruguay, on August 10, touching down in the South American nation for the first time. The event will be held in the Antel Arena, a brand new venue opened in November of last year. The show is headlined by flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, defending her title against Liz Carmouche. That’s a rare title fight for a Fight Night card.
In addition to the championship fight, UFC Uruguay features many rising stars, and four debuts. One of those debuts being Luiz Eduardo Garagorri, who will debut against Humberto Bandenay (14-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC).
5’11″
Featherweight
30-years-old
Uruguay/Brazil
Sok Thai
12-0
4 KO/TKO
6 Submissions
How will Garagorri fare in the UFC:
This is a hometown signing — the promotion looked at his record, but were mainly interested because Garagorri lives in Uruguay. A closer look at the footage, however, shows he’s nowhere near UFC level at this point. Garagorri has finished on both the feet and the mat. On the feet, he likes to throw the wheel kick which he has landed many times in his career. He relies mainly on his counter striking and his flurries. He’s very wild though, and lacks angles and technical ability. His takedown defense is lackluster, being taken down by poor competition and off his back, he struggles as well. Another flaw in his game is his cardio, which seems to be a question mark.
How does Garagorri match up with Bandenay:
Humberto Bandeday, after stunning everyone with a head kick finish in his UFC debut, has struggled in his last two outings. Another loss, and he may no longer be a UFC fighter. Bandenay’s recent record isn’t great, but he’s fought and beat the better competition. The pick is Bandenay, as it’s really a fade on Garagorri.
