After two straight weekends without the UFC, the promotion returns in the nation’s capital, Washington, DC. Plenty of the attention is on the main event as Alistair Overeem will take on Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Today we take a look at some of the fights that have flown under the radar leading up to this week.
Stefan Struve vs. Ben Rothwell
Although it is on the main card, this fight has somewhat flown under the radar due to the lack of promotion. Struve retired earlier this year after his submission win over Marcos Rogerio De Lima. A few months later he announced that he will be coming out of retirement to fight Ben Rothwell. Rothwell has also made a comeback this year after a three-year layoff. He is currently on a two-fight losing streak since returning, losing to Blagoy Ivanov and Andrei Arlovski by decision. The two men have a combined 88 pro MMA fights in their careers.
Rob Font vs. Ricky Simon
Simon was on a three-fight winning streak in the UFC before being knocked out by Urijah Faber in July. Before his fight with Faber, a lot of people thought Simon would be a serious contender in the bantamweight division. This will be his chance to prove to everyone that he is still that contender. Simon is fighting Rob Font, who is 6-2 since joining the UFC. Font has beaten talents like Sergio Pettis, Thomas Almedia, Matt Schnell and George Roop in his tenure with the UFC.
Joe Solecki vs. Matt Wiman
Wiman recently made his return to the octagon, losing by TKO to Luiz Pena in June of this year. His last fight before that was in November of 2014. The 24-fight veteran has been competing at the professional level since 2004. He will be taking on Joe Solecki at UFC on ESPN 7, who will be making his promotional debut with the UFC. We last saw Solecki when he submitted James Wallace on Dana White’s Contender Series this past summer. He holds an 8-2 record, beginning his pro career in 2016. Meaning that he turned pro while Wiman was still on his five-year hiatus. This match-up will be a great test for an up-and-coming finisher to see how he will deal with the veteran fight IQ of Wiman.
Makhmud Muradov vs. Trevor Smith
Makhmud Muradov is the only MMA fighter in the world that was brought up by The Money Team and Floyd Mayweather. He made his UFC debut in September, earning a decision win over Alessio Di Chirico. Muradov currently holds a 23-6 pro record, finishing 18 out of those 23 wins. He will be fighting Trevor Smith who has been with the UFC since they bought out StrikeForce. Smith holds a 15-9 record, while currently on a two-fight losing streak. Those two fights saw him losing decisions to Elias Theodorou and Zak Cummings back in 2018. His fight on Saturday will be his first in almost a year. Smith has nine submission wins and has been knocked out in four of his nine losses. An interesting stat with Muradov coming from a boxing background and having 15 wins via TKO or KO, while also having three out of his six losses via submission.
How To Watch UFC On ESPN 7
UFC on ESPN 7 will take place at the Capital One Arena in Washington DC. The early prelims will start at 5:30 pm ET being shown on ESPN+. The prelims will then follow starting at 7:00 pm ET, and will be shown on ESPN. The main card will stay on ESPN, starting at 9:00 pm ET.
