UFC Denver: 21 fun tidbits, facts and storylines

After a rare weekend off, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will return to the summer with a showdown at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. In the main event, former two-time women’s singles champion Strawweight champion Rose Namajunas Taking on Mexico’s rapid growth Flyweight candidate Tracey Cortez.

UFC Denver There will be some fun games and the atmosphere at Mile High should be incredible, especially since it will be in front of a live crowd. So, later tonight (Saturday, July 13, 2024) on ESPN/ESPN+So let’s check out some stories, trivia and stats before the broadcast.

“Mile High City”

UFC will be returning to Denver for the first time since 2018 (25th Anniversary Show). In the main event, “Korean Zombie” fought Yair Rodriguez And he scored one of the greatest knockouts of all time. Donald Cerrone Short of money Mike Perry In the semi-main event.

UFC loves Denver

This weekend will mark the seventh time UFC has hosted an event in Denver, the sixth-most in the promotion’s history. Only Las Vegas, NV; Anaheim, CA; Atlantic City, NJ; Newark, NJ; and Houston, TX have hosted more events in Denver.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Main event shakeup

UFC Denver was originally scheduled for Namajunas vs. Macy Barber; TimeHowever, Barber withdrew from the bout two weeks before due to health issues, and UFC, desperate to keep “Thug Rose” on the card, removed Cortez from her bout. Miranda Maverick next week.

Main Event Stakes

Honestly, there isn’t much at stake in this main event: A win for Namajunas would put her closer to a UFC title shot, but a win against the No. 11 flyweight fighter would probably keep her there.

For Cortez, a win over Namajunas would propel her into the top five in the flyweight rankings and move her that much closer to a fight against the number one contender.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Main event beginners

Cortez will be competing in her first UFC main event after five previous bouts. She has only appeared on one UFC main card before.

Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Follow UFC history

In this weekend’s knockout Drew Dawber Cut off ties with him Dustin Poirier Become the fighter with the most knockouts lightweight history.

He now has nine wins, tying him with Poirier for the most wins. Donald Cerrone and Tony Ferguson Fourth-most finishes in UFC lightweight history (10).

He fights Jean Silva.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

quick response

Speaking of Silva, He knocked out Charles Jourdan in UFC 303 He fought them two weeks ago and will now move up a weight class to face former top 15 ranked fighter Dober.

Silva earned the contract with a 2-0 record at UFC, including two knockouts. Contender Series.

“Load” is UFC 303.

Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Bonfim Bounceback

Gabriel Bonfim First return since first professional defeat Nicholas Dalby in UFC Sao Paulo Back in November 2023, many people considered his defeat by technical knockout to be “Fraud check,“I rather see it as a lesson. Dalby are a very tough opponent and Bonfim played very well in the first round.

Bonfim still has a lot of potential and will be looking to fight back. Ange Roosa He’s come a long way, with the Brazilian boasting a 100% finishing rate with 12 submission wins.

Middleweight car accident

a Middleweight Between Battles Abdul Razak Alhassan versus Cody Brundage Kicking off the main card, this fight should be a total mess for as long as it lasts. Alhassan boasts a 100% finishing rate with 12 knockouts, while Brundage only had one finish on the scorecards (5 knockouts). It’s rare for either fighter to make it past the first round unscathed, so this should be a tight contest.

Brundage is Bo Nickal.

Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Welcome to UFC!

Only one fighter will make his UFC debut at UFC Denver… and it’s a big one.

Fatima Klein (6-0) Jasmine JasdaviciusKlein has been one of the area’s top female prospects for the past few years and is the flyweight contender’s main training partner. Erin Blanchfield And a monster in the fighting department.

Klein is a two-time Cage Fury Fighting Championship (CFFC) champion (flyweight and strawweight).

She, like several other bouts on the card, will be competing with just a week’s notice, but speaking of which…

Quick match

Four bouts took place last week at UFC Denver, excluding the main event.

The first two matches were Dover vs Silva and Klein vs Jas Avicius, the remaining two matches will take place in the “Prelims”.

Top flyweight contenders Josh Van undertake Charles Johnsonmeanwhile Montel Jackson Fight Damon Blackshear in Bantamweight game.

4 days notice

The final bout took place during fight week. On Wednesday, UFC Evan Elder Will fight Darius Flowers in Welterweight game.

It’s a very random fight, but it should be intense.

Welcome back to Money Mashka.

Maria Agapova She returned after a 21-month hiatus, during which she was plagued by a number of injuries. Not only was he bankrupt.

Agapova had high expectations when she arrived at the UFC but has struggled in recent years, losing two fights in a row, and she could be fighting for her spot later tonight.

The boys (and girls) from back home

Four fighters who live or train in Denver will be welcomed home this weekend: Namajunas, Dober, Brundage and Josh Fremd.

Small people only

UFC Denver won’t feature any heavyweights or light heavyweights — in fact, there are only two middleweight bouts on the card streamed on ESPN — likely due to the altitude.

UFC Denver Fight Leader

The fighter with the most fights at UFC Denver is Dober. Julian Elosa (40)

UFC Denver Fight Rookie

The fighter with the fewest career fights at UFC Denver is Klein (6).

UFC Denver Knockout King

The fighter with the most career knockouts at UFC Denver was: Santiago Ponzinibbio (16)

UFC Denver Submission Savant

Of all the fighters competing at UFC Denver, Erosa (13) had the most successful submissions.

Winners and Losers

Twelve fighters won, eleven lost, and one just finished a dreaded “no contest” (loosa).

Multiple divisions

The categories on display this Saturday are:

• Two middleweight bouts
• 2 welterweight bouts
• Lightweight bout
• One Featherweight Fight
• 1 bantamweight bout
• Women’s Flyweight 3 matches

Beta Dog

According to DraftKings, UFC Denver The “biggest” underdog is Agapova +300.

For the latest UFC Denver news and notes, here.