We have Germany in the morning, and Brazil in the late afternoon as we get a double-dose of UFC action today (May 31, 2014). We’ll be looking at the Ultimate Fighter 3 finals prelims which will be on just hours after UFC Fight Night 41 on Fight Pass. Lightweights are the prelim main event, as we have Rodrigo Damm (12-6) vs Rashid Magomedov (16-1). Damm has gone 3-1 in the UFC since coming over off a loss in Strikeforce. He has wins over Japanese star Mizuto Hirota and Ivan Jorge with his enveloping grappling, while Magomedov is 1-0 in the UFC with a debut win over Tony Martin at Barao vs. Faber 2. This is a grappler vs. striker match at its heart, with Magomedov brandishing strong combos and the ability to fight outside, while Damm is going to look to swing his way inside and take Magomedov down, something his opponents have been able to do quite often in his career. If the Russian can keep it standing, he can pick Damm apart, but the Brazilian has an insatiable appetite for destuction on the ground, and he’s going to be looking to take it to the canvas, where he has the clear advantage over Magomedov. On paper Magomegov, the former M-1 welterweight champ looks to be the better fighter, but the Brazilian can finish it on the ground and he’s got the home field advantage. Another lightweight battle struts into the Octagon, as Elias Silverio (10-0) looks to make it three in a row inside the UFC cage as he takes on Ernest Chavez (7-0), who is looking to win his second UFC fight after beating Yosdenins Cedeno at Rousey vs. McMann earlier in 2014. Neither man is going to light the world on fire here, but both have a lot of heart, which should make for an exciting fight. Silverio is extremely competent, and Chaves has overcome being the underdog before, so what you have here is two very evenly-matched fighters that will have a fight likely to be decided on the feet. In that case, Silverio is the faster fighter and will likely be able to light up Chavez with an in and out attack. One of my favorite welterweights is up next. A man who has fallen on hard times, going 2-5 since starting out 3-1 with a submission of Mike Swick and most famously a knockout over Josh Koscheck, Paulo Thiago (15-6) is trying to get back in the win column after dropping a submission (to strikes) loss to Brandon Thatch at UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Belfort. His opponent is 31-year-old Russian Gasan Umalatov (14-3), who lost his UFC debut to Neil Magny at Barao vs. Faber 2. While many are saying Thiago should be looking at a pink slip if he loses here, he has only lost to good talent in the stacked welterweight division, and Umalatov may not have what it takes to overwhelm the Brazilian special forces agent, especially on the ground. This should be a fun fight, with Thiago able to keep the Russian at bay with his jab, but if it goes to the ground, look for Gasan to move into position for a submission, of which he has seven wins in his career. It will be a difficult task to sub the BJJ black belt in Thiago, but the Russian is crafty and this should be a grapplefest that pleases all that watch it. Featherweights are next, as as Edimilson Souza (14-3) will step into the cage opposite of Mark Eddiva (6-0). The Filipino 28-year-old Eddiva has only seen the judges once, in his UFC debut, with three KOs, two subs and a decision over Jumabieke Tuerxen at UFC Fight Night: Kim vs. Hathaway. Souza is 1-0 in the UFC and has also only seen the judges once in all of his victories, he’s got 12 knockouts and three subs on his resume, winning a split-decision over Felipe Arantes at UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Bader. Eddiva has great takedowns and stifling wrestling, but Souza has a monster right hand that can take out the best of competitors, and you can expect Eddiva will be eating shots trying to get inside. Shots his chin likely can’t take.
