Albuquerque, New Mexico plays host to the first UFC event post the marathon we had last week, and we get UFC Fight Night 42, which will brandish some interesting up and comers and some familiar names on the undercard, which we will be looking at here. In the prelim main event, we have the star in-the-making, Sergio Pettis (10-1) rebounding from his first loss in an exciting fight against Bruce Leroy at UFC on FOX: Henderson vs. Thomson. He’s taking on Yaotzin Meza (20-9), a man who has seen success in the UFC since dropping back down to bantamweight after being demolished by Chad Mendes in 2012. You likely already know Pettis from the tremendous amount of hype he’s received coming into the UFC as the lightweight champ’s little brother, but he’s carving out his own identity with solid striking and good BJJ. He’s not his brother, and even at 135 he seems small, being muscled around in his fights in the UFC, but he has a great pedigree and coaching, so he can and will overcome. Meza has fallen to wrestling first and foremost, so this fight could be a fun fight on the feet or on the ground, where both men like to scramble. Pettis is very beatable, and while Meza has the experience behind him, he’s nothing special. He’s well-rounded, but will have to rely on his submission skills to win this fight, and that’s not an easy task against Pettis. Next up we have welterweights, with Strikeforce vet Bobby Voelker (24-11) looking to snap his three-fight losing streak or face leaving the Octagon presumably forever. His opponent is Lance Benoist (6-2) a man who has lost his last two fights. Both men are up against the wall, and this should lead to a slugfest. Voelker regularyly enters zombie mode, and plods forward, taking damage until he falls or the fifteen minutes are up, but he can deal damage himself, with decent stand up and solid wrestling. Benoist’s last win was agains Matt Riddle nearly three years ago, and while many thought highly of him, taking that decision, he hasn’t won since. He started his career with five finishes in the first round against lesser opponents, so maybe he’ll come out blazing again with a chance to snap his losing streak. But then, that’s Voelker’s plan as well. Maybe Benoist will take it to the ground, but I see both of these en meeting in the middle of the cage and banging like their jobs depend on it (they do). Flyweights step into the Octagon with Scott Jorgensen (14-9) still trying to get back on track after having much success at the end of his run in the WEC and beginning the UFC run of his. He’s now lost five out of his last six fights, including three in a row to the likes of Urijah Faber, Zach Makovsky and Jussier Formiga. Jorgensen has the grinding style that should be leading to some wins, and even though he’s put up admirable fights in these outings, you don’t get a mark for effort next to your L. His opponent is Danny Martinez (16-5) is a TUF 19 vet, but lost in his first outing at UFC 169 to Chris Cariaso. Martinez has 8 knockouts, and is a decent fighter, but this fight is Jorgensen’s to lose. THe competition that he faced to go on this run where he’s lost 5 out of 6 was against good to great fighters, and Danny Martinez isn’t on that level. Lightweights open the FOX Sports 1 prelims, with Jon Tuck (7-1), a TUF 15 veteran looking to add onto his 1-1 UFC record and 6 finishes (three KOs, three subs) against Jake Lindsey (9-0). Lindsey is making his UFC debut and brandishes five first-round finishes. Tuck is from the ABQ area, training out of the MMA Lab with Benson Henderson. He has quick strikes and a slick ground game, while Lindsey is better suited on the feet, but can match up decently on the ground. This should be a good fight unless Lindsey succumbs to the fabled Octagon Jitters
