The UFC APEX is back!<\/p>\n
Just kidding, the whole world has been watching and enjoying The Ultimate Fighter 33<\/a>, so we haven\u2019t even had a chance to miss the world\u2019s most famous fighting warehouse, but if by some chance you haven\u2019t glimpsed the APEX octagon since May, then boy oh boy, this is the card for you.<\/p>\n Tatsuro Taira<\/a> has been locked in to Saturday\u2019s UFC Vegas 108<\/a> main event for months, but he won\u2019t be facing fellow top 10 contender<\/a> Amir Albazi<\/a>. Medical issues forced Albazi out and in steps the undefeated Hyun Sung Park<\/a>, eager to claim Taira\u2019s spot in the rankings. Taira is coming off of his first-ever loss, a competitive back-and-forth battle with Brandon Royval<\/a>, while Park has been rolling since winning an inaugural Road to UFC tournament.<\/p>\n Something has got to give and no matter who wins, the headliner feels like a glimpse into the future of the flyweight division and possibly the beginning of a meaningful rivalry.<\/p>\n What: UFC Vegas 108<\/p>\n Where: UFC APEX in Las Vegas<\/p>\n When: Saturday, Aug. 2. The six-fight preliminary card begins at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+, followed by a six-fight main card at 9 p.m. ET also on ESPN and ESPN+.<\/p>\n Tatsuro Taira vs. Hyun Sung Park<\/p>\n Tatsuro Taira finds himself in the unenviable position of facing a replacement in Hyun Sung Park, who is less heralded than his originally scheduled opponent Amir Albazi, but arguably more dangerous. A win over Albazi would move Taira one step closer to a title shot. Not sure beating Park does the same.<\/p>\n That\u2019s unfortunate, because Park has as much championship potential as either man ranked ahead of him. The South Korean prospect\u2019s best weapon is a sneaky left hand he can either utilize as a jab to set up combos or as a counter to put a more substantial dent in his opponent\u2019s jaw. He\u2019s also incredibly strong and loves to attack the back if he can get his arms locked on.<\/p>\n Taira will gladly engage Park in the grappling game as he\u2019s one of the flyweight division\u2019s most exciting fighters when a fight hits the ground. He\u2019s shown improved striking, too, as he was willing to go toe-to-toe with the relentless Brandon Royval in several exchanges. Though he lost that one, that was exactly the kind of high-pace fight that should prepare him to deal with Park\u2019s aggression.<\/p>\n One factor I\u2019m taking into consideration is that despite Taira being more established in the UFC and having more pro bouts, he and Park both debuted in 2018, so the competitive experience gap isn\u2019t as wide as it might seem. Add in that Park is already in his athletic prime while Taira is still coming into his, and I lean towards the older, more filled-out fighter.<\/p>\n At 25, Taira isn\u2019t close to a finished product and at that age consistency is hard to come by. So give me the grown man.<\/p>\n Park via maturity.<\/p>\n Pick: Park<\/p>\n Mateusz Rebecki vs. Chris Duncan<\/p>\n Prior to becoming a guillotine choke connoisseur, Chris Duncan<\/a> was better known for trading thudding punches than his anaconda grip. So he won\u2019t shy away from a brawl if Mateusz Rebecki<\/a> draws him into one. Duncan\u2019s size should also give him an advantage if he decides to force a grappling-heavy contest.<\/p>\n This is a fun-as-hell matchup, so compelling on paper that I\u2019m willing to dub it a genuine co-main event even though neither man is ranked and there are zero short-term contender implications. Sometimes, it\u2019s just nice to put the spotlight on a couple of hitters.<\/p>\n Rebecki is an absolute animal, but I\u2019m still somewhat surprised he\u2019s positioned as the 2-to-1 favorite. It helps that he\u2019s shown incredible toughness in his first few UFC fights. Being hard to kill is one of the most undervalued MMA traits, I\u2019ve always said.<\/p>\n If Rebecki doesn\u2019t mess around on the ground, he should get the better of the striking exchanges in this one. He\u2019ll come out guns blazing from minute one, daring Duncan to match his pace. Duncan will hang in there for the first five minutes before succumbing to some Rebecki hammers in Round 2.<\/p>\n Pick: Rebecki<\/p>\n Elves Brener vs. Esteban Ribovics<\/p>\n How about another lightweight banger that\u2019s difficult to call? Elves Brener<\/a> vs. Esteban Ribovics<\/a>, come on down!<\/p>\n Esteban Ribovics is the comfortable favorite here, which is understandable given his sharp striking and\u2014just like Rebecki\u2014unkillableness (it\u2019s a medical term). Brener\u2019s aim should be to take Ribovics out early, but good luck with that. In 16 pro bouts, including a few recent outings in which he\u2019s taken a considerable amount of damage, he\u2019s yet to be stopped.<\/p>\n We know Brener can play the spoiler, but Ribovic can match his brand of crazy and meeting Brener on his terms is one way to prevent him from building momentum. Ribovics will trade with Brener until it\u2019s time to lock back in pick his sports more judiciously.<\/p>\n This fight will be fun for as long as it lasts and I have Ribovics knocking Brener out late in Round 1.<\/p>\n Pick: Ribovics<\/p>\n Karol Rosa vs. Nora Cornolle<\/p>\n Hot take: Karol Rosa<\/a> and Nora Cornolle<\/a> might steal a Fight of the Night award here.<\/p>\n If the aforementioned bouts both end inside the distance (no guarantee, I know), then FOTN could be up for grabs for whichever two fighters can put together an exciting three-rounder. Rosa has quietly established herself as one of the most exciting fighters in the women\u2019s bantamweight division (a low bar, I know) and she has the perfect dance partner in Cornolle.<\/p>\n There\u2019s not much to break down here. This will start off as a technical kickboxing battle until one of them\u2014likely, Rosa\u2014decides to up the ante and go thrill-seeking. Rosa lacks finishing ability, but she loves to pressure and she is impossible to KO. Cornolle might want to consider taking Rosa down to avoid a coin toss on the scorecards.<\/p>\n I doubt Cornolle has the wrestling or the movement to do anything other than meet Rosa head on and in that kind of fight, I like Rosa\u2019s chances to win yet another decision.<\/p>\n Pick: Rosa<\/p>\n Neil Magny vs. Elizeu Zaleski<\/p>\n Fact No. 1: Neil Magny<\/a>, the UFC leader in welterweight appearances, has never lost three fights in a row.<\/p>\n Fact No. 2: It is Magny\u2019s 38th birthday on Sunday.<\/p>\n The vibes are too strong. This is an automatic win.<\/p>\n I guess if we want to get technical with it, I\u2019d point out Magny specializes in outlasting opponents and if he can avoid getting brained early, he should do just fine taking Elizeu Zaleski<\/a> into deep waters in rounds 2 and 3. Then again, if his chin isn\u2019t what it used to be… this could be bad.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s keep in mind, Magny\u2019s past two first-round losses were to bonafide sluggers Carlos Prates<\/a> and Michael Morales<\/a>. I don\u2019t know if our takeaway from those results should be that Magny is shot, though Zaleski is capable of executing some spectacular strikes so it\u2019s certainly an element of this matchup to keep an eye on. It\u2019s also true Zaleski has one knockout win in the past six years and it came against Zach Scroggin<\/a>. Draw your own conclusions.<\/p>\n I have Magny getting off the schneid with a classic performance where he outworks Zaleski en route to a late finish or a decision win.<\/p>\n Pick: Magny<\/p>\n Danny Silva vs. Kevin Vallejos<\/p>\n The UFC could have something special with Kevin Vallejos<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cEl Chino\u201d is a dynamic striker and he\u2019s been on a tear since taking Jean Silva<\/a> to the limit on Contender Series two years ago. Vallejos throws with incredible accuracy and they\u2019ve given him an ideal opponent to style on in Danny Silva<\/a>.<\/p>\n All Silva does is look to stay in the pocket and box, which will lead to several entertaining moments before Vallejos hits him with the big kibosh. To Silva\u2019s credit, he\u2019s never been finished, but there\u2019s a first time for everything and I like Vallejos\u2019 chances of being the one to pull it off.<\/p>\n Not too overhype Vallejos, but this has first-round knockout written all over it.<\/p>\n Pick: Vallejos<\/p>\n Preliminaries<\/p>\n Rinya Nakamura<\/a> def. Nathan Fletcher<\/a><\/p>\n Rodolfo Vieira<\/a> def. Tresean Gore<\/a><\/p>\n Andrey Pulyaev<\/a> def. Nick Klein<\/a><\/p>\n Austin Bashi<\/a> def. John Yannis<\/a><\/p>\n Felipe Bunes<\/a> def. Rafael Estevam<\/a><\/p>\n Ketlen Souza<\/a> def. Piera Rodriguez<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The UFC APEX is back! 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