9/9/26
The UFC travels to Glendale, Arizona, for the third annual UFC Noche, which features rising star Jean Silva, who believes he is a fight or two away from a title shot, facing off against an opponent he wasn’t supposed to face. After Yair Rodrigues pulled out of the fight weeks ago, Jose Delgado rose to the occasion and took the fight on short notice against one of the most dangerous featherweights in the division. The rest of the card features many ranked fights with some fan favorites who are looking to put on a show. Here is a preview of UFC Noche: Silva vs Delgado
David Martinez vs Dan Ige: Bantamweight
David Martinez is making a name for himself in the bantamweight division as he is 14-1 in his career and 3-0 in the UFC. He is on a 10-fight win streak and coming off wins against veterans and former title contenders Rob Font and Marlon Vera. He now faces Dan Ige, a featherweight staple for years, but he has moved down a weight class to face the young prospect. Ige is 19-11 in his career and 11-10 in the UFC. He will bring a level of experience that has not been matched by Martinez’s other opponents, except for a few. It will be the tale of the young and hungry vs the battle-tested veteran. A great fight to open the card with, as both fighters have a lot to prove.
Waldo Cortes Acosta vs Curtis Blaydes: Heavyweight
This fight features two ranked heavyweights who are some of the hardest-hitting fighters in the company. Waldo Cortes Acosta is the #5-ranked heavyweight in the world, and Curtis Blaydes is the #6-ranked. Cortes Acosta comes into this fight with a professional record of 19-3 and 10-3 in the UFC. He has been hovering around a title shot for a while, but his loss to Alexander Volkov postponed his plans. With a win over Blaydes, though, he jumps right back into the conversation as he looks to achieve his dreams of being the heavyweight champion.
Curtis Blaydes, on the other hand, comes into the contest with a professional record of 19-6 and 14-6 in the UFC. He has long been known for being one of the top heavyweights who can put anyone to sleep with his power. He is coming off a loss to Josh Hokit in a fight that many people will call fight of the year. A slugfest that defied logic how nobody getting knocked out. The only question for Blaydes now is how much damage he takes and whether it will take a toll on him. Cortes Acosta hits hard, and it is up in the air how Blaydes’ chin will hold up. Either way, both fighters are coming off a loss and need a win to get back into the conversation of who could be fighting for the belt soon.
Manon Fiorot vs Alex Grasso: Women’s Flyweight
As the only women’s fight on the main card, it might be the most competitive, as it features two of the best female fighters in the UFC. The #2-ranked women’s flyweight, Manon Fiorot, comes into the fight with an overall record of 13-2 and 8-1 in the UFC. She has quickly become one of the most dangerous strikers in the division, with power and technique that not many others can match. She fought for the title two fights ago and lost to Valentina Shevchenko, but since then got a KO victory against Jasmine Jasudavicius. She remains one of the top dogs in the weight class, but she is facing someone just as scary on the other end.
Alexa Grasso comes into this fight as the #3-ranked fighter in the division. With an overall record of 17-5-1 and 9-5 in the UFC. She is a former champion, beating Valentina Shevchenko once and taking her to a draw before losing the trilogy. She is coming off one of the scariest knockouts ever in her demolition of Maycee Barber in her next fight, and this win could get her another title shot in quick order. A pure striker vs a pure grappler will make for one of the most technical fights of the night, and it could go either way.
Tommy McMillen vs Marwan Rahiki: Featherweight
Tommy McMillen specifically asked to be on this card after his historic performance in his last fight, and his request was granted. McMillen comes into the fight with an undefeated 111-0 record and 2-0 in the UFC. A prospect out of Sean O’Malley’s camp who has already become controversial but has the skills to back it up. He is a major volume striker with good power, but he is best known for his antics and trash talk. He has talked a lot coming into this fight as he faces another undefeated fighter, Marwan Rahiki. Rahiki is 9-0 in his career and also 2-0 in the UFC, with eight of his nine wins being by knockout. Both fighters put it all on the line time and time again, and this will be no different. Expect fireworks, trash talk, and potentially a knockout when these two meet in the octagon.
Brandon Moreno vs Joseph Morales: Flyweight
The former flyweight champion and likely biggest crowd favorite, the first Mexican UFC champion to return in Brandon Moreno. He comes into the fight with an overall record of 23-10-2 and 11-7 in the UFC. He is on a two-fight losing streak and looking to get back into the win column. He is still one of the most skilled flyweights in the world and a pure mixed martial artist. There isn’t anything he can’t do at a high level despite the losing streak.
He will be facing a young and impressive Joseph Morales, though, who comes into the fight with an overall record of 14-2 and 3-2 in the UFC. He has spent some time away from the UFC and is now on a five-fight win streak. He is coming off a great submission win over Matt Schnell in his last fight, and if he were to win this one, he would burst into the top ten rankings. Moreno needs a win and has the skills to get it done, but Morales is coming with a mission to complete. A great co-main on this stacked card that fans will be pleased with.
Jean Silva vs Jose Miguel Delgado: Featherweight
The main event changed just weeks ago, as it was supposed to be Jean Silva vs Yair Rodrigues in a matchup that might have been one of the wildest fights of the year between two of the best featherweights in the company. Rodrigues pulled out of the fight, and in stepped Jose Delgado, who is taking a big step in his MMA career. Win or lose, he has gained massive respect from MMA fans. Jean Silva comes into the fight as the #6-ranked featherweight with a professional record of 17-3 and 6-1 in the UFC. He is a very powerful featherweight who can put anyone out and has great striking to set up his knockout shots. His only loss came to a top-two fighter in the division, Diego Lopez. Besides that, he has run through his competition with ease and is looking to do it again.
Jose Delgado comes into the fight unranked with a record of 12-2 overall and 4-1 in the UFC. From fighting unranked opponents to being on the edge of being in the top ten of the division is a massive jump. It would be one of the biggest upsets of the year, possibly ever, if he could get it done. He is a well-rounded fighter with good grappling and striking. A big weight on his shoulders coming into this fight, but it is a win-win scenario. If he wins, he is a highly ranked featherweight who could be a few fights away from a title. If he loses, no one will look down on his performance because he took this fight on short notice against a killer. It will make for a great main event, and the fans will be satisfied at the end of the night.