Jared Cannonier Ready to Earn Some Redemption at UFC Vegas 96

August 8, 2024

7 months

Jared Cannonier may have been unable to beat Nassourdine Imavov in Louisville, Kentucky, in June. But Cannnonier would have liked to have more of an opportunity to see if he could have survived a swarm of strong punches. Looking at MMAfighting latest news people will see that Cannnonier lost by fourth-round TKO to Nassourdine Imavov in a fight many people thought was stopped too early.

Cannonier, a former middleweight title challenger, will be eager to headline the UFC Vegas 96 event against Caio Borralho at the Apex. Borralho is a dangerous opponent. He is part of the Fighting Nerds, a gym that produces several high-quality prospects. Borralho is ranked No. 12 in the middleweight division and needs a bump to crack the top 10.

Cannonier is a ferocious puncher and ranked fifth in the division. He will be a real test for Borralho, who has primarily leaned on his wrestling during the early part of his UFC career. Borralho is on a 16-fight unbeaten streak.

Cannonier and Borralho will headline a strong fight card. Here’s a look at some of the action that will be going on.

Angela Hill Defies Father Time

Angela Hill is still fighting at a strong level at age 39. Hill has been one of the UFC’s most active female fighters. That experience has served her well during her career.

For the first time in her career, Hill won by submission during her last fight with Luana Pinheiro in May. Anyone looking at MMA news sites will see it was her second straight win. She is now 17-13 in her career.

Hill will now try to take on another younger contender, ten years her junior. Tabatha Ricci has won five of her seven fights since joining the UFC. However, Ricci had a rough last performance against Tecia Pennington, scraping out a narrow-split decision win.

Hill and Ricci are both content to stand and strike. While Ricci has a more extensive background in grappling, she hasn’t shown it off in the UFC. This fight will likely be close and could result in a split decision.

Beware of Neil Magny

Neil Magny proved during his last fight that he is the ultimate gatekeeper for the UFC. During Magny’s last performance, he was dominated for two rounds before outlasting up-and-comer Mike Malott with a third-round knockout. Magny has 40 professional fights and is usually tasked with handling top talent coming up the ranks.

For this fight card, Magny will be tasked with trying to beat Michael Morales, who is 16-0 in his career. Morales is 25 years old and has finished 11 of his career wins by knockout.

People keep questioning when Magny, 37, will give up on his dream of chasing after winning a UFC title belt. Magny has gone 3-3 over his last six fights but always fights tough opponents. Two of the losses were to undefeated phenoms Shavkhat Rakhmonov and Ian Garry.

Magny also lost to Gilbert Burns, who was a welterweight title challenger. Morales has yet to fight other top talent like Magny has. This will be another tough spot for another challenger.

Shahbazyan Ready for Next Challenge

Edmen Shahbazyan doesn’t seem that old. It’s because he isn’t. MMA latest updates note that at one time, Shahbazyan was an exciting, undefeated prospect people thought could do big things. But Shahbazyan was never the same after suffering a pummeling from Derek Brunson in August 2020.

Shahbazyan, who was 11-0 in the fight with Brunson, has suffered three knockout losses since then. He also hasn’t been able to win consecutive fights since the loss. Shahbazyan did bounce back during his last fight, scoring a knockout win over A.J. Dobson.

But can Shabazyan build off of it? Fighting Gerald Meerschaert at this event will be an exciting challenge. Meerschaert has 28 submission victories in his career. But grappling won’t be something Shahbazyan will shy away from. He built his career by training with Ronda Rousey.

Meerschaert has had difficulty winning fights when his grappling isn’t working. His striking is mediocre at best. During Meerschaert’s last fight, he was able to wrap up Bryan Barberrena in a neck crank to earn a win by technical submission.

Silva Looks for Improved Performance

Danny Silva has won nine of his first ten professional fights. Silva will want to make things more clear as his career rolls along. During Silva’s debut on the main card, he picked up a split decision win over Josh Culibao.

Silva will fight Dennis Buzukja, who finally put together a strong performance after losing back-to-back fights. Buzukja was impressed by winning his last fight, landing a left hook, and finishing his opponent off with big hammer fists.

This will be an important fight for both men who are attempting to build up their reputation in the UFC.

Victoria Leonardo Looks to Change Fate

Victoria Leonardo has had a rough run of things recently. She has lost three of her last four fights by knockout. Leonardo will now have a women’s flyweight bout with Wang Cong, where she looks to get her mojo back.

Wang came into the UFC through the Road to UFC season 3. Wang doesn’t have the power that Leonardo’s other opponents have had recently. Wang has won two of her career fights via submission.

She is 5-0 in her career but has fought chiefly on regional programs in Asia. Wang will need to prove that she has the skills to hang with people in the top promotion in the world. Leonardo has had a tough time recently, but having an opponent making her debut should provide her with a boost of confidence.

Here’s a list of the rest of the fights scheduled for the card: