UFC 285: Early preliminary card preview, stats and odds as Ian Garry battles Song Kenan
- Liam Hampton
- 4 March 2023
Five bouts make up the UFC 285 early prelims, headlining the early show is Ian Garry as he looks to extend his perfect record to 11-0 as he faces Chinese warrior Song Kenan.
Bursting onto the scene at UFC 268, Ireland's Garry secured an emphatic knockout victory at 4:59 of the first round against Jordan Williams to announce himself to the UFC welterweight division.
He followed that performance up with decision wins over Darian Weeks and Gabe Green to take his MMA record to a perfect 10-0.
Kenan's UFC career also started with a bang, debuting in front of his home crowd in China where he knocked out Bobby Nash just 15 seconds into the first round.
That result sparked a promotional run that would see him go 4-2 with three finishes.
However, Kenan has not fought for almost two years, with his last outing ending in a first round loss to Max Griffin. During that time Garry has been steadily working on his game and has competed five times since Kenan's absence.
The psychical presence of Garry will be incredibly difficult to figure out. Standing at 6'3" he will tower over Kenan and his measured striking from range could prove to be a real problem.
My prediction for this fight is Ian Garry to secure a knockout in the second round. His striking combinations are excellent and his tendency to end his combination with a right high kick could spell trouble for Song Kenan.
Key Stats
None of the men Song Kenan has defeated in the UFC are still with the promotion.
Ian Garry will have a 2.5" reach advantage in this fight.
Suggested Bets
Ian Garry to win in round 2.
Ian Garry to win by KO/TKO.
Mana Martinez vs Cameron Saaiman
The latest prospect to arise from the developing South African MMA scene, Cameron Saaiman looks to improve his record to 8-0 against another young prospect in the form of Texas' Mana Martinez.
The Houston native secured a contract after being featured on "Dana White: Lookin' for a Fight" and has since repaid that decision with wins over Guido Cannetti and Brandon Davis.
Saaiman was found via Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series, where after coming in as a betting underdog he smashed Josh Wang-Kim with a brutal left hook.
Saaiman's striking is his most valuable asset. Five of his seven career wins have come from the stopping power of his strikes and when he can't utilize it he tends to have a tougher night out.
His UFC debut vs Steve Koslow was not as smooth as it may look as the grappling ace frustrated Saaiman with his submission skills, but a combination of taking the fight on short notice and an illegal strike swayed the fight for Saaiman.
Striking should be the order of the day then as Mana Martinez is also a dangerous striker who likes to get it done early.
Although his UFC career has had only decisions thus far, his pre UFC tenure saw him finish all eight of his fights via knockout.
My prediction is that Cameron Saaiman will extend his winning streak but it will be a tougher ask than expected, Martinez is also a legitimate prospect but I feel Saaiman will just have too much for him on this occasion.
Key Stats
All three of Mana Martinez's UFC fights have gone to a decision.
Martinez missed weight for this bought weighing in at 137lbs
Suggested Bets
Saaiman to win by decision.
Fight to go the distance - Yes.
Jessica Penne vs Tabitha Ricci
A late career resurgence was spoiled for Jessica Penne in her last fight as she lost a unanimous decision to Emily Ducote.
The now 40 year old Penne is in her career swansong and the one time title challenger refuses to go out quietly as she faces prospect Tabatha Ricci.
Ricci is the latest in a long line of Brazilian prospects and, despite losing her UFC debut to Manon Fiorot on short notice, has secured a pair of wins over Maria Oliveira and Polyana Viana.
Ricci's greatest strength is her ability to take the fight to the ground, averaging 3.95 takedowns per 15 minutes of fight time.
Penne had an incredibly unforgiving start to life in the UFC back in 2014. After securing a win over Randa Markos, she faced Joanna Jedrzejczyk for title in which she was mercilessly beaten and then future champion Jessica Andrade where she suffered a similar fate, a third loss to Danielle Taylor saw her career go on hiatus for good reason.
After a four year break she returned to defeat Lupita Godinez and Karolina Kowalkiewicz but the resurgence was short lived after the loss to Ducote.
If Penne is to get back on track she will need to use her own wrestling to nullify the submission threat of Ricci, for Ricci out-foxing a crafty veteran like Penne will be difficult but a must if she looks to carry on progressing through the strawweight division.
My prediction is a Tabatha Ricci victory and Jessica Penne to call time on a very respectable MMA career.
Key Stats
Jessica Penne will have a 5" reach advantage.
Suggested Bets
Tabatha Ricci to win on points.
Tabatha Ricci to win by submission.
Farid Basharat vs Da'Mon Blackshear
Two grappling aces square off in a bantamweight bout as Afghanistan's Farid Basharat faces North Carolina's Da'Mon Blackshear, with a combined 13 submissions in 21 wins, both these men will be looking to get the fight on the matt and show off their skills.
Basharat is part of a rare group of fighters competing in the UFC alongside their sibling, to add extra competition at home both Farid and his brother Javid fight at bantamweight and are undefeated in their promising UFC careers.
After primarily competing on the regional circuit in England, Basharat made an impression in his bout on Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series, dominating Allan Begosso for three rounds to secure a unanimous decision victory.
Blackshear does not have a perfect record like his Afghani counterpart, the American grappling ace made his UFC debut on short notice against Youssef Zalal which ended in a draw.
However prior to his debut he had an extensive career fighting the best available on the USA regional scene which included him facing Pat Sabatini and Danny Sabatello.
Both men know where they want this fight to take place and a war of attrition could be on the cards as both men try and break down each other gameplan.
My prediction is that Basharat will come out on top using his superb wrestling, however Blackshear is not to be underestimated and could cause the unbeaten fighter plenty of issues on the ground.
Key Stats
Prior to his contender series contest, Basharat's opponents had a combined record of 29-19, with 16 of those wins coming Janne Elonen-Kulmala.
All four of Blackshear's losses have come at the hands of the judges.
Suggested Bets
Farid Basharat to win by decision.
Da'Mon Blackshear to win by submission.
Loik Radzhabov vs Esteban Ribovics
Two fighters with hugely passionate fanbases will look to start the night with a bang as Tajikistan's Loik Radzhabov and Argentina's Esteban Ribovics make their UFC debuts.
Tajikistan's Radzhabov has had one of the more curious routes to the UFC, a finalist of the PFL $1million tournament, he was due to compete on the latest season of the Ultimate Fighter however he was axed from the series at the last minute reportedly so Conor McGregor could bring in his own teammates.
But when opportunity knocks, he answered as Kamuela Kirk pulled out of this bout with an injury, giving him the opportunity to step in and make his UFC debut.
Ribovics has had a more conventional route to his UFC debut, a perfect record fighting in regional promotions across Argentina, Ribovics won his bout on Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series by an emphatic first round knockout over Thomas Paull to secure his place on the UFC roster.
"El Gringo" is a finishing machine with all 11 of his career victories coming inside the distance and he is getting more efficient with each fight as four of his last five fights have not left the first round.
Radzhabov is made of tougher stuff though, a smothering wrestler who has faced former UFC fighters Rashid Magomedov and Chris Wade, he looked far too good for the Ultimate Fighter so now is his time to grab his opportunity with both hands.
This fight is tough to predict, a classic wrestler vs striker battle, Eastern European wrestling vs exotic Latin striking. I would expect Radzhabov to grind out a victory with his wrestling and give a somewhat conservative performance to secure a first UFC win.
Key Stats
Radzhabov has never been finished in any of his four career losses.
Suggested Bets
Fight to go the distance - Yes.
