After falling short against the division’s elite, Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez will look to prove they still belong at the top of the featherweight division this Saturday (July 16, 2022) when they headline UFC Long Island. inside UBS Arena in Belmont Park, New York. The card televised by ABC will also see Michelle Waterson take on Amanda Lemos, Li Jingliang trading hands with fellow welterweight finisher Muslim Salikhov, and Sumudaerji ending a lengthy layoff against Matt Schnell.

Three more UFC Long Island “Prelims” undercard fights remain to be reviewed (check out the first batch here). Let’s crack…

135 pounds: Ricky Simon versus. Jack Shore

A three-game winning streak, which included victories over division stars Merab Dvalishvili and Montel Jackson, had Ricky Simon (19-3) on the brink of contention before suffering back-to-back losses to Urijah Faber and Rob Font. He has since clawed his way back with four straight wins, the most recent of which saw him knock out Raphael Assuncao in December 2021.

He gives up two inches in height and reaches “Tank”.

Jack Shore (16-0) entered the Octagon as the Cage Warriors’ bantamweight champion, and his current 5-0 run in the UFC has proven that he’s not a big deal. fish in a small pond. His biggest win to date came in March 2022, when he dueled Timur Valiev to earn an entertaining decision win.

He submitted eight professional enemies and knocked out six others.

It’s eerily reminiscent of Shore’s match with Valiev, which isn’t a good sign for Simon. Like ‘Lucky’, Simon has the advantage of speed and footwork, as well as a solid wrestling game that can give even ‘Tank’s trouble a try. Also like “Lucky”, Simon is cursed with a shaky chin that doomed him against Faber and prevented him from building momentum against Font. While Shore isn’t a one-punch knockout artist, he’s skilled enough and has enough noise to short Simon.

All signs point to a super competitive back-and-forth battle both on the feet and on the mat, with Shore’s power shots making the difference. At the end, enjoy another classic from this incredibly stacked division.

Prediction: Shore by unanimous decision

185 pounds: Punahele Soriano versus. Dalcha Lungiambula

After making his first trip in front of the judges on Competitor Series, Punahele Soriano (8-2) found his way back to the finish with first-round knockouts of Oskar Piechota and Dusko Todorovic. He has since struggled to regain that momentum, dropping back-to-back decisions to colleagues Competitor Series former Brendan Allen and Nick Maximov.

His seven professional stoppage wins include five by (technical) knockout.

Dalcha Lungiambula began his UFC career 2-1 after a double championship run in the venerable EFC promotion, with the only loss coming to Magomed Ankalaev. Despite the early success, he enters the cage this Saturday amid a two-fight skid.

“Champion” is three inches shorter than Soriano, but will have a 3.5-inch reach advantage.

Lungiambula just can’t seem to combine his immense athleticism, judo training and punching power into a cohesive whole. His boxing hasn’t developed well and he has yet to find a rhythm he can maintain while still being effective. Soriano may also be less than the sum of his parts, but his durability, hard wrestling, and concussive left hand are a formula for success in this game.

There is simply no clear path to victory for Lungiambula. Indeed, he can’t dispatch Soriano, can’t break that concrete dome, and can’t always knock him down. Anyway, Soriano finds the mark with something nasty as soon as Lungiambula’s gas tank runs out.

Prediction: Soriano via second-round technical knockout

145 pounds: Bill Algeo versus. Herbert Burns

Although he failed against Brendan Loughnane on Competitor Series, Bill Algeo (15-6) got his UFC opportunity by stepping up on short notice to fight Ricardo Lamas to a “Fight of the Night” decision loss. “Senor Perfecto” has now tied his UFC record at 2-2, a loss to Ricardo Lamas sandwiched between wins over Spike Carlyle and Joanderson Brito.

He was originally scheduled to meet Billy Quarantillo, while Burns had a date with Khusein Askhabov.

“The Heat” followed his submission win over Competitor Series with back-to-back first-round finishes against Nate Landwehr and Even Dunham. Then came a disastrous encounter with Daniel Pineda which saw Burns lose weight before being crushed into oblivion.

This is his first appearance in nearly two years.

As disappointed as I am that we won’t see Algeo and Quarantillo bouncing a dozen punches off each other’s heads every minute, I love the matchmaking here. Algeo’s height, movement and volume could be a nightmare for Burns, especially after a huge layoff. If “Senor Perfecto” can drag Burns into the second round, he has the tools to snowball like Pineda did.

It’s one hell of an “if”, though.

That’s because everyone who tried to defeat Algeo in the Octagon succeeded, and while Algeo was never in danger on the court against a decorated black belt in Ricardo Ramos, Burns is on another level. . As long as he figured out the weight cut, Burns drags Algeo to the mat early and finds his neck soon after.

Prediction: Burns via first-round submission

UFC Long Island’s main event is pure mayhem, and you don’t want to miss slugfests like Li vs. Salikhov and Burgos vs. Jourdain. See you Saturday, the Maniacs.

Prediction record for 2022: 98-49

remember that MMAmania.com will provide live, round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Long Island fight card on the right herestarting with ESPN/ESPN+ “Preliminaries” matches, which are due to start at 11 a.m. ET, then the remaining balance of the main card on ABC /ESPN+ at 2 p.m. ET.

For all the latest and greatest news and notes from UFC Long Island: ‘Ortega vs. Yair’, be sure to check out our comprehensive event archive. here.