UFC 321 has the chance to shake up multiple divisions. Saturday’s pay-per-view has two title fights, Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane and Virna Jandiroba vs. Mackenzie Dern, on the poster — but it’s the undercard that shows glimpses of the future.
Umar Nurmagomedov is by far the biggest non-title name on the card. The bantamweight title challenger, cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, is someone fully capable of becoming UFC champion. Then there’s Alexander Volkov vs. Jailton Almeida, a fight that likely produces the top challenger for whoever leaves Abu Dhabi as undisputed heavyweight champion.
With so much to dig into, let’s learn more about three undercard fights that deserve your attention at UFC 321.
Don’t be surprised to see the winner of this fight challenging for the bantamweight title sooner or later. Nurmagomedov learned tough lessons in a competitive loss to UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili in January. Despite the loss, many believe he has the best chance of taking the title from Dvalishvili. A bounce-back win is imperative to prove that. Bautista has quietly compiled a resume that, pending Saturday’s result, should earn him a title shot. He’s on an eight-fight winning streak with recent wins over former UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo and former Bellator bantamweight champ Patchy Mix. Bautista will need to be in the best form of his career to overcome Nurmagomedov, but doing so puts him on the shortlist of bantamweight contenders.
This heavyweight scrap has significant implications in the division. Volkov and Almeida are ranked No. 2 and No. 5 in the UFC’s official heavyweight rankings, respectively. The winner has a no-brainer case to challenge the champion, excluding an Alex Pereira jump-up. Former Bellator and M-1 champion Volkov is in rare form. Heading into his fight with Gane, Volkov had a four-fight winning streak with three finishes. Everyone and their dog thinks Volkov beat Gane in December, except for the two judges who awarded him a split decision. Almeida is a next-level finisher with a mean grappling game. He’s 8-1 in the UFC and has stopped 21 opponents in 22 wins.
Rebecki does not know what boring means. The “Contender Series” graduate scored a knockout and submission win in his second and third UFC fights, respectively, both times against fighters who missed weight. Things get better when fighters’ chins hold up. Rebecki’s last two fights went the distance but were awarded Fight of the Night. Klein doesn’t have the same reputation, but he was a killer on the regional scene — finishing 14 of 15 wins. If anyone can drag that side out of him, it’s Rebecki.
