UFC Vegas 76 Preview

The UFC returns to the Apex tomorrow and with that so do two fighters that UFC fans have been looking forward to seeing back in the octagon.

After having pulled out of a fight through injury (staph infection) and then having a fight cancelled due to a visa issue, when offered a fight with Elves Brenner, Guram accepted in a heartbeat. Though the two cancelled fights may have knocked the momentum and confidence of some fighters, this was not the case for Guram Kutateladze, who kept his head down, took no time off from training and waited for the UFC to call with a replacement fight.

The Georgian Viking, returning to the ring after a year-long hiatus, aims to secure a victory against the promising contender, Brener. Both fighters will make their debut appearance in the APEX arena, and spectators can anticipate a thrilling showcase of striking techniques with numerous impactful strikes.

Kutateladze has garnered significant attention within the MMA community, particularly following his impressive triumph over the highly regarded Lightweight prospect, Mateusz Gamrot. Although his absence from the octagon has somewhat diminished the buzz surrounding him, Kutateladze seeks to reaffirm his worthiness of facing ranked opponents. He will face the challenge of deciphering the ground-game expertise of Elves Brener, who made a major upset by defeating Zubaira Tukhugov in his debut. The UFC wasted no time in pitting Brener against another formidable opponent in Guram, aiming to assess the true extent of his talent as a prospect from Chute Box.

In an interview with the Blockasset media team who have been with Guram throughout the fight camp since early June, Guram Kutateladze laid out his plan, and it was a simple one. “We’re ready to go. I was born to go, we will see on July 1st, we just fly over, we take over, and we get back home.”

The BlockAccess series on Guram can be viewed on the Blockasset YouTube channel with the first episode available to watch now:

Another fan favourite returning to the octagon this weekend is Kevin Lee.

Lee, 30, was a rising star on a five-fight winning streak when he fought Tony Ferguson for the interim UFC lightweight title in October 2017. After losing by third-round submission, Lee went 2-4 in his next six fights before the UFC released him after an August 2021 loss to Daniel Rodriguez.

Lee said he hasn’t really fought to his potential since a November 2019 Knockout of the Year contender against Gregor Gillespie at UFC 244. Even in his win outside the UFC, a unanimous decision against Diego Sanchez at Eagle FC 46 in March 2022, Lee said he wasn’t himself coming off knee surgery.

“The fans haven’t really seen me since I fought Charles Oliveira (in March 2020), and they’re gonna see a different version of me in this fight,” Lee said. “A bigger, stronger, more mature, faster version. I’m excited to show that I’ve been in the dark for these three years, and now I get to come to the light.”

Lee, who goes by the moniker “Motown Phenom,” has always been physically gifted, which is why expectations were high early in his UFC career. His biggest issue, he said, has always been the mental aspect. Lee, though, says that he feels good after joining Kill Cliff MMA in South Florida.

“Mentally I feel more clear, more clarity. I feel more put together,” Lee said. “I think you’re gonna see a much more experienced me, and I think that’s what’s really gonna show through in this fight. He hasn’t fought anybody at this level. I might not have fought for a while, but I’ve got 18 fights in the UFC against former world champions, against current world champions, against a lot of different dudes. I think me relying on experience and being a strong, still athletic guy is going to shine through.”

In the main event on Saturday Sean Strickland takes on the dangerous Abus Magomedov.

Strickland is looking to make it back-to-back wins, having beaten Nassourdine Imavov on points in January, following two straight losses last year.

Meanwhile, Russian Magomedov, also 32, enters Las Vegas on the back of a three-fight win streak, with all of those wins having come via stoppage.

Strickland sits at No 7 in the middleweight rankings as he bids to re-enter the title picture, and he is risking his place in the top 10 here as he faces an dangerous, heavy handed unranked opponent in Magomedov.