UFC Chile preview: Will Usman's rise continue or does Maia have more left?
Kamaru Usman is finally fighting in a main event, and while it may have taken longer than he wanted, it's an ideal situation for the "Nigerian Nightmare."
The 31-year-old was set to face Santiago Ponzinibbio in the UFC's first trip to Chile, where the crowd would likely have been much more supportive of the Argentinian. But injury struck, allowing 40-year-old Demian Maia to step in on 23 days' notice.
After complaining about the UFC's failure to promote African athletes and reportedly being the most-avoided fighter in the company, Usman gets the biggest bout of his career against Maia, who didn't get a full camp to prepare. Maia sits two spots ahead of Usman at No. 5 in the UFC welterweight rankings and struggled against Tyron Woodley and Colby Covington in his last two outings.
Similarly to Woodley and Covington, Usman uses a strong wrestling background. Against a Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist like Maia, the Nigerian will be able to use his wrestling to defend takedowns and keep the battle on the feet, where Usman should have the advantage.
After winning his last 11 fights, another victory Saturday would put Usman in the challenger conversation at welterweight, with a possible title eliminator bout up next.
For Maia, a win could crack the door open for one more title run. The 40-year-old recently said he believes he'll retire after his current contract, which includes three fights after Saturday's. Maia has the most wins by any Brazilian fighter in the UFC and the fourth-most overall, but he is 0-2 in championship bouts with the promotion. A loss to Usman would mark the first three-fight losing skid of Maia's career, essentially dashing his hopes of another title shot if he plans to stick by his retirement timeline.
Reyes the wrecking ball
The light heavyweight division is badly lacking stars and young talent, but 28-year-old Dominick Reyes could be the next big thing.
Reyes is undefeated through eight pro bouts and only made it out of the first round once in that stretch. In his four fights last year, Reyes competed for a total of 5 minutes and 28 seconds, notching three knockouts and one submission win.
After finishing Joachim Christensen and Jeremy Kimball in his first two UFC fights, Reyes takes on UFC veteran Jared Cannonier in his toughest test to date. Can the "Killa Gorilla" stop Reyes' path of destruction?
Women's flyweight gets new faces
The UFC women's flyweight division isn't exactly overflowing with talent and recognizable names, but the weight class essentially debuted last December, and things are just getting started.
Two newcomers to the division square off Saturday in Veronica Macedo, who moves down from bantamweight, and Andrea Lee, the former Legacy Fighting Alliance 125-lb champion who makes her UFC debut in Chile. Lee enters the promotion riding a four-fight winning streak competing in LFA and Invicta FC. Macedo lost her UFC debut to Ashlee Evans-Smith in October 2016 and an injury kept her out of action before she dropped down to flyweight.
Flyweight champion Nicco Montano has yet to defend her title, and no female fighter has competed more than once in the weight class on a UFC card. An impressive win by either Lee or Macedo could easily move them up the rankings in the young division.
Party on the prelims
One of the most important fights on the card is tucked away in the middle of the prelims.
Ranked flyweights Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja are both coming off losses that ended 11-fight winning streaks. Moreno, 24, last fought in the main event of UFC Mexico City in August and should be somewhat insulted by his relegation to the prelims of a card without much star power.
This bout is a rematch of an exhibition fight from the first round of "The Ultimate Fighter 24," in which Pantoja submitted Moreno. "The Assassin Baby" has arguably had more success in his UFC career since, but this could offer Pantoja an opportunity to jump his No. 7 opponent in the flyweight rankings.
Moreno was originally supposed to face former title challenger Ray Borg in Brooklyn at UFC 223. Borg was forced to withdraw after suffering an eye injury due to Conor McGregor infamously smashing a bus window, pushing the bout to Chile. He was then dealt more misfortune, however, as his newborn son was diagnosed with hydrocephalus in April, and he withdrew again.
Related - UFC Chile predictions: Is Maia ready for the 'Nigerian Nightmare'?
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)