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Welcome to the MMA News’ Sleeper Scrap! The relentless schedule of the MMA world means that some fans don’t have a full look at a fight card until days before the event, leaving the promoters to decide which bouts you should be paying the most attention to.
Everyone wants to tune in for main events and fights that feature popular names, but that means meaningful or potentially action-packed matchups from elsewhere on fight cards sometimes get lost in the shuffle. A Sleeper Scrap might highlight interesting style matchups, fighters with notable storylines, or bouts that simply have the chance to be a Fight of the Night contender.
The UFC’s final event of the year is a Fight Night card that includes a surprising amount of intriguing matchups, many of which probably deserve a bit more attention than they’re currently getting. One lightweight matchup from the event’s prelims stands out in particular, and that fight between Rafa Garcia and Maheshate is this week’s Sleeper Scrap.
The Matchup
After making his pro debut in 2019, Maheshate put together a 7-1 pro record competing in his native China before earning a spot on Contender Series 2021.
Maheshate closed as a fairly significant underdog in his matchup with Achilles Estremadura, who had considerable success backing the Chinese fighter up with big blitzes in the first round.
The 23-year-old was largely unfazed even after eating some big strikes, but after landing a big flying knee in the second round the Chinese lightweight began to take over with his kicks and increased striking output.
Estremadura continued having moments of success in the second and third rounds, but Maheshate’s clear shift in confidence resulted in him striking his way to a unanimous decision win and a UFC contract.
Maheshate ate some huge strikes before earning a unanimous decision on Contender Series 2021. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Maheshate’s sensational UFC debut eliminated any lingering memories of those first-round struggles on Contender Series. Facing Steve Garcia at UFC 275, the 23-year-old cracked Garcia early before landing a counter right hand as he was backing up that ended things just over a minute into the first round.
Rafa Garcia arrived in the UFC with an 11-0 record that was capped off by claiming the Combate lightweight title in 2020, but the Mexican fighter quickly encountered some adversity in the UFC’s lightweight division.
“Gifted” dropped decisions in his first two UFC bouts against Nasrat Haqparast and Chris Gruetzmacher in 2021, but Garcia closed the year out by outlasting Natan Levy in the latter’s UFC debut.
The 28-year-old followed that performance with a second-straight win when he submitted Jesse Ronson to kick off this year, but a competitive decision loss to Drakkar Klose halted his momentum and left Garcia with a 2-3 record in the UFC.
Garcia overcame a point deduction to submit Jesse Ronson earlier this year. (Zuffa LLC)
On paper, this fight has all the makings of a classic striker vs. grappler matchup. The caveat to that is Maheshate hasn’t really had a chance to show off any of his grappling skills since leaving China, and Garcia is plenty willing to trade with opponents before looking for his takedown attempts.
The relatively upright stance Maheshate showed off on Contender Series and in his UFC debut could make him an easy target for Garcia’s takedowns, but the 23-year-old will also hold a significant size advantage that could assist him in any potential grappling exchanges.
Maheshate was definitely hittable during his Contender Series fight, and he can’t be so confident in his own striking that he forgets about the big overhand punches that Garcia is fond of throwing. The Chinese fighter’s kicking game should be a useful weapon against a smaller opponent, but that could also open him up to being taken down if Garcia is able to catch any of those kicks.
The Stakes
It’s no secret that the UFC are always eager for new fighters to help break into major international markets, and China has long been one of the promotion’s biggest targets.
With Weili Zhang having reclaimed the strawweight title and top contenders like Song Yadong already on the roster, there’s no doubt the UFC would love for the 23-year-old Maheshate to establish himself as a possible star at lightweight.
A highlight-reel knockout in his UFC debut certainly went a long way towards generating some hype for Maheshate, but stylistically this is a fairly difficult outing for his second fight in the promotion. Garcia is extremely experienced, and if Maheshate does have any holes in his takedown defense or ground game then “Gifted” has the perfect style to exploit that.
Maheshate flatlined Steve Garcia in his UFC debut. (Zuffa LLC)
Given his youth and it being early in his UFC tenure, a loss here could simply be written off as being part of Maheshate’s development process. What would be more concerning for his future is if he finds himself significantly exposed on the ground, but possibly coming up short while putting on a good performance against Garcia wouldn’t do too much to hurt his stock.
For Garcia, this fight is a chance to even out his own UFC record by halting the momentum of a young fighter coming off a significant knockout win.
“Gifted” has given a good account of himself even in his losses, but his overall striking game isn’t deep enough to win fights without working in some takedowns. His last fight with Klose was a good example of how things can go poorly if he isn’t able to utilize his wrestling, and the 28-year-old would obviously like to avoid a developing a reputation as being a somewhat one-dimensional fighter.
Garcia struggled to assert his wrestling against Drakkar Klose. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
A loss to Maheshate might not be enough for the UFC to cut Garcia, but it would leave him with a 2-4 record after arriving in the promotion as an undefeated Combate champion. That’s far from a comfortable place to be, and “Gifted” would be much better off using his experience to handle the younger fighter and close out the year with a win.
There’s a good chance this fight shakes out in favor of whichever man can keep the action in their preferred area. Maheshate’s kicking game and size should allow him to handle Garcia on the feet, although the 23-year-old could certainly find his chin tested if he gets too comfortable letting the Mexican walk forward with punches.
“Gifted” is at his best when he’s able to get things to the mat and hunt for submissions, and that should be even more enticing in this bout with a young fighter that faced a questionable level of competition prior to his Contender Series fight.
How do you think this bout between Garcia and Maheshate will turn out? Are there any other fights from UFC Vegas 66 that you feel deserve more attention?
Welcome to the MMA News’ Sleeper Scrap! The relentless schedule of the MMA world means that some fans don’t have a full look at a fight card until days before the event, leaving the promoters to decide which bouts you should be paying the most attention to.
Everyone wants to tune in for main events and fights that feature popular names, but that means meaningful or potentially action-packed matchups from elsewhere on fight cards sometimes get lost in the shuffle. A Sleeper Scrap might highlight interesting style matchups, fighters with notable storylines, or bouts that simply have the chance to be a Fight of the Night contender.
The UFC’s final event of the year is a Fight Night card that includes a surprising amount of intriguing matchups, many of which probably deserve a bit more attention than they’re currently getting. One lightweight matchup from the event’s prelims stands out in particular, and that fight between Rafa Garcia and Maheshate is this week’s Sleeper Scrap.
The Matchup
After making his pro debut in 2019, Maheshate put together a 7-1 pro record competing in his native China before earning a spot on Contender Series 2021.
Maheshate closed as a fairly significant underdog in his matchup with Achilles Estremadura, who had considerable success backing the Chinese fighter up with big blitzes in the first round.
The 23-year-old was largely unfazed even after eating some big strikes, but after landing a big flying knee in the second round the Chinese lightweight began to take over with his kicks and increased striking output.
Estremadura continued having moments of success in the second and third rounds, but Maheshate’s clear shift in confidence resulted in him striking his way to a unanimous decision win and a UFC contract.
Maheshate ate some huge strikes before earning a unanimous decision on Contender Series 2021. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Maheshate’s sensational UFC debut eliminated any lingering memories of those first-round struggles on Contender Series. Facing Steve Garcia at UFC 275, the 23-year-old cracked Garcia early before landing a counter right hand as he was backing up that ended things just over a minute into the first round.
Rafa Garcia arrived in the UFC with an 11-0 record that was capped off by claiming the Combate lightweight title in 2020, but the Mexican fighter quickly encountered some adversity in the UFC’s lightweight division.
“Gifted” dropped decisions in his first two UFC bouts against Nasrat Haqparast and Chris Gruetzmacher in 2021, but Garcia closed the year out by outlasting Natan Levy in the latter’s UFC debut.
The 28-year-old followed that performance with a second-straight win when he submitted Jesse Ronson to kick off this year, but a competitive decision loss to Drakkar Klose halted his momentum and left Garcia with a 2-3 record in the UFC.
Garcia overcame a point deduction to submit Jesse Ronson earlier this year. (Zuffa LLC)
On paper, this fight has all the makings of a classic striker vs. grappler matchup. The caveat to that is Maheshate hasn’t really had a chance to show off any of his grappling skills since leaving China, and Garcia is plenty willing to trade with opponents before looking for his takedown attempts.
The relatively upright stance Maheshate showed off on Contender Series and in his UFC debut could make him an easy target for Garcia’s takedowns, but the 23-year-old will also hold a significant size advantage that could assist him in any potential grappling exchanges.
Maheshate was definitely hittable during his Contender Series fight, and he can’t be so confident in his own striking that he forgets about the big overhand punches that Garcia is fond of throwing. The Chinese fighter’s kicking game should be a useful weapon against a smaller opponent, but that could also open him up to being taken down if Garcia is able to catch any of those kicks.
The Stakes
It’s no secret that the UFC are always eager for new fighters to help break into major international markets, and China has long been one of the promotion’s biggest targets.
With Weili Zhang having reclaimed the strawweight title and top contenders like Song Yadong already on the roster, there’s no doubt the UFC would love for the 23-year-old Maheshate to establish himself as a possible star at lightweight.
A highlight-reel knockout in his UFC debut certainly went a long way towards generating some hype for Maheshate, but stylistically this is a fairly difficult outing for his second fight in the promotion. Garcia is extremely experienced, and if Maheshate does have any holes in his takedown defense or ground game then “Gifted” has the perfect style to exploit that.
Maheshate flatlined Steve Garcia in his UFC debut. (Zuffa LLC)
Given his youth and it being early in his UFC tenure, a loss here could simply be written off as being part of Maheshate’s development process. What would be more concerning for his future is if he finds himself significantly exposed on the ground, but possibly coming up short while putting on a good performance against Garcia wouldn’t do too much to hurt his stock.
For Garcia, this fight is a chance to even out his own UFC record by halting the momentum of a young fighter coming off a significant knockout win.
“Gifted” has given a good account of himself even in his losses, but his overall striking game isn’t deep enough to win fights without working in some takedowns. His last fight with Klose was a good example of how things can go poorly if he isn’t able to utilize his wrestling, and the 28-year-old would obviously like to avoid a developing a reputation as being a somewhat one-dimensional fighter.
Garcia struggled to assert his wrestling against Drakkar Klose. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
A loss to Maheshate might not be enough for the UFC to cut Garcia, but it would leave him with a 2-4 record after arriving in the promotion as an undefeated Combate champion. That’s far from a comfortable place to be, and “Gifted” would be much better off using his experience to handle the younger fighter and close out the year with a win.
There’s a good chance this fight shakes out in favor of whichever man can keep the action in their preferred area. Maheshate’s kicking game and size should allow him to handle Garcia on the feet, although the 23-year-old could certainly find his chin tested if he gets too comfortable letting the Mexican walk forward with punches.
“Gifted” is at his best when he’s able to get things to the mat and hunt for submissions, and that should be even more enticing in this bout with a young fighter that faced a questionable level of competition prior to his Contender Series fight.
How do you think this bout between Garcia and Maheshate will turn out? Are there any other fights from UFC Vegas 66 that you feel deserve more attention?
Click here to view the article.
Everyone wants to tune in for main events and fights that feature popular names, but that means meaningful or potentially action-packed matchups from elsewhere on fight cards sometimes get lost in the shuffle. A Sleeper Scrap might highlight interesting style matchups, fighters with notable storylines, or bouts that simply have the chance to be a Fight of the Night contender.
The UFC’s final event of the year is a Fight Night card that includes a surprising amount of intriguing matchups, many of which probably deserve a bit more attention than they’re currently getting. One lightweight matchup from the event’s prelims stands out in particular, and that fight between Rafa Garcia and Maheshate is this week’s Sleeper Scrap.
The Matchup
After making his pro debut in 2019, Maheshate put together a 7-1 pro record competing in his native China before earning a spot on Contender Series 2021.
Maheshate closed as a fairly significant underdog in his matchup with Achilles Estremadura, who had considerable success backing the Chinese fighter up with big blitzes in the first round.
The 23-year-old was largely unfazed even after eating some big strikes, but after landing a big flying knee in the second round the Chinese lightweight began to take over with his kicks and increased striking output.
Estremadura continued having moments of success in the second and third rounds, but Maheshate’s clear shift in confidence resulted in him striking his way to a unanimous decision win and a UFC contract.
Maheshate ate some huge strikes before earning a unanimous decision on Contender Series 2021. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Maheshate’s sensational UFC debut eliminated any lingering memories of those first-round struggles on Contender Series. Facing Steve Garcia at UFC 275, the 23-year-old cracked Garcia early before landing a counter right hand as he was backing up that ended things just over a minute into the first round.
Rafa Garcia arrived in the UFC with an 11-0 record that was capped off by claiming the Combate lightweight title in 2020, but the Mexican fighter quickly encountered some adversity in the UFC’s lightweight division.
“Gifted” dropped decisions in his first two UFC bouts against Nasrat Haqparast and Chris Gruetzmacher in 2021, but Garcia closed the year out by outlasting Natan Levy in the latter’s UFC debut.
The 28-year-old followed that performance with a second-straight win when he submitted Jesse Ronson to kick off this year, but a competitive decision loss to Drakkar Klose halted his momentum and left Garcia with a 2-3 record in the UFC.
Garcia overcame a point deduction to submit Jesse Ronson earlier this year. (Zuffa LLC)
On paper, this fight has all the makings of a classic striker vs. grappler matchup. The caveat to that is Maheshate hasn’t really had a chance to show off any of his grappling skills since leaving China, and Garcia is plenty willing to trade with opponents before looking for his takedown attempts.
The relatively upright stance Maheshate showed off on Contender Series and in his UFC debut could make him an easy target for Garcia’s takedowns, but the 23-year-old will also hold a significant size advantage that could assist him in any potential grappling exchanges.
Maheshate was definitely hittable during his Contender Series fight, and he can’t be so confident in his own striking that he forgets about the big overhand punches that Garcia is fond of throwing. The Chinese fighter’s kicking game should be a useful weapon against a smaller opponent, but that could also open him up to being taken down if Garcia is able to catch any of those kicks.
The Stakes
It’s no secret that the UFC are always eager for new fighters to help break into major international markets, and China has long been one of the promotion’s biggest targets.
With Weili Zhang having reclaimed the strawweight title and top contenders like Song Yadong already on the roster, there’s no doubt the UFC would love for the 23-year-old Maheshate to establish himself as a possible star at lightweight.
A highlight-reel knockout in his UFC debut certainly went a long way towards generating some hype for Maheshate, but stylistically this is a fairly difficult outing for his second fight in the promotion. Garcia is extremely experienced, and if Maheshate does have any holes in his takedown defense or ground game then “Gifted” has the perfect style to exploit that.
Maheshate flatlined Steve Garcia in his UFC debut. (Zuffa LLC)
Given his youth and it being early in his UFC tenure, a loss here could simply be written off as being part of Maheshate’s development process. What would be more concerning for his future is if he finds himself significantly exposed on the ground, but possibly coming up short while putting on a good performance against Garcia wouldn’t do too much to hurt his stock.
For Garcia, this fight is a chance to even out his own UFC record by halting the momentum of a young fighter coming off a significant knockout win.
“Gifted” has given a good account of himself even in his losses, but his overall striking game isn’t deep enough to win fights without working in some takedowns. His last fight with Klose was a good example of how things can go poorly if he isn’t able to utilize his wrestling, and the 28-year-old would obviously like to avoid a developing a reputation as being a somewhat one-dimensional fighter.
Garcia struggled to assert his wrestling against Drakkar Klose. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
A loss to Maheshate might not be enough for the UFC to cut Garcia, but it would leave him with a 2-4 record after arriving in the promotion as an undefeated Combate champion. That’s far from a comfortable place to be, and “Gifted” would be much better off using his experience to handle the younger fighter and close out the year with a win.
There’s a good chance this fight shakes out in favor of whichever man can keep the action in their preferred area. Maheshate’s kicking game and size should allow him to handle Garcia on the feet, although the 23-year-old could certainly find his chin tested if he gets too comfortable letting the Mexican walk forward with punches.
“Gifted” is at his best when he’s able to get things to the mat and hunt for submissions, and that should be even more enticing in this bout with a young fighter that faced a questionable level of competition prior to his Contender Series fight.
How do you think this bout between Garcia and Maheshate will turn out? Are there any other fights from UFC Vegas 66 that you feel deserve more attention?
Welcome to the MMA News’ Sleeper Scrap! The relentless schedule of the MMA world means that some fans don’t have a full look at a fight card until days before the event, leaving the promoters to decide which bouts you should be paying the most attention to.
Everyone wants to tune in for main events and fights that feature popular names, but that means meaningful or potentially action-packed matchups from elsewhere on fight cards sometimes get lost in the shuffle. A Sleeper Scrap might highlight interesting style matchups, fighters with notable storylines, or bouts that simply have the chance to be a Fight of the Night contender.
The UFC’s final event of the year is a Fight Night card that includes a surprising amount of intriguing matchups, many of which probably deserve a bit more attention than they’re currently getting. One lightweight matchup from the event’s prelims stands out in particular, and that fight between Rafa Garcia and Maheshate is this week’s Sleeper Scrap.
The Matchup
After making his pro debut in 2019, Maheshate put together a 7-1 pro record competing in his native China before earning a spot on Contender Series 2021.
Maheshate closed as a fairly significant underdog in his matchup with Achilles Estremadura, who had considerable success backing the Chinese fighter up with big blitzes in the first round.
The 23-year-old was largely unfazed even after eating some big strikes, but after landing a big flying knee in the second round the Chinese lightweight began to take over with his kicks and increased striking output.
Estremadura continued having moments of success in the second and third rounds, but Maheshate’s clear shift in confidence resulted in him striking his way to a unanimous decision win and a UFC contract.
Maheshate’s sensational UFC debut eliminated any lingering memories of those first-round struggles on Contender Series. Facing Steve Garcia at UFC 275, the 23-year-old cracked Garcia early before landing a counter right hand as he was backing up that ended things just over a minute into the first round.
Rafa Garcia arrived in the UFC with an 11-0 record that was capped off by claiming the Combate lightweight title in 2020, but the Mexican fighter quickly encountered some adversity in the UFC’s lightweight division.
“Gifted” dropped decisions in his first two UFC bouts against Nasrat Haqparast and Chris Gruetzmacher in 2021, but Garcia closed the year out by outlasting Natan Levy in the latter’s UFC debut.
The 28-year-old followed that performance with a second-straight win when he submitted Jesse Ronson to kick off this year, but a competitive decision loss to Drakkar Klose halted his momentum and left Garcia with a 2-3 record in the UFC.
On paper, this fight has all the makings of a classic striker vs. grappler matchup. The caveat to that is Maheshate hasn’t really had a chance to show off any of his grappling skills since leaving China, and Garcia is plenty willing to trade with opponents before looking for his takedown attempts.
The relatively upright stance Maheshate showed off on Contender Series and in his UFC debut could make him an easy target for Garcia’s takedowns, but the 23-year-old will also hold a significant size advantage that could assist him in any potential grappling exchanges.
Maheshate was definitely hittable during his Contender Series fight, and he can’t be so confident in his own striking that he forgets about the big overhand punches that Garcia is fond of throwing. The Chinese fighter’s kicking game should be a useful weapon against a smaller opponent, but that could also open him up to being taken down if Garcia is able to catch any of those kicks.
The Stakes
It’s no secret that the UFC are always eager for new fighters to help break into major international markets, and China has long been one of the promotion’s biggest targets.
With Weili Zhang having reclaimed the strawweight title and top contenders like Song Yadong already on the roster, there’s no doubt the UFC would love for the 23-year-old Maheshate to establish himself as a possible star at lightweight.
A highlight-reel knockout in his UFC debut certainly went a long way towards generating some hype for Maheshate, but stylistically this is a fairly difficult outing for his second fight in the promotion. Garcia is extremely experienced, and if Maheshate does have any holes in his takedown defense or ground game then “Gifted” has the perfect style to exploit that.
Given his youth and it being early in his UFC tenure, a loss here could simply be written off as being part of Maheshate’s development process. What would be more concerning for his future is if he finds himself significantly exposed on the ground, but possibly coming up short while putting on a good performance against Garcia wouldn’t do too much to hurt his stock.
For Garcia, this fight is a chance to even out his own UFC record by halting the momentum of a young fighter coming off a significant knockout win.
“Gifted” has given a good account of himself even in his losses, but his overall striking game isn’t deep enough to win fights without working in some takedowns. His last fight with Klose was a good example of how things can go poorly if he isn’t able to utilize his wrestling, and the 28-year-old would obviously like to avoid a developing a reputation as being a somewhat one-dimensional fighter.
A loss to Maheshate might not be enough for the UFC to cut Garcia, but it would leave him with a 2-4 record after arriving in the promotion as an undefeated Combate champion. That’s far from a comfortable place to be, and “Gifted” would be much better off using his experience to handle the younger fighter and close out the year with a win.
There’s a good chance this fight shakes out in favor of whichever man can keep the action in their preferred area. Maheshate’s kicking game and size should allow him to handle Garcia on the feet, although the 23-year-old could certainly find his chin tested if he gets too comfortable letting the Mexican walk forward with punches.
“Gifted” is at his best when he’s able to get things to the mat and hunt for submissions, and that should be even more enticing in this bout with a young fighter that faced a questionable level of competition prior to his Contender Series fight.
How do you think this bout between Garcia and Maheshate will turn out? Are there any other fights from UFC Vegas 66 that you feel deserve more attention?
Click here to view the article.
