UFC on ESPN 10 features a card packed with up-and-coming talent looking to set themselves up for bigger tests later in the year.
In the main event, former women’s flyweight title challenger Jessica Eye will look to build more momentum as she welcomes former strawweight contender Cynthia Calvillo to the 125-pound division, while the co-main event features a middleweight grudge match as Karl Roberson and Marvin Vettori aim to push themselves toward the division’s big names with a win.
UFC on ESPN 10 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
Let’s take a look at five burning questions heading into the event.
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Can Jessica Eye move one step closer to a second title shot?
Don’t let the naysayers tell you any different. This fight has huge significance for the top of the UFC women’s flyweight division. And for Jessica Eye, it’s the chance to build more momentum as she looks to build the strongest possible case for a rematch with reigning champ Valentina Shevchenko.
Eye’s highlight-reel head-kick knockout loss to “Bullet” remains her only flyweight defeat in the UFC and, after bouncing back with a decision win over Viviane Araujo in her last outing, Eye (15-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) will be keen to secure a high-profile victory under the main event spotlight on Saturday night.
Standing in her way is Calvillo, who is moving up from strawweight to make her flyweight debut. But if Eye can produce a strong performance and turn back the challenge of the flyweight division’s dangerous new arrival, “Evil” Eye might not be too far away from the chance to avenge her loss to Shevchenko and capture UFC gold.
How will Cynthia Calvillo look at flyweight?
While Eye wants to build her case for a title rematch at 125 pounds, Calvillo (8-1-1 MMA, 5-1-1 UFC) hopes to move up a weight class and gatecrash the title picture by toppling the division’s No. 1 contender.
Calvillo’s lone career defeat came against former strawweight champion Carla Esparza back in 2017, but despite building a solid record at 115 pounds, Calvillo increasingly found hitting the strawweight limit tricky. After missing the mark twice in her last three fights, she has made the move to flyweight, and it will be interesting to see how she performs without the additional stress of a big weight cut.
Will Calvillo find it difficult to compete against a former bantamweight contender, or will she find herself in her element in her more natural weight class?
Which middleweight prospect will make it three in a row?
Middleweight prospects Roberson and Vettori were all set to face off in April, but the coronavirus ruled out their booking. They were then set to meet a month later at the rearranged UFC on ESPN+ 29 card in Jacksonville, Fla., but Roberson (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) withdrew from the event when he fell ill after the weigh-ins as he reacted badly to his cut. That second cancellation angered Vettori (14-3-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC), who angrily confronted Roberson at the host hotel.
Now the two middleweights finally will meet Saturday night at the UFC Apex in a fight that has real needle to it. But, past bookings (and disagreements) aside, the matchup could act as a springboard to bigger and better things for the winner.
Both Roberson and Vettori have the capability of moving up to challenge some of the fringe contenders on the outer reaches of the middleweight Top 15, but which one will move forward to get that opportunity?
Can Merab Dvalishvili continue his momentum?
It’s all happening at bantamweight right now, so the time couldn’t be better for Merab Dvalishvili to make a statement of his own at 135 pounds.
The New York-based Georgian takes on Combate Americas champion Gustavo Lopez, who signed with the UFC after Ray Borg withdrew from the bout Thursday.
Dvalishvili (10-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) lost his first two fights under the UFC banner to Frankie Saenz and Ricky Simon, but has since rallied and heads into Saturday’s fight riding a three-fight winning streak.
His wins over Terrion Ware, Brad Katona and Casey Kenney all came on the scorecards, and while a fourth decision win would keep his career trending in the right direction, he needs a finish to deliver a statement to the matchmakers ahead of the summer schedule.
Can “The Machine” do it inside the distance? If he can, top 15 opposition might well be next.
Can Hannah Cifers convert a speedy turnaround into a win?
Hannah Cifers is a fighter of few words, but you only need to understand her recent actions to show what she’s all about as a fighter.
The soft-spoken “Shockwave” arrived in the UFC and lost out to Maycee Barber, but showed her toughness in a punishing encounter. That grit helped power Cifers (10-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC) to victory in each of her next two fights as she outpointed Polyana Viana and Jodie Esquibel. But a move up in competition saw her suffer stoppage losses to Angela Hill and Mackenzie Dern in her last two outings.
After losing two straight, many fighters would want to take some time out, recharge the batteries and give themselves a full training camp for their next fight. But Cifers has instead grabbed the earliest opportunity to fight again.
It means Cifers will step into the cage for the second time in 14 days when she takes on Kazakhstan’s former Contender Series hopeful Mariya Agapova, who is making her UFC debut.
Will Cifers bounce back into the win column or will she end up falling to a third straight loss?
