UFC ‘Tampa’ – New Blood!

Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images

UFC Fight Night 161, which takes place inside Amelia Arena in Tampa, Fla., tomorrow night (Sat., Oct. 12, 2019), was originally set to feature two “Contender Series” products making their Octagon debuts, but with Brok Weaver’s exit, we’re down to just one. On this edition of “New Blood,” the series where excessive extrapolation is the name of the game, we check out undefeated Welterweight prospect Miguel Baeza.

Miguel “Caramel Thunder” Baeza

Weight Class: Welterweight
Age: 27
Record: 7-0 (5 KO)
Notable Victories: Victor Reyna

Four first-round knockouts in six professional victories brought Miguel Baeza to “Contender Series,” where he was matched against LFA veteran Ramiz Brahimaj on season three (week two). He ended up facing late replacement Victor Reyna instead, and despite Reyna coming in overweight, Baeza dropped him three times en route to earning a UFC contract.

Baeza is a hoss of a Welterweight, standing 6’2” with a 74.5-inch reach and boasting a commensurate punching power. His right hand is gnarly, as are his knees and round kicks, and he’s got a hell of a chin to go with that size and strength. Brawling at any range with him is not recommended.

Though he prefers to strike, he showed some ground chops on “Contender Series.” He landed good ground-and-pound and took Reyna’s back after dropping him in the early going, used an underhook to get up immediately after slipping and ending up on the bottom in a later exchange, landed a double-leg, and stuffed Reyna’s own late takedown before attacking with a series of submission attempts.

If those sections seemed short, it’s because I’ve got more concerns than praises. He’s still worryingly green with his striking, rarely throwing more than two strikes in combination, and has a really bad habit of trying to use the shoulder roll to get out of trouble while backing away from combinations. As a result, he’s quite easy to hit, and while he’s shown a decent jab to work behind, the fact that he spent about a round and a half just hurling lead rights at Reyna and getting countered before varying his attack and finding immediate success.

Also, he tends to compromise his height advantage when on the attack by overextending.

Baeza definitely has the physical tools, but I’d have let him get a bit more experience against decent regional guys before sending him to the Octagon. As is, he’s a fun-but-limited bruiser who will have to learn on the job.

Opponent: Luckily, debut foe Hector Aldana is a willing slugger coming off of unsuccessful brawls with Song Kenan and Laureano Staropoli. Baeza is the bigger and more durable man by a fair margin and should come out on top.

Tape: His “Contender Series” appearance is on ESPN+.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 161 fight card this weekend, starting with the ESPN+“Prelims” that are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. ET, then the main card portion that will also stream on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Fight Night 161: “Joanna vs. Waterson” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.