Luis Saldana

USA

Poor fight IQ leads to draw
FeatherweightUFC
August 21, 2022
Saldana fought Sean Woodson to a split draw (29-27, 27-29, 28-28) at UFC 278 on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
Saldana put forth one of the most horrific displays of fight IQ in recent memory, as he had multiple chances to put away Woodson and secure the upset in Round 1. He dropped him early, but instead of rushing to the finish, Saldana turned away and celebrated. Woodson got back to his feet but was clearly compromised, and a Saldana jab sent him to the canvas again. After raising his hands to celebrate again, Salada rushed forward and landed a blatantly illegal knee to his downed opponent. Referee Mike Beltran then stopped the proceedings, which allowed Woodson to recover and resulted in docking a point (correctly) from Saldana. Woodson escaped Round 1 and was just competitive enough the rest of the way out to get the nod from one of the judges. Saldana may have deserved a better fate given he won the significant striking battle in Rounds 2 and 3, but he only has himself to blame for this one. The Contender Series product started his UFC run with a 2-1 record, but this one may haunt him.
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Books UFC 278
FeatherweightUFC
May 12, 2022
Saldana will square off gainst Sean Woodson at UFC 278 on August 20, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Saldana is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Bruno Souza and now holds a 2-1 UFC record. He will look to take that momentum into his bout with Woodson, who will enter the octagon on a two-fight winning streak.
Gets right back in win column
FeatherweightUFC
March 26, 2022
Saldana defeated Bruno Souza via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
ANALYSIS
This fight was close enough that it was extremely surprising the end result wasn't a split decision. Saldana managed to get the call from all three judges despite the fact he entered as a +130 underdog. The Iowa native got off to a quick start before allowing Souza back into the bout in Round 2. Round 3 could have gone either way, with Saldana being the more effective fighter on the feet, while Souza landed his only takedown attempt in the frame. Saldana had a five-fight winning streak snapped by Austin Lingo last August, so it was nice to see him get right back in the win column against Souza here.
Booked versus Souza
FeatherweightUFC
January 29, 2022
Saldana will square off against Bruno Souza at a UFC event on March 26, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport Nederland reports.
ANALYSIS
Saldana was riding a five-fight win streak before losing via unanimous decision to Austin Lingo in August and is now 1-1 in the UFC. Both of his UFC bouts have gone to the final bell. His opponent, Souza, also went the distance in his only match with the company and lost via unanimous decision to Melsik Baghdasaryan in his debut.
Win streak snapped at five
FeatherweightUFC
August 21, 2021
Saldana lost to Austin Lingo via unanimous decision (28-29, 28-29, 28-29) at UFC on ESPN 29 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Saldana started strongly and finished poorly, making this an easy call on the scorecards. Competing in just his second UFC bout, Saldana connected on 51 percent (34-66) of his total strikes in Round 1. That number dropped to 47 percent in Round 2 before bottoming out at 42 percent in Round 3. Not surprisingly, Saldana's output also decreased in each frame. Perhaps realizing the fight was slipping away, Saldana tried and failed on four takedown attempts in the final stanza. The 30-year-old Iowa native racked up a ton of stoppage wins on both the regional circuit and his lone appearance on Dana White's Contender Series, but each of his first two UFC bouts have seen the final bell. Saldana drops to 1-1 with the company.
Booked for August matchup
FeatherweightUFC
May 11, 2021
Saldana will take on Austin Lingo in a featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night on Aug. 21, MMAJunkie.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Saldana will attempt to earn his second win under the UFC banner after he defeated Jordan Griffin via unanimous decision at UFC on ABC 2 in April. Lingo was dominated in his UFC debut in November but picked up his first win with the promotion when he defeated Jacob Kilburn via unanimous decision at UFC on ABC 1 in January. Saldana has slight advantages in height and reach.