Headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen, UFC 159 comes to New Jersey with a star-studded card that features one of the sport’s top stars and biggest personalities.
After a month full of UFC action, UFC 159 closes out April with a bang. In addition to the Jones vs. Sonnen main event, fans will be treated to an appearance from fan favorite Roy Nelson, complete with trademark beard and belly, as well as a middleweight clash between Michael Bisping and Alan Belcher.
In addition to a stacked undercard, a slew of up-and-comers are slated to square off on FX and Facebook in the prelims leading up to the pay-per-view card. Read on for everything you need to know to catch all the action on Saturday.
When: Saturday, April 27, 2013
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
Start Time: PPV at 10 p.m. ET; FX Prelims at 8 p.m. ET; Facebook Prelims at 6:35 p.m. ET
Live Stream Info: UFC.com
Fight Card
Main PPV Card
Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen
Michael Bisping vs. Alan Belcher
Roy Nelson vs. Cheick Kongo
Phil Davis vs. Vinny Magalhaes
Jim Miller vs. Pat Healy
FX Card
Bantamweight: Johnny Bedford vs. Bryan Caraway
Light Heavyweight: Gian Villante vs. Ovince St. Preux
Women’s Bantamweight: Sara McMann vs. Sheila Gaff
Lightweight: Rustam Khabilov vs. Yancy Medeiros
Facebook Card
Featherweight: Leonard Garcia vs. Cody McKenzie
Welterweight: Nick Catone vs. James Head
Featherweight: Steven Siler vs. Kurt Holobaugh
Fight of the Night: Michael Bisping vs. Alan Belcher
The UFC made up for putting together a lopsided main event by pitting Bisping and Belcher against each other in the co-main.
Both fighters are in desperate need of a win to keep themselves in position to contend. Both fighters have contrasting stand-up skills and a track record of finishing opponents. What’s not to like?
Belcher holds an advantage on the ground, but Bisping has near-elite takedown defense and doesn’t get held down very often. This is an interesting clash of styles and a must-see fight.
Under-the-Radar Fight to Watch: Rustam Khabilov vs. Yancy Medeiros
Who?
Khabilov and Medeiros may not be the most well-known fighters on the UFC roster, but this should be a great fight.
The 25-year-old Medeiros is 9-0 with two wins in Strikeforce and six knockouts to his name. Khabilov is 15-1 and is coming off an impressive knockout (two minutes and 15 seconds) of Vinc Pichel at The Ultimate Fighter 16 finale.
Both fighters are capable of finishing fights, and the winner will be an intriguing prospect to keep an eye on in the lightweight division.
Fighter with Most to Lose: Phil Davis
Phil Davis has to feel the pressure coming into his fight against Vinny Magalhaes.
To this point in his career, Davis has only lost to Rashad Evans—considering Evans’ reputation as a top contender, that’s not a bad claim to make. Despite his impressive record, he’ll be fighting a guy in Magalhaes who is dangerous but not widely recognized. A loss here would destroy his hopes of getting into the title picture.
Davis is an outstanding grappler, but Magalhaes is dangerous on the ground in his own right. He can’t afford to take his opponent lightly on Saturday night.
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