Believe it or not, UFC Fight Night 42 will be the only UFC fight card during this coming weekend. Unfortunately, MMA fans are going to have to find something better to do than watch fights all day long.
The UFC is packing some pretty good fights into its lone event on June 7, though.
Headlined by lightweight contenders Benson Henderson and Rustam Khabilov, UFC Fight Night 42 will also feature a bout between elite flyweights John Dodson and John Moraga.
Alas, it won’t all be about fighters taking one step closer to a shot at a UFC championship. Some big names on the UFC Fight Night 42 fight card could simply be looking to maintain their roster spot with the world’s top MMA promotion.
Here are the individuals who will be sitting on the hot seat heading into the weekend.
Diego Sanchez
I think Diego Sanchez is one of those fighters who would have to lose five or six in a row before the UFC decided to release him. He’s been too entertaining for too long, and the UFC doesn’t like parting ways with brawlers like him.
Still, The Nightmare, or The Dream or The Semi-Conscious Hallucination (or whatever his nickname is now) isn’t in a desirable position.
Sanchez has lost two in a row and three of his past four fights. Anybody else in his situation would surely be battling for his UFC job. The Ultimate Fighter 1 winner, on the other hand, should only have to make weight and put on an entertaining fight against Ross Pearson to stick around.
Neither of those things have been problems for Sanchez over the years, so expect him to be stepping into the Octagon again regardless of his result on Saturday.
Yves Edwards
In November 2013, Yves Edwards suffered a third straight loss, as he was knocked out by Yancy Medeiros in the first round. However, when Medeiros failed his drug test due to marijuana being found in his system, Edwards had the loss wiped from his record.
That may or may not have extended Edwards’ UFC career. Either way, the 37-year-old veteran will need a victory at UFC Fight Night 42 to keep his spot on the UFC lightweight roster.
Edwards will meet 26-year-old Polish prospect Piotr Hallman, who is 1-1 in his first two trips to the Octagon. The up-and-comer could have the grappling needed to give Edwards problems, but Edwards has a huge advantage in experience, which he will look to use to keep his UFC career going.
Bobby Voelker and Lance Benoist
With three straight losses, Bobby Voelker is already on borrowed time with the world’s foremost MMA organization. His last chance to pick up a UFC win comes at UFC Fight Night 42.
Facing Voelker will be Lance Benoist, who has also been struggling lately. At 25 years old, Benoist has a lot of potential, but he’s suffered decision losses in his past two outings. A third in a row Saturday would probably punch his ticket back to regional competition.
Needless to say, this is a pivotal bout in the careers of both fighters. The winner will have the ability to make some noise in the welterweight division, while the loser will need to pick up a few wins and earn his way back into the Octagon.
Scott Jorgensen and Danny Martinez
In his final WEC appearance, Scott Jorgensen had a chance to become the first UFC bantamweight champion. He would lose to Dominick Cruz in that outing, but few thought Young Guns would be in this position less than four years later.
The former title challenger started strong inside the Octagon, winning his first two UFC bouts. However, Jorgensen has now only won one of his past six fights and is on the brink of elimination from the organization.
Facing Danny Martinez, who lost to Chris Cariaso in his UFC debut, Jorgensen should have a good chance to rebound at UFC Fight Night 42, but he’ll have some decision-making to do if he doesn’t.
Should Martinez fall to 0-2 inside the Octagon, he’ll also be in jeopardy. At 28 years old, Martinez could have a long UFC career ahead of him, but it might depend on a strong showing this Saturday.
Patrick Cummins
Opposite Daniel Cormier, Patrick Cummins was dealt a tough hand in his UFC debut. As expected, he was beaten decisively, beginning his UFC career with a loss.
By taking that fight on short notice, Cummins earned himself a more reasonable matchup for his second UFC outing. The Strikeforce veteran will now welcome Roger Narvaez to the UFC this weekend.
While it might not seem fair that Cummins would only get one chance against an entry-level UFC adversary, he’ll likely need a win over Narvaez to maintain a spot on the promotion’s roster.
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