At UFC on Fox 13, Junior dos Santos will test the up-and-coming Stipe Miocic, who could earn a title shot with a victory over the former heavyweight champion on Saturday.
It has been 14 months since dos Santos last stepped into the Octagon at UFC 166, where he lost his rubber match with current champion Cain Velasquez. Considering he’s not likely to earn a fourth bout with Velasquez any time soon, dos Santos will need some help to get another crack at reclaiming UFC gold.
Miocic, meanwhile, has won three in a row, most recently knocking out Fabio Maldonado in May. Originally scheduled to meet dos Santos at that event in Brazil, Miocic has been rebooked for a contest with Cigano, who will be the biggest test he’s had in MMA.
Regardless of the main event outcome this weekend, dos Santos and Miocic will have spots on the UFC roster. The same can’t be said for some other UFC on Fox 13 competitors. Here are the individuals sitting on the hot seat heading into the event, which will be hosted by Phoenix.
Stefan Struve
A heart condition has prevented Stefan Struve from competing since March 2013. The Skyscraper hasn’t had his hand raised inside the Octagon in over 26 months.
Struve is hardly at fault for his win drought. However, he will still have to prove that his heart condition won’t prevent him from competing at the highest level, especially after having a July bout with Matt Mitrione cancelled when he fainted in the locker room.
While Struve maintained that he did not pass out as a result of his heart condition, it was still a cause for concern. Heaven forbid, but a similar setback leading into Struve’s matchup with Alistair Overeem on Saturday could force him to contemplate retiring at only 26 years old.
Performing poorly this weekend could have a similar result, with Struve debating whether it would be worth risking his health when he can’t compete to the best of his abilities.
Jamie Varner and Drew Dober
With wins over Edson Barboza and Melvin Guillard, Jamie Varner was once on the verge of breaking into the lightweight rankings. Now, he’s lost three in a row and will likely be battling for his UFC job.
In August 2013, Varner suffered a rough split-decision loss to Gleison Tibau. Then, Varner was looking good against Abel Trujillo before getting knocked out. Most recently, Varner fought through a broken ankle against James Krause before the bout was eventually stopped.
Although he’s lost three in a row, Varner was given another opportunity to compete inside the Octagon, likely due to the unreal toughness he showed in that bout with Krause back in May.
Having begun his career with two losses, Drew Dober is a bit lucky to be getting another shot. He won’t be expected to win, but he’ll probably need to do so in order to maintain a roster spot with the world’s top MMA organization.
Being 26 years old, Dober would have time to build himself back up and earn another contract with the big show. Now on the wrong side of 30 years old, Varner needs the win much more in this matchup.
David Michaud and Garett Whiteley
This is a pretty straightforward loser-leaves-town matchup.
David Michaud fell in his May UFC debut against Li Jingliang. More often than not, competitors who begin their UFC career with a 0-2 record are released.
Whiteley was a rare exception to that rule, having fallen to 0-2 inside the Octagon with a decision loss to Vinc Pichel in January. He won’t be so lucky should he suffer another loss against Michaud.
Henry Cejudo
Former Olympic wrestling gold-medal winner Henry Cejudo was supposed to make his UFC debut in August against Scott Jorgensen. However, due to issues with his weight cut, Cejudo was forced to withdraw from that flyweight matchup.
Now set to compete in the bantamweight division, Cejudo will have no excuses for missing the 135-pound mark on Friday.
An upset loss to Dustin Kimura certainly wouldn’t mean the end of Cejudo’s UFC career. However, should he run into troubles at the weigh-in, the UFC brass may decide he’s no longer worth the headaches.
Ian Entwistle
In June, Ian Entwistle made his UFC debut against Dan Hooker. The outing did not go well for Entwistle, who was stopped in the opening round.
As previously mentioned, a 0-2 UFC start often leads to fighters being let go. So, Entwistle will need to bring his best to the Octagon on Saturday.
Facing UFC newcomer Anthony Birchak, Entwistle should have a great opportunity to earn his first UFC victory this weekend.
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