At UFC Fight Night 63, Chad Mendes and Ricardo Lamas will do their best to prove they are ready to meet the winner of a highly anticipated July title bout between 145-pound champion Jose Aldo and Irish MMA sensation Conor McGregor.
Mendes is actually coming off of a loss to Aldo, but it was one of the most competitive bouts the Brazilian titleholder has had. If Mendes hadn’t already had an additional loss to Aldo, there probably would have been a lot more interest in an immediate rematch.
Meanwhile, Lamas also has a somewhat recent loss to Aldo on his record. Since being dominated by Aldo at UFC 169, Lamas has rebounded with wins over Dennis Bermudez and Hacran Dias.
Headliners Mendes and Lamas are certainly going to be with the UFC for the foreseeable future, but some UFC Fight Night 63 competitors aren’t positioned nearly as well. Here are the individuals sitting on the hot seat heading into Saturday’s fight card.
Liz Carmouche and Lauren Murphy
Given how new the division is, women’s bantamweight competitors are being given a longer leash than those in other weight classes. However, Liz Carmouche and Lauren Murphy should both be heading into UFC Fight Night 63 with the mindset that they need to win.
The first female title challenger in UFC history, Carmouche has posted a disappointing 1-3 record inside the Octagon. Falling to 1-4 against an opponent with no UFC victories might not result in Carmouche being released because she is one of the more recognizable individuals in her division, but it would certainly put her UFC career on thin ice heading into her next outing.
Considering Murphy went to a split decision with Sara McMann in her UFC debut, she’ll probably be retained by the UFC regardless of the results this weekend. That said, her performance against McMann could be forgotten in a hurry should she miss weight on Friday and then lose badly on Saturday.
Gray Maynard and Alexander Yakovlev
It has only been a little over three years since Gray Maynard had his third meeting with Frankie Edgar, but The Bully has plummeted down the lightweight ladder since then.
Maynard has only won once in his past six outings. Moreover, the former title challenger has been knocked out in four of his past five appearances, which has caused some to question whether or not he should call it quits.
Despite losing in his first two UFC bouts, Alexander Yakovlev has now been matched up with another big-name opponent. Having already lost to Demian Maia, Yakovlev has not been given much chance to succeed by UFC matchmakers.
Getting cut due to a loss against Maynard would be rough, but it’s hard to imagine the UFC keeping a 0-3 fighter like Yakovlev around.
Ron Stallings and Justin Jones
Both Ron Stallings and Justin Jones had tough UFC debut matchups, but they need to get those losses behind them and back into the win column at UFC Fight Night 63.
Facing Uriah Hall in his first UFC outing, Stallings was predictably knocked out in the opening round. If he were younger and had more time to develop, it’s possible the UFC would give him more slack, but the time is now for the 32-year-old Stallings to prove he belongs on the UFC roster.
At 3-0, Jones entered the UFC without much pro experience, and he was welcomed with a loss against The Ultimate Fighter 19 winner Corey Anderson. Should Jones lose again on Saturday, it could mean he needs more times to develop with smaller promotions.
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