At UFC on Fox 15, Lyoto Machida and Luke Rockhold will meet in a main event bout that could determine the next title challenger in the middleweight division.
Nine months ago, Machida gave 185-pound champion Chris Weidman one of the biggest tests he had in MMA. However, the Brazilian still came up short and had to get back in line for another shot at the middleweight belt. The Dragon responded with a knockout win over C.B. Dollaway and will now look to take another big step forward against Rockhold.
Since losing to Vitor Belfort, who is set to challenge Weidman next month, Rockhold has stopped three opponents in a row. Michael Bisping, Tim Boetsch and Costas Philippou are each considered contenders in the middleweight division, but none were able to reach the third round against Rockhold.
Obviously, Machida and Rockhold have secured long-term spots on the UFC roster. However, a couple of UFC on Fox 15 competitors might not be so lucky. Here are the individuals sitting on the hot seat heading into Saturday’s event in Newark, N.J.
Diego Brandao
Though Diego Brandao won The Ultimate Fighter 14 with a submission win over Dennis Bermudez, he has not had nearly as much success inside the Octagon as The Menace has.
Including that win over Bermudez, Brandao did win four of his first five official UFC bouts. However, he hasn’t been able to break through and become a contender at 145 pounds. Moreover, he’s now riding a two-bout losing streak following tough matchups with Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.
Despite the skid, Brandao has been paired with another solid 145-pounder, Jimy Hettes, at UFC on Fox 15. Having lost two in a row, Brandao‘s UFC career is suddenly coming into question.
A third consecutive loss regularly results in fighters being released from the UFC roster. Brandao may be afforded some extra slack due to the fact that he was a TUF winner and because he has had some rough matchups recently.
That said, Brandao can’t afford to lose this weekend, or the thin ice he’s standing on will become even thinner.
Chris Dempsey
In July, Chris Dempsey stepped up to 205 pounds to fill in as a replacement opponent against Ilir Latifi. As many expected, Dempsey, a UFC debutante at the time, was steamrolled by an opponent with more experience inside the Octagon.
Now, Dempsey is set to return to middleweight, his normal weight class. Standing across the Octagon from him will be Eddie Gordon, the TUF 19 middleweight tournament winner.
Because he made his debut on short notice in an unfamiliar weight division, Dempsey could get a fresh slate at 185 pounds. However, an 0-2 start to a UFC career very regularly leads to competitors being cut by the world’s top MMA promotion.
Assuming Dempsey makes weight and performs better than he did against Latifi, he should get a third opportunity to compete under the UFC banner in the event of another loss. That’s easier said than done against Gordon, though.
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