The UFC is piling events onto MMA fans at an alarming pace that is downright hard to keep up with.
Over this past weekend, UFC 189 was immediately followed by The Ultimate Fighter 21 finale event. Rather than take a break after those back-to-back cards, the UFC is doubling down with two more events on Fox Sports 1 over the next six days.
First, on Wednesday, the world’s biggest MMA organization will head to San Diego for an event headlined by Frank Mir and Todd Duffee, two highly ranked heavyweights at different stages in their careers. Then, on Saturday, Michael Bisping will meet Thales Leites in Glasgow, Scotland.
All the headliners should be able to continue their UFC careers no matter what happens this weekend, but multiple fighters could be fighting for their spots on the roster in both events.
Josh Thomson
He’s still ranked among the Top 10 in the lightweight division, but Josh Thomson has lost two in a row.
It’s worth noting that both his recent losses came via controversial split decisions. Also, it would be hard to fault him too much for falling again in a bout with Tony Ferguson, who has been surging upward in the lightweight division. Still, Thomson can’t afford to lose a third in a row in Wednesday’s co-main event.
Obviously, he would still have the skill to compete in the UFC lightweight class even if he does lose to Ferguson. However, the UFC may decide he’s not worth the amount it is paying him should he fall out of title contention.
With Bellator MMA gobbling up Strikeforce veterans left and right, it would hardly be shocking to see a slumping Thomson head back to a Scott Coker promotion.
Mickael Lebout
In April, Mickael Lebout made his UFC debut opposite rising welterweight Sergio Moraes. As a big underdog, Lebout unsurprisingly lost in a decision.
Following the loss, he decided to drop down to the 155-pound division, where he was supposed to meet Jake Matthews on Saturday. However, Matthews pulled out of the event with an injury and was replaced by UFC newcomer Teemu Packalen.
The change of opponent gives Lebout a better chance to win this weekend. However, it also essentially reinforces the fact that he needs to win in order to keep his career going.
Dropping to 0-2 inside the Octagon against a newcomer almost always results in a fighter being released from the UFC roster.
Paul Redmond
Irishman Paul Redmond debuted in January and lost to Mirsad Bektic via decision.
Now, Redmond will likely need to rebound in order to continue competing inside the Octagon. Traditionally, an 0-2 start has resulted in individuals being cut by the UFC brass.
Facing an opponent coming off a win, and because he’s from a country where MMA is exploding in popularity, Redmond may get a pass with a loss to Rob Whiteford. However, he’ll at least have to put on an entertaining bout on Saturday in order to get some extra slack.
Kevin Casey
Although Kevin Casey looked good in his UFC return, his win over Bubba Bush at UFC 175 was overturned when he failed his drug test.
With that strike on his record, Casey will need to be a model citizen going forward to get back into the UFC’s good graces. Along with that, he may also need a strong performance against Ildemar Alcantara on Wednesday.
Being 34 years old, Casey doesn’t have huge upside, so the UFC probably wouldn’t miss him too much if he screws up again by missing weight or failing another drug test.
Daniel Omielanczuk
Since knocking out Nandor Guelmino in his UFC debut, Daniel Omielanczuk has not returned to the win column.
With back-to-back decision losses, his UFC career is now in jeopardy. Almost always, three straight losses means the chopping block for non-contenders.
Facing UFC newcomer Chris De La Rocha, Omielanczuk has a good chance to get back on track at UFC Fight Night 72 this weekend. However, that’s one more reason he won’t have any excuses for losing a third bout in a row.
Andrew Craig
When Andrew Craig opened his UFC career with wins over Kyle Noke and Rafael Natal, it looked like he might have the potential to turn into a middleweight contender.
Instead, he has since lost three of his past four and two in a row heading into UFC Fight Night 71. Facing a veteran UFC newcomer in Lyman Good, Craig will need to right the ship on Wednesday in order to continue his career with the world’s premier MMA organization.
Otherwise, he might be headed for Good’s former promotion, Bellator MMA.
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