The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Japan for the first time in 2015 on Saturday with an offering far more in line with its weak 2014 than the generally excellent cards it has featured this year. The main event features a relevant heavyweight matchup between Pride FC standout Josh Barnett and Roy Nelson, and in that thin division the winner will be no more than one or two fights away from the title.
The co-main event is likewise solid, with Gegard Mousasi drawing the talented yet maddeningly inconsistent Uriah Hall in a fight that offers the New Yorker his first look at elite opposition.
The card’s quality drops off quickly after that. Former title challenger Kyoji Horiguchi gets an intriguing opponent in Chico Camus, but that is the only relevant fight left. The rest of the event spotlights a mixture of former stars such as Norifumi Yamamoto and Japanese journeymen in winnable matchups. Hardcore fans will find spots of interest—such as Katsunori Kikuno’s bout against Diego Brandao, but the card lacks much in the way of depth.
Let’s take a look at each matchup.