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Ranking the 5 Best UFC Fight Cards of the Summer

The summer of 2014 will be a monumental stretch for the UFC. With 15 fight cards between now and September, the number of relevant fights taking place inside the Octagon is dizzying. MMA fans will no doubt want to leave the house this summer, so understanding which events are “must-see” and which ones are DVR-able is very important for those who enjoy the light of day.

Ultimately, fight fans will have to decide which cards to sit inside and enjoy and which ones to skip, and all we can do here is make the case for which events matter more than the others. The criteria being used for this list include a number of factors, the most important of which is the perceived entertainment value of the fights on the main card.

Along our journey, cards with ranked fighters carry more weight than those featuring their unranked peers, and it almost goes without saying that cards with a title fight (or two) appear on this list. The main event of each card is used as a tiebreaker when needed, but at the end of it all, this is just one person’s opinion on which fights will make you yell at your television more joyously than others.

The flyweight title is on the line when the UFC returns to Vancouver, British Columbia on June 14, and UFC 175 boasts two title fights featuring undefeated champions in Chris Weidman and Ronda Rousey. Matt Brown and Robbie Lawler are set to go at it on Fox on July 26 for a shot at the welterweight title in a fight that is sure to deliver.

With scraps like Conor McGregor vs. Diego Brandao, Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida and Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes all headlining cards this summer, the competition for the top five is steep.

Along with a few honorable mentions, here are the five best UFC fight cards of the summer.

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UFC: Why Raphael Assuncao Deserves a Bantamweight Title Shot

Leading into UFC 173, Renan Barao was being compared to the pound-for-pound boxing kingpin, Floyd Mayweather. In less than 25 minutes, all of those mentions came tumbling down as T.J. Dillashaw crushed the Brazilian and walked out of Las Vegas as the new UFC Bantamweight champion. The moment he went from prospect to title holder Dillashaw had unrolled a laundry list of new contenders for the title. However, none should receive a shot before Raphael Assuncao.

Travel back to October 9, 2013. Dillashaw and Assuncao would meet in an undercard fight at UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Shields. In a hotly contested bout, the two athletes would go back and forth in exchanges. At the end of the three-round affair, Raphael would have his hand raised in victory. Moments after the decision, much of the mixed martial arts community would voice their displeasure with the judging in the contest. That wouldn’t be enough to reverse the decision as Assuncao‘s victory would snap T.J.’s four-fight win streak while increasing his own to five straight wins.

When UFC 173 was first announced, Barao was expected to face the returning Dominick Cruz. Unfortunately, Cruz would be injured once again and forced off the card. That would create the opening for Raphael to be granted a title shot. Assuncao would opt out of the opportunity due to an injury of his own, which created the pathway for Dillashaw to shock the world and take the title.

The fact that Assuncao holds a very controversial win over the new champion is more than enough reason to give him the first shot at the belt. Assuncao has already began to call out the champion.

“I hope they give me the title shot,” Assuncao stated to MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz. “I want to fight T.J. Dillashaw next. He said he deserved to win the first fight, so it’s the perfect finale.”

Both fighters have made their case as to why they feel they earned the win that night. Looking deeper at the numbers provided by Fight Metric, which is the official stats group for the UFC, it is clear that this bout was very close.

Neither fighter had the advantage in striking as Assuncao landed 37 of 106 attempted strikes which is nearly identical to the 32 of 105 for Dillashaw. The true difference is in the area of grappling where Dillashaw landed two takedowns while stopping all six from his Brazilian opponent. Once on the mat, T.J. also looked to be the more competent and aggressive grappler according to the fight numbers. In real time, it is understandable how most of the viewing audience scored this fight for Dillashaw. Still, the split-decision loss stands as a huge black eye over the new reign of the 135-pound champion.

The main issue with making this bout is the fact that neither Raphael Assuncao nor T.J. Dillashaw are major names in the mainstream MMA community. The UFC is in dire need of developing a new stable of stars and while Dillashaw has the potential to get to a high point, he’s not there yet. That means that the Team Alpha Male standout should expect to defend his title during free televised events across the Fox networks in order to grow his notoriety before being placed on a Pay-Per-View card. If the bout against Assuncao is made, the UFC would have to work to create a solid card that would draw attention for their developing champion.

When T.J. Dillashaw stepped into the Octagon on May 24, he was ranked in the 11th spot on the UFC’s official bantamweight rankings. Raphael Assuncao, the last man to defeat the eventual title bearer, was sitting firmly at No. 3. A twist of fate provided Dillashaw with a title shot and now Raphael is looking up at a man he defeated less than two years ago. The UFC should pounce on this chance to create the rematch. With the proper booking and promotion, this fight would serve to make either a star out of T.J. or further an intense rivalry.

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The Only Other Fight for Alexander Gustafsson If Jon Jones Gets His Way

Jon Jones doesn’t want just any title contender standing across the cage from him for his next title defense—he wants an Olympic wrestler.
The problem is, Alexander Gustafsson, the man who’s already been promised a title shot af…

Jon Jones doesn’t want just any title contender standing across the cage from him for his next title defense—he wants an Olympic wrestler.

The problem is, Alexander Gustafsson, the man who’s already been promised a title shot after first fighting Jones to a close decision in September and then disposing of Jimi Manuwa in March, doesn’t have any Olympic wrestling experience.

In a brief Instagram video, Jones gave insight on why he’s yet to sign on to fight the Swede.

Asking for an undefeated Olympic wrestler, Strikeforce champion makes me somehow a coward? How about the fact that I beat Gustafsson already, whether you guys like how close it was or not? It’s my career, not yours.

It certainly sounds as if the issues are not about money—he just wants Daniel Cormier instead. Based on his 15-second video, Jones is pretty firm on his stance.

This poses a question for the UFC: If they give Jones what he wants, who’s next for the No. 1-ranked Gustafsson?

What about former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans?

Evans has bounced back from the first back-to-back defeats of his career with consecutive victories against Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen. Like Gustafsson, Evans is a top-ranked light heavyweight who has already lost a title fight to Jones.

Both Evans and Gustafsson could only benefit from a win against the other, especially considering the rest of the UFC’s Top Five light heavyweights already have fights scheduled, are currently recovering from injury or are coming off of one-sided losses.

In Evans, Gustafsson gets a fighter who could help further prepare his takedown defense for a hard-fought bout with a great MMA wrestler—arguably the deciding factor in Gustafsson’s first fight with Jones at UFC 165.

In Gustafsson, Evans gets a fighter who could help sketch out a better game plan against a taller, longer fighter like Jones—certainly the biggest issue Evans had back in his title shot with Jones at UFC 145 two years ago.

This fight could also help address Jones’ concerns that the UFC is granting all of the top contenders relatively unchallenged journeys toward a title shot. It would effectively create a true title contender and eliminate one of these fighters from title contention for the foreseeable future.

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Fans Deserve to See Jon Jones Fight Alexander Gustafsson, Daniel Cormier

At just 26 years old, Jon Jones is the greatest fighter on the planet.
Some, including this author, might say that the reigning light heavyweight champion has placed Anderson Silva and Fedor Emelianenko in his rear-view mirror, effectively becoming the…

At just 26 years old, Jon Jones is the greatest fighter on the planet.

Some, including this author, might say that the reigning light heavyweight champion has placed Anderson Silva and Fedor Emelianenko in his rear-view mirror, effectively becoming the greatest fighter the world has ever seen.

Being the pound-for-pound best doesn’t come without widespread, sometimes well-deserved criticism, though.

Whether it’s refusing to fight Chael Sonnen on short notice, being arrested for DWI or declining to sign a fight contract that would ensure a sequel to one of the greatest fights in the history of the light heavyweight championship, he’s long been a target of fans’ ire.

The first was questionable. The second was inexcusable. The third is unacceptable.

Fans of Jon Jones deserve more.

Spin it however you’d like, but there’s reason for boxing diehards to disregard Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the greatest fighter to ever live. A perfect record and impenetrable defense is great and all, but many will ceaselessly question why a bout between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao never came to fruition.

Color it a dispute over revenue. Call it a clash over performance-enhancing drugs. Know it as a shame—MMA fans cannot let Jones make the same career-defining mistake.

Without a genuine statement from Jones, there’s no real way of understanding what’s preventing him from signing on for the rematch with Alexander Gustafsson. Some have speculated that he wants more money. Dana White has stated that Jones would rather fight Daniel Cormier instead. On his Facebook account, Gustafsson has gone as far as to claim Jones was “running” from him.

Jon ‘Bones’ Jones, be a man, be a champ and sign that bout agreement and stop running. Keep in mind that after I beat you and become the champ I might be doing the same for you when you chase me for a rematch, as a revenge for not accepting my challenge. Sooner or later you will have to face me, just make it sooner! The fans want this fight, UFC wants this fight and I want this fight, and I damn deserve it.

Impatient with the champ’s reluctance to defend his strap, Cormier, the UFC’s No. 2-ranked light heavyweight, has opened himself up to a fight with Gustafsson—a fight that would determine the UFC interim light heavyweight champion.

Cormier could lose his perfect record, and Gustafsson could lose that near-invincible aura he developed since going on a tear back in 2010—this fight wouldn’t be a good idea.

Jones should fight both because he’s the best to ever be, and some still don’t believe it.

Decisive victories against Gustafsson, the only man who fought him five rounds en route to a questionable decision, and Cormier, another man who many consider to be the only one who could consistently put Jones on his back, would cement his legacy and silence all the naysayers.

So, please, Jon, sign the contract and continue on your ascendance to unforeseen heights—your fans deserve it.

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Conor McGregor and the Rest of the Top 5 Dark-Horse Title Contenders

Just two weeks ago, TJ Dillashaw turned the MMA world upside down when he sent reigning UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao out of the Octagon without his title.
Many counted him out before the fight even started, criticizing the promotion for granti…

Just two weeks ago, TJ Dillashaw turned the MMA world upside down when he sent reigning UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao out of the Octagon without his title.

Many counted him out before the fight even started, criticizing the promotion for granting the seemingly unproven Team Alpha Male fighter a highly coveted title fight with Barao. It only took one round and a stunning knockdown to silence them. It took a dominant five-round performance to prove that you should never count any fighter out, no matter how underestimated.

Dillashaw now joins the ranks of current and former champions Chris Weidman, Matt Serra, Forrest Griffin, and Frankie Edgar as champions who overcame massive odds.

With the exception of Serra, it would be irresponsible to count any of these fighters as dark horses in their respective divisions leading up to their title fights. It would be even more irresponsible, however, to count any of the listed dark horses out of potential title fights with any of the current crop of champions.

In listing these fighters, only those outside of the Top 10 of the UFC’s divisional rankings will be considered. These fighters are listed in no particular order.

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UFC: Why Marlon Moraes Should Be the Next Fighter to Sign a Contract

Since the start of 2014, the UFC has been expanding the size of its roster at a pretty brisk clip. The world’s leading mixed martial arts promotion now has roughly 500 fighters under contract and is looking to scoop up talented prospect…

The next fighter to sign on the dotted line should be World Series of Fighting bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes, who is on a seven-fight winning streak and has looked like a world-beater in his five WSOF outings.

Moraes got our attention with his split-decision win over UFC veteran and former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres at the first World Series of Fighting event in November 2012. At the time, Torres was still regarded as one of the best 135-pound fighters in the world, and the Ricardo Almeida Brazilian jiu-jitsu product showed off some impressive footwork and diverse striking throughout the three-round fight.

Then he fought Tyson Nam, who was coming off a stunning first-round knockout win over Eduardo Dantas, who at the time was the Bellator bantamweight champion. It took Moraes less than three minutes to put Nam away with a nasty headkick and some follow-up punches.

He went on to batter and bloody a very game but overmatched Brandon Hempleman for three rounds last August at WSOF 4 and looked as precise as ever in his 30-second starching of Carson Beebe in October.

His five-round dismantling of Josh Rettinghouse was such a thorough routing that it sparked a debate about when to protect a fighter from himself. It’s clear that he is head and shoulders above the competition outside of the UFC, and the only real way for him to be tested is to be thrown in with the best fighters in the world.

The UFC’s bantamweight division was just cracked wide-open when TJ Dillashaw usurped Renan Barao at UFC 173 to take the title and hand the Brazilian his first loss in 33 fights. While Dillashaw’s next opponent hasn’t been determined yet, there are a number of options, and thus, there’s a number of potential fights for the remaining bantamweights who won’t be getting the next shot at the title.

Book Moraes against perhaps the winner of Urijah Faber vs. Alex Caceres after UFC 175 or give him a headlining spot against former champion Dominic Cruz, and you have the closest thing to a superfight this side of Aldo vs. Pettis. Moraes may very well be the best mixed martial artist not competing in the UFC.

He would most likely do what he does against the majority of the top 10 to top 15 ranked fighters in the division, but we won’t know where he stacks up until he is given the chance to ply his trade inside the Octagon.

With the recent expansion of the roster, and with bantamweight still in its developmental stage as far as birthing new stars, now is the time to get Marlon Moraes under contract and have him mix it up with the rest of the best at 135 pounds.

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