Three weeks ago it was flyweights headlining the action, but now we hit the opposite end of the spectrum as heavyweights Josh Barnett and Roy Nelson get set to throw hands for our enjoyment in the UFC Fight Night 75 main event.
Barnett hasn’t seen the …
Three weeks ago it was flyweights headlining the action, but now we hit the opposite end of the spectrum as heavyweights Josh Barnett and Roy Nelson get set to throw hands for our enjoyment in the UFC Fight Night 75 main event.
Barnett hasn’t seen the inside of the cage since December 2013, and Nelson is just 1-4 in his previous five outings. Nevertheless, they sit as the No. 8 and No. 11-ranked contenders in the division, respectively. A win on Saturday puts one of them right back in the mix.
But that’s not all that’s happening in Saitama this weekend.
The UFC main card features five more contests. There will be plenty of fisticuffs for our pleasure on this main card, and it should be a night filled with action. Each of the bouts offers something of note, but who do the Bleacher Report experts like to win? Let’s take a look.
Top 15 heavyweight action headlines this weekend’s fight card in Japan. No. 8-ranked contender Josh Barnett and No. 11-ranked Roy Nelson face off in an attempt to get back into the heavyweight title picture.
Barnett hasn’t been in the Octagon since Dec…
Top 15 heavyweight action headlines this weekend’s fight card in Japan. No. 8-ranked contender Josh Barnett and No. 11-ranked Roy Nelson face off in an attempt to get back into the heavyweight title picture.
Barnett hasn’t been in the Octagon since December 2013 when he suffered a knockout loss to Travis Browne. Nelson has dropped his two most recent fights against Alistair Overeem and Mark Hunt.
Barnett has a storied career in Japan, most in the Pride organization but has not returned to fight in the country since 2010 at Dream 13. He has been an American staple overseas, doing both MMA and professional wrestling in Japan.
These two large men are well-matched. They both are more than capable on the feet, but their strength comes from their quality grappling.
Who holds the edge this weekend? There’s no reason to waste time, let’s break down the main event for UFC Fight Night 75.
In any sport, how an organization handles a young prospect is often the topic of conversation. Should they be brought along slowly, or should they be thrown into the deep end of the pool? There is almost always criticism regardless of the decision made…
In any sport, how an organization handles a young prospect is often the topic of conversation. Should they be brought along slowly, or should they be thrown into the deep end of the pool? There is almost always criticism regardless of the decision made of how to develop the young talent.
In the case of rising strawweight star Paige VanZant, the UFC has done a stellar job of moving her along.
VanZant was originally slated to be a cast member on the 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter, but she was too young for the show. After her only fight in Invicta FC, against top prospect Tecia Torres, there wasn’t much buzz surrounding her. VanZant got the call to debut against another youngster, undefeated Kailin Curran.
In most circles, the fight between VanZant and Curran was more about Curran. What we saw in their matchup was that VanZant had improved, in the 19-plus months between bouts, tenfold from her previous fight. It was a truly shocking performance in the complete dominance and relentlessness she showed.
The UFC did not go out and sign a low-level, unknown fighter for VanZant’s next opponent. They put her on the main card on Fox, and against a top-10 opponent in Felice Herrig. Herrig had the ranking and some marketability to her but ultimately was not a polished fighter herself. It was a favorable matchup—one that VanZant would win without much issue.
UFC 191 would be VanZant’s next fight. The UFC could have put her into a contender’s fight now that VanZant was ranked in the top 10 and coming off a win over Herrig on a big platform. But the UFC instead placed her against Alex Chambers.
VanZant was clearly not ready for the upper echelon of this division. The UFC found a fighter coming off a win of her own and placed VanZant in a position to succeed. UFC commentator Joe Rogan continually remarked during the bout of how VanZant was not yet ready for someone like champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
It is pure speculation, but whether that was a directive whispered into Rogan’s earpiece or just something off-the-cuff he said, it helped their cause. Rogan’s words helped temper the expectations of the larger audience who only sees a top-10 fighter on a three-fight win streak. Rogan’s words put VanZant’s place into perspective as a prospect.
Following the win, however, the UFC was in a tough spot in deciding how to book VanZant. Diving back into the pool of unranked fighters was a possibility but not indicative of where VanZant stood within the division. Thrusting her into the deep end alongside top contenders would be seen as premature. Instead, the UFC went with No. 8-ranked Joanne Calderwood and a UFC Fight Night main event on UFC Fight Pass.
Absolutely brilliant.
Calderwood was another prospect from Invicta FC, but her UFC career had not gone quite as smoothly. She was defeated on The Ultimate Fighter and upset by MarynaMoroz. Calderwood’s status as a top prospect cooled once she stepped inside the Octagon. She clearly had not improved by the leaps and bounds than VanZant had. She has looked lethargic inside the cage at times, and if that happens against VanZant, she will catch a beating.
Everything about this matchup is perfect for the UFC.
It is a stylistic matchup that will challenge both women where they are weakest but ultimately tilts slightly in favor of the prospect they are more invested in. Making this fight a main event means it is five rounds, and VanZant’s pace, pressure and wrestling is a significant advantage. She is being placed in a position to succeed while having to continue to address holes in her game.
Should she lose? Only hardcore fans, subscribers of UFC Fight Pass, will see it. The UFC will limit the damage to one of their rising stars by limiting the eyes who will see the fight. If she wins? The UFC has two fight cards in the two following days where they can show highlights and talk up her performance.
VanZant’s fight performances and standing in the division put the UFC in a tough spot of having to give her a top-10 fight. They chose the perfect opponent and the perfect platform for it to happen on.
It’s not always possible for the UFC to do this, and sometimes they fail in doing it with other prospects. But in the case of Paige VanZant, the UFC has yet to miss the mark. They should be commended for trying to build another star for their brand by making all the right moves.
The UFC announced earlier this month they would be adding another fight card before UFC 194 in December. This week they not only booked its main event, but the entire fight card.No. 6-ranked strawweight contender Paige VanZant meets No. 8-ranked Joanne…
No. 6-ranked strawweight contender Paige VanZant meets No. 8-ranked Joanne Calderwood in the evening’s main event. What other bouts have the UFC booked for the event? We recap the fights made this past week right here.
UFC Fight Night 76, October 24
Darren Elkins vs. Robert Whiteford
Elkins has been out of action since last December, but he returns in Dublin to take on Robert Whiteford. Elkins has exchanged wins and losses in his last six bouts and is coming off a decision loss to Hacran Dias. Whiteford has won back-to-back fights inside the Octagon over Daniel Pineda and Paul Redmond.
Elkins is ranked as the No. 14 contender in the featherweight division.
UFC Fight Night 77, November 7
Jimmie Rivera vs. Pedro Munhoz
The UFC announced the addition of one bout each to UFC Fight Night’s 77 and 78 Thursday morning. The added bout at UFC Fight Night 77 features hot prospect Jimmie Rivera. Rivera has won 16-straight and is coming off a KO win over Marcus Brimage. He meets Pedro Munhoz who has won two in a row over Matt Hobar and Jerrod Sanders.
UFC Fight Night 78, November 21
Gabriel Benitez vs. Andre Fili
The other bout added on Thursday was between the talented Andre Fili and Gabriel Benitez. Fili entered the UFC with considerable hype but has had a rocky go inside the cage. Benitez is a winner of four-straight with a 2-0 record under the UFC banner.
UFC Fight Night 80, December 10
Paige VanZant vs. Joanne Calderwood
Michael Chiesa vs. Jim Miller
Sheldon Westcott vs. Edgar Garcia
Danny Roberts vs. Michael Graves
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Andreas Stahl
John Howard vs. Tim Means
Lyman Good vs. Omari Akhmedov
Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Kevin Casey
Thiago Santos vs. Elias Theodorou
Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Phillipe Nover
Kailin Curran vs. Emily Kagan
The main event of VanZant vs. Calderwood got most of the press, but in a rare move, the UFC released the entire fight card alongside the main event announcement.
VanZant vs. Calderwood is a matchup of two strawweights looking to get into the title race. The stylistic matchup will force each fighter to tighten up their weakness. VanZant’s pace and pressure grappling style contrasts with Calderwood’s calculated striking.
Lightweight grapplers Jim Miller and Michael Chiesa meet in an entertaining co-main event. And John Howard and Tim Means should spark some excitement in their encounter as well. All-in-all the 11-fight event should provide plenty of excitement to kick off the UFC’s three-event blitz.
The Fight Pass event features a strong line-up of notable names and well-matched fights.
Koch recently moved to lightweight after being a featherweight contender in WEC but faltering in his UFC appearances. His UFC lightweight debut was a thrilling TKO over Rafaello Oliveira. Dober is 1-3 with one no-contest in his UFC career, but he has been competitive throughout. This tussle at 155 pounds should help get the card rolling come January.
Invicta FC is back again for another night of women’s MMA action. The top of the card underwent a few changes, but everything is now official.
Alexa Grasso was originally slated to challenge Livia Renata Souza for the Invicta FC strawweight title, but …
Invicta FC is back again for another night of women’s MMA action. The top of the card underwent a few changes, but everything is now official.
Alexa Grasso was originally slated to challenge Livia Renata Souza for the Invicta FC strawweight title, but an injury pushed the fight off the card. Tonya Evinger‘s bantamweight title defense was moved to the main event. However, PannieKianzad missed weight on Friday to change the bout to a non-title affair.
Evinger also missed weight on her first attempt, but returned to the scale to weigh 135-pounds even to avoid being stripped of the title.
Invicta FC 14 begins at 8 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass, and Bleacher Report will be here to cover all 10 bouts on the fight card. Come back for a night full of exciting action.
Invicta FC 14 Fight Card
Tonya Evinger (135) vs PannieKianzad (136.7)
KatjaKankaanpaa (115.6) vs DeAnna Bennett (117.4)
Roxanne Modafferi (124.9) vs Mariana Morais (125.9)
It looked to be a slow week regarding new fights, but the UFC tacked on numerous bouts late in the week to help flesh out some of the upcoming fight cards.
The one that captured the most headlines was the UFC’s announcement of a 2016 main event, but we…
It looked to be a slow week regarding new fights, but the UFC tacked on numerous bouts late in the week to help flesh out some of the upcoming fight cards.
The one that captured the most headlines was the UFC’s announcement of a 2016 main event, but we will tackle that later. Here are the fights the leader in MMA made this week for their upcoming events.
UFC Fight Night 77, November 7
Thomas Almeida vs. Anthony Birchak
Top bantamweight prospect Thomas Almeida returns to the Octagon to take on Anthony Birchak in Brazil. Almeida remains undefeated with a perfect professional record of 19-0, but he will be tested against the hard-hitting Birchak. Almeidais currently ranked No. 10 in the official UFC rankings, and with a shallow pool of contenders, another impressive performance should put him in the spotlight.
UFC Fight Night 79, November 28
Jake Collier vs. Dongi Yang
HyunGyuLim vs. ElizeuZaleski dos Santos
TaeHyun Bang vs. Leo Kuntz
The event in Seoul, South Korea, continues to fill out with interesting bouts. This trio of fights quickly adds to the depth of the event.
Jake Collier and Dongi Yang look to keep their winning ways going when they meet in the middleweight division. Collier edged out Ricardo Abreu in his last outing, and Yang has won back-to-back fights in the UFC. Meanwhile, ElizeuZaleski dos Santos and HyunGyuLim will try to get back in the win column at 170 pounds, as will lightweights TaeHyun Bang and Leo Kuntz.
The three additional bouts will assist in making this an exciting event.
The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale, December 11
MirsadBektic vs. TatsuyaKawajiri
Justin Scoggins vs. Joby Sanchez
The Ultimate Fighter‘s latest season just got underway, but the UFC is in the process of building up the fight card with two more strong fights.
Justin Scoggins and Joby Sanchez will duke it out in the flyweight division, but the fight between MirsadBektic and Tatsuya Kawajiri is the real story here. That is a great fight for the fans that could easily steal Fight of the Night.
The UFC will have cards on December 10, 11 and 12, but do not let Bektic vs. Kawajiri fly under the radar amid all the hype.
UFC on Fox 17, December 19
Sarah Kaufman vs. Germaine deRandamie
Sarah Kaufman is ranked No. 5 in the division, but she has had a hard time getting premiere fights. Stylistically, she will take on like-minded Germaine deRandamie in Orlando. Do not expect this to hit the canvas.
Kaufman needs a decisive victory to re-enter the field of title contenders, but DeRandamie can earn her biggest win to date with an upset. Keep an eye on this fight, as it has a lot of meaning in the bantamweight division.
The fight does not have a city, venue or Fight Night number just yet, but it does have a date. On January 17, 2016, we get the title fight we’ve been waiting for in the bantamweight division when Dominick Cruz returns to action against reigning champion T.J. Dillashaw. The fight will be on Fox Sports 1 after the NFC Championship Game.
Cruz never lost his title, but injuries forced the UFC’s hand in stripping him of the gold. He returned to destroy TakeyaMizugaki in September 2014, but was again sidelined by injury. Ariel Helwani reported on UFC Tonight that Cruz was cleared to start training, and confirmed the title fight later in the show.
Here’s to hoping everyone remains healthy en route to January 17!
