Seems like things have really slowed for the UFC since Lyoto Machida and Luke Rockhold took center stage at the Prudential Center in Jersey.
Maybe it had to do with the buildup and anticipation to the most lucrative fight in combat sports history. Maybe it had to do with the widespread coverage of Jon Jones’ self-destruction after his now-infamous, but still alleged, hit-and-run case. Or maybe it had to do with back-to-back fight cards with nothing but a bunch of unassuming bouts.
Either way, the UFC hasn’t been getting the attention it was getting for the first three months of the calendar year.
That might change Saturday night. It also might not. Scroll on down to see how you could be part of the reason to ensure the former.
Middleweights Aim to Break a Bad Streak
A The Ultimate Fighter 17 alum, Luke Barnatt looked the part of a promising young fighter with an unblemished 8-0 professional record. A larger middleweight, Bigslow was making quick work of his first few opponents after joining the ranks of the world’s best promotion.
But then he started letting the ringside judges play a role in his professional success and it all went sour.
Barnatt‘s been on the bad end of two straight split decisions, but earns himself a bit of a step up in competition as he prepares himself for an appearance in the Philippines.
His opponent, Mark Munoz, is facing a bit of a losing crisis of his own. Believe it or not, but there was a time when the Filipino Wrecking Machine was one of the most feared fighters at 185 pounds. The guy had some of the best wrestling in the division to back up his heavy-handed, signature “Donkey Kong” attack. He had the tools to be the best.
But then he ran into Chris Weidman’s standing elbow and it all went sour for him, too.
Munoz has lost four of his last five dating back to 2011. He hasn’t been the same since, and chances are he won’t have enough in him to make enough of a turn to change his career around. That doesn’t mean he won’t be able to drop his lankier, more British opponent, though.
Middleweights Look to Continue a Good Streak
Proceeding the struggling middleweights are a pair of 185ers who are just one win away from starting a positive streak of their own.
Last time Gegard Mousasi fought, the Dreamcatcher was savvy enough to catch an aging Dan Henderson to stop his UFC career from plummeting beyond salvation. He’d already proven he could defeat lesser fighters in llir Latifi and Munoz, but showed us he couldn’t quite hang with superior men in Machida and Ronaldo Souza. Though Henderson’s certainly not what he once was, there was no telling what was going to happen on that January night in Sweden.
Luckily for Mousasi, the European-favoring crowd (and fate) was on his side.
Fate might not be on the Dutchman’s side come Saturday night, and it has everything to do with the UFC’s No. 12 middleweight.
Over a year removed from his last UFC outing, Costas Philippou returns to the cage after defeating Lorenz Larkin last May. The Larkin victory served as a stopgap to what could have easily turned into a three-fight losing streak.
One man takes a small jump forward in the rankings; one likely falls out of them.
Retribution for Superfight-hungry fight fans
It may not be Mayweather vs. Pacquiao (or Pacquiao vs. Mayweather, depending on your preference), but Frankie Edgar vs. Urijah Faber certainly smells like a bout we’ve wanted for quite some time.
And luckily for us, this fight isn’t happening five years too late. Sure, neither fighter has a gold strap fastened around their waist, but Edgar and Faber are surely much closer to their respective primes than Money or Pac Man were in Las Vegas earlier this month.
That’s not to say this fight will be bigger than Floyd vs. Manny. Literally no other fight in the foreseeable future would be able to match that bout in both hype and spectacle. Edgar vs. Faber is no exception. Hell, Silva vs. GSP/Jones wouldn’t hold a candle, either.
That is to say this fight has the potential of being a better, more competitive fight than the one blood-thirsty fans were pining for as the fight of the century came and went. It’s about as can’t-miss fight as can’t-miss fights get. Make sure you don’t.
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