On January 28, 2012, the UFC will hold its highly-anticipated “UFC on Fox 2” event, featuring former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans taking on top wrestler Phil Davis. Also, British banger and notorious bad-boy Michael Bisping takes on fellow bad-boy and trash-talker extraordinaire Chael Sonnen.
Still, some fans may be asking themselves: what are the best reasons to check out this card? Here’s my answer to just that: 5 reasons to watch “UFC on Fox 2”.
5. Demian Maia vs. Chris Weidman has a lot of potential, even if most people aren’t all that interested in it.
It’s been quite some time since Demian Maia had any significant hype behind him, but he’s still in the UFC, he’s still winning fights, and I’d argue that he’s one of the best gatekeepers in the UFC right now. And this is definitely a gatekeeper fight, with Weidman the rising prospect that wants his shot at legit divisional relevancy. Whoever wins this fight takes a big step towards relevancy in general. So expect both men to come out to put on a show.
4. Three hours of prelims, and very good prelims at that.
Three full hours of free UFC action is a pretty good time no matter what, but this card is especially stacked for a preliminary card. For the “UFC on Fox 2” prelims you’ve got talented veterans like Joey Beltran, John-Olav Einemo, Nik Lentz, and Cub Swanson. You’ve got talented upstarts like Michael Johnson, Charles Oliveira, and Evan Dunham. I don’t normally put the prelims ahead of any of the actual main card fights, but I’m simply more interested in these prelims than I am Weidman/Maia.
3. It’s the UFC… on Fox.
I’ll be honest: even though we’ve already got one “UFC on Fox” event under our belts, it’s still taking me a little time to adjust to seeing my favorite fighters on the home of shows like Family Guy, the Simpsons, and American Idol. Every time I hear that famous Fox Sports tune, I still feel some sort of disconnect and expect a football game to start playing. But what we’re seeing is history in the making, and the beginnings of a new era for the UFC. That’s definitely one of the biggest reasons to check out this event.
2. Michael Bisping vs. Chael Sonnen could end up being a very short night for either fighter.
We’ve all had our say on this fight, and I’ve said plenty about it myself. There are many different ways this fight could break down, and most of them are pretty entertaining. No matter what happens, the winner of this fight will earn a shot at Anderson Silva and the UFC Middleweight Championship. That’s a pretty strong motivating factor that should result in both men showing up at their best. And both Michael Bisping and Chael Sonnen are quite amazing when they show up at their best.
And the number-one reason to watch “UFC on Fox 2” is…
1. Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis belongs on a Pay-Per-View… because it nearly headlined one.
I don’t care what circumstances led to it happening: I’ll take a Pay-Per-View main event fight on free TV any day of the week. Rashad Evans has been a man on a mission since returning from injury, and his recent performance against Tito Ortiz was one of the most vicious, most dominant performances of his entire career. Phil Davis, meanwhile, is undefeated and one of the best wrestlers in the division. It may not be a “blink and you’ll miss it” encounter, but this fight should still be entertaining from start to finish.
Oliver Saenz, also known as PdW2kX, is a freelance journalist, opinion columnist, hardcore MMA fan, and lifelong video game nerd. For more news, views, previews, and reviews on all things Mixed Martial Arts as well as video games, be sure to visit FightGamesBlog.net.
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