https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJTQNY2Fzc4
Tonight (Jan. 15) will see the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) hold its first event in 2017. That event will be UFC Fight Night in Phoenix, Arizona. Twenty-four fighters will compete inside the Talking Stick Arena.
The headliner features a rising featherweight prospect and a legend who wants to show the world that he is still “The Prodigy.” These two 145-pound warriors are Yair Rodriguez and B.J. Penn. While there is a level of respect between these two, they also haven’t been shy about throwing some verbal jabs.
Penn had claimed “El Pantera” asked for this fight. He even said people at his gym were calling Rodriguez a “p*ssy” for thinking this would be an easy fight. Rodriguez fired back by saying Penn was “acting like an amateur.”
Lightweights Joe Lauzon and Marcin Held will take the co-main event slot. Lauzon has had 38 professional mixed martial arts (MMA) bouts. Twenty-two of those bouts have been in the UFC. This doesn’t count his three matches on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). Held, who had been a Bellator mainstay, will make his second trip to the Octagon.
A brief personal down period for Ben Saunders saw him depart from the UFC despite going 3-1 since his return. A 17-second submission win over Jacob Volkmann put him right back with the world leader in MMA. Trading leather with him will be Court McGee. “The Crusher” has gone 2-2 in his last four outings.
Getting the main card started will be a flyweight tilt between Sergio Pettis and John Moraga. Pettis is coming off two straight wins. He earned unanimous decision victories over Chris Cariaso and Chris Kelades. Moraga could be on the chopping block with a loss tonight. He has come up short in two straight decision losses to Joseph Benavidez and Matheus Nicolau. He will have the hometown crowd on his side.
UFC Fight Night’s prelims will begin at 6 p.m. ET on Fight Pass. The prelims continue on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET. The action rolls along on the same network with the main card at 10 p.m. ET.