UFC 196 is gone, replaced by UFC Fight Night 82: Hendricks vs. Thompson this Saturday night in Las Vegas.
It doesn’t quite have the same ring to it.
This event was scheduled to be the rematch between heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum and the man he beat for the belt, Cain Velasquez. A back injury to Velasquez led to the premature announcement of Stipe Miocic as his replacement, but Werdum then pulled out, citing an injury of his own.
Rather than go ahead with the card as a pay-per-view, the UFC moved it to Fox Sports 1. That was the right move given the depleted lineup, and it turns out to be an excellent card for the promotion’s cable outlet.
In the main event, former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks takes on karate master Stephen Thompson in an outstanding scrap at 170 pounds. The division is wide-open following the razor-thin title fight between Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit in January, and the winner will have as good a claim on a title shot as anyone.
The heavyweight co-main event of Roy Nelson and Jared Rosholt carries some name value, as does a matchup at 205 pounds between Ovince Saint Preux and Rafael Cavalcante. The second-best fight on the card, however, is the flyweight matchup between former title challenger Joseph Benavidez and Zach Makovsky.
The preliminary card is decent, if not outstanding. The flyweight bout between rising prospects Ray Borg and Justin Scoggins will be one of the highlights of the entire event, while a lightweight scrap featuring veterans Josh Burkman and K.J. Noons should be exciting.
Let’s take a look at each individual fight.