Everyone can talk about Joseph Benavidez vs. Demetrious Johnson, Jon Jones vs. Vitor Belfort and Michael Bisping vs. Brian Stann, but the real can’t-miss fight from the UFC 152 pay-per-view is the featherweight matchup between Cub Swanson and Charles Oliveira.
Both of these fighters are threats to finish the fight anywhere. Both are black belts in Brazilian jiu jitsu, and both have very solid striking.
Swanson’s last two fights have both been won by TKO, and both have been impressive victories over good competition. He beat George Roop with a huge punch that knocked out Roop‘s mouthpiece, and he followed that up with a TKO of former lightweight contender Ross Pearson.
Meanwhile, Oliveira‘s last two wins have been submissions, one of which was a rarely seen calf-slicer, which he scored against Eric Wisely. The other was an anaconda choke against Jonathan Brookins.
These two are going to have an absolute war with Swanson likely looking to knock out Oliveira, and Oliveira likely looking to submit Swanson.
Both have shown vulnerability to submission and TKO losses, so either of these two could win the fight anywhere it may go.
As featherweights, you know there will be non-stop action, and cardio will not be an issue.
Look for this fight to be a contender for “Fight of the Night,” and if the rest of the card weren’t so stacked, this probably would be the front-runner as the best fight of the night.
Tim McTiernan is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow him on Twitter.
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