At UFC 170, Ronda Rousey will look to defend her women’s bantamweight title against fellow Olympic medalist Sara McMann.
The fight card will also include several ranked contenders such as Daniel Cormier, Rory MacDonald, Demian Maia and others. Of the 22 fighters competing on Saturday, six will be UFC newcomers.
With so many highly ranked fighters and fresh faces competing in one evening, UFC 170 won’t see many fighters battling for their UFC jobs. In fact, only one bout on the fight card would appear to include competitors in jeopardy of being released from the promotion.
Here is that matchup.
Erik Koch and Rafaello Oliveira
The only fighter on the UFC 170 fight card currently riding consecutive UFC losses, Erik Koch has decided to make a move to the lightweight division in an attempt to turn things around.
Considering his recent losses came against Ricardo Lamas and Dustin Poirier, Koch is still a fighter worth watching. However, this is a matchup designed to get him back into the win column. If he blows it and ends up with a third straight loss, nobody would blame the UFC brass for parting ways with Koch.
On the other hand, with losses in four of his past five UFC bouts, dating back to a prior stint with the organization, Rafaello Oliveira has not really been able to prove he belongs at this level of competition.
A bout with a talented opponent like Koch might not seem like a fair way to determine whether Oliveira deserves a spot on the UFC roster. However, the Brazilian has had his chances, and a 2-6 record inside the Octagon would be reason for release no matter the adversaries.
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