UFC 182 is almost guaranteed to start the new year off with a bang. In addition to a long-awaited main event featuring reigning light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and rival Daniel Cormier, the Las Vegas card is littered with matchups that have barn-burning potential.
For all the hype surrounding the main event, both Myles Jury and Donald Cerrone have done enough inside the Octagon to warrant serious attention. The two lightweight contenders are among the hottest commodities in the division thanks to Jury’s undefeated record and Cowboy’s five-fight win streak.
Add in a few intriguing fights to watch on the undercard, and it’s clear that this isn’t a card fight fans will want to miss.
Here’s a look at all the information you need to catch the action from Vegas.
When: Saturday, Jan. 3
Start Time: Fight Pass Prelims at 7 p.m. ET (subscription required); Fox Sports 1 Prelims at 8 p.m. ET; Main Card pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
Live Stream: UFC.tv
Odds via Odds Shark.
Storylines to Watch
Will Hector Lombard Finally Put Together a Winning Streak?
When Hector Lombard officially made the move to the UFC in July of 2012, it appeared he was destined for stardom. The Cuban-Australian fighter entered the promotion with a long reign as Bellator champion and a winning streak that went back to 2006.
Then a split-decision loss to Tim Boetsch happened.
“Lightning” came back strong with a knockout win over Rousimar Palhares but disappointed once again with a split-decision loss to Yushin Okami. As it turns out, it might just be that he needed a move to welterweight to be relevant in the UFC.
Lombard made the move to the lighter weight division after that loss and has since knocked out Nate Marquardt and earned a decision win over Jake Shields. That’s back-to-back wins, but two wins does not a real winning streak make.
Josh Burkman isn’t the toughest challenge of Lombard’s career. The 34-year-old is returning to the Octagon after journeying through World Series of Fighting and other promotions since being released from the UFC in 2008.
However, he will provide Lombard an opportunity to showcase the skills that made him such an exciting addition to the UFC roster. An impressive win here should set up a high-profile win against a top-five welterweight.
Is Myles Jury a Legitimate Lightweight Contender?
All Myles Jury has done since his professional debut is win. The 25-year-old has a perfect 15-0 record. Yes, he lost to Al Iaquinta in The Ultimate Fighter, but he’s done more than enough to show that the loss was more of an aberration than an indication of his actual talent.
What’s still in doubt is how he will react to the spotlight that comes with a co-main event slot on a pay-per-view. Given the magnitude of this card and the quality of his opponent, a fight this big is uncharted territory for Jury.
Yet the rising star has his sights set even higher, per Jeremy Botter of Bleacher Report:
A win over Cerrone puts me next in line for that title shot. And that’s what I want. Anthony Pettis beat Cerrone and got a title shot. A lot of people that beat Cerrone, back in WEC and in the UFC, get title shots. … When I beat Cerrone, you better bet I’m going to be asking for that title shot.
A win over Cerrone would certainly prove he belongs in the discussion as a title contender. Cowboy’s recent five-fight win streak includes victories over Jim Miller, Edson Barboza and Eddie Alvarez. That’s much more established talent than the level of competition Jury has defeated.
Cowboy should be able to test Jury in ways that other opponents have not been able to.
Can Jones vs. Cormier Live Up to the Hype?
There are few fights for Jon Jones that are truly compelling. Because he is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, there are not many opponents whom the UFC can truly sell as legitimate threats to the champion.
One of the few happens to be Daniel Cormier. As Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report noted on Twitter, the matchup has some saying this will be an all-timer and others saying this will be a one-sided beatdown:
DC is unlike any challenger that Jones has faced in his career.
Yes, comparisons could be made to Rashad Evans. Both are excellent athletes whose main challenge against someone like Jones is closing the distance, but that’s where the comparisons end.
Evans doesn’t have nearly the wrestling credentials of Cormier, nor does he have the track record of defeating men much larger than himself in the heavyweight division.
On the other hand, Jones-Evans was a marketable matchup thanks to some familiar bad blood between the two. The personal feud and hype machine did a great job of bamboozling fans into thinking they were watching an intriguing matchup between former champions. Instead, they witnessed another emphatic chapter of Bones’ legacy.
Have fans done it again? Or is Cormier‘s rare blend of strength and athleticism truly enough to get the champion in trouble?
That remains to be seen, but those questions will certainly make fans tune in come Saturday night.
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