Multiple championships will be up for grabs at UFC 185, which will take place on Saturday in Dallas.
In the co-main event, newly crowned strawweight titleholder Carla Esparza will attempt to defend her belt for the first time in a bout with Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Then, lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will meet Rafael dos Anjos in the main attraction.
Dos Anjos and Jedrzejczyk earned their title shots somewhat unexpectedly.
The Brazilian, dos Anjos, was behind Khabib Nurmagomedov in the line for a shot at the 155-pound crown, but he was awarded a matchup with Pettis because Nurmagomedov was not ready to compete due to injury. Meanwhile, Jedrzejczyk was viewed as a sacrificial lamb of sorts heading into her most recent bout with Claudia Gadelha, but the Polish fighter became the top contender with an upset win.
Obviously, the four aforementioned UFC 185 competitors should be competing under the UFC banner for the foreseeable future. However, not all fighters stepping into the Octagon on Saturday will be so lucky. Here are the individuals sitting on the hot seat heading into this weekend’s event.
Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo should maintain a UFC roster spot regardless of what happens at the UFC 185 weigh-in, but his 125-pound career could be on the line.
The former Olympic wrestling gold medalist pulled out of his originally scheduled UFC debut with Scott Jorgensen due to weigh-cutting issues, and that was not the first time he had trouble hitting the flyweight limit. Cejudo eventually made his first trip to the Octagon as a bantamweight and scored a decision win over Dustin Kimura, but he has now been allowed to give flyweight one more go.
Cejudo has potential and could be a champion at either 125 or 135 pounds. If he’s going to make a run at the belt in the flyweight division, though, Cejudo can’t miss weight again. If he does miss weight before Saturday’s contest with Chris Cariaso, the UFC brass won’t be likely to book Cejudo for another bout at 125 pounds.
Josh Copeland
Undefeated in seven pro bouts heading into his UFC debut, Josh Copeland looked like a solid addition to the heavyweight division. However, Cuddly Bear was handed a loss in his first trip to the Octagon opposite Ruslan Magomedov.
Now, Copeland is set to face an opponent who is arguably an even tougher matchup. Jared Rosholt is coming off of his first UFC loss, but the veteran has scored three wins inside the Octagon and has proved he belongs at the highest level.
While most competitors are released by the UFC after losing their first two bouts, Copeland might avoid that pattern given the level of competition he has been matched up with. As long as Copeland doesn’t cause any problems and puts on a respectable performance, he might not need a win this weekend. But he won’t be resting easy on Sunday in the event that he gets steamrolled by Rosholt.
Ryan Benoit
Despite losing to Josh Sampo in his UFC debut, Ryan Benoit has been matched up with Sergio Pettis, who has won two in a row in the bantamweight division.
Like Copeland, Benoit is in danger of dropping to 0-2 inside the Octagon, but he may still get another opportunity even with a loss on Saturday. Falling short against a rising star like Pettis would hardly prove that Benoit can’t be successful in the world’s top MMA promotion.
He’ll need to make weight and remain somewhat competitive at UFC 185, so he’s not completely in the clear. But Benoit’s roster spot should be safe for at least one more outing.
Jake Lindsey
With submission losses in his first two UFC appearances, Jake Lindsey is fortunate to still be under contract with the organization.
On Saturday, Lindsey will have a third chance to get his hand raised against UFC newcomer Joseph Duffy. Facing an opponent with no UFC experience, Lindsey isn’t likely to get another shot should he come up empty against this weekend.
At 28 years old, Lindsey should be at his MMA peak, so the time is now to prove he can win inside the Octagon.
Larissa Pacheco
In September, Larissa Pacheco made her UFC debut opposite Jessica Andrade and suffered her first MMA loss via submission.
At 20 years old, Pacheco has big potential and could have a long UFC career ahead. However, she needs to show some improvement against Germaine de Randamie after getting stopped in the opening round of her first UFC outing.
Regardless of her performance this weekend, Pacheco should get another shot against high-level opposition. However, a bad loss to de Randamie at UFC 185 could mean that Pacheco will need to do some more development on smaller shows.
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