The headlines for UFC 197 are all about the return of Jon Jones, but there’s a lot more to this card than meets the eye.
Before the five-fight main card airs on pay-per-view, there are plenty of worthwhile fights to catch on Fight Pass and Fox Sports 1. A good mixture of rising prospects, interesting veterans and fringe contenders will step into the Octagon before Ovince Saint Preux and Jones close out the show.
Here’s a look at the complete fight card for the evening along with predictions and the top undercard bouts to watch.
Live Stream: UFC.tv
Undercard Bouts to Watch
Cody East vs. Walt Harris
Headlining the UFC Fight Pass portion of the card is the promotional debut of the latest discovery from the Dana White: Looking for a Fight web series. As shown with Sage Northcutt, the organization is likely to go out of its way to push the talent that’s found on the show:
East’s last bout came against Kevin Asplund in the Legacy Fight Championship promotion. East mauled Asplund in 40 seconds to extend his winning streak to nine fights, with eight of those wins coming by way of either knockout or submission.
The 27-year-old certainly has some power and knows how to overwhelm an opponent with strikes, but he will have to answer questions about his defensive abilities as well as how he handles the spotlight in the UFC.
Those questions aren’t likely to be answered by fighting Harris. The 32-year-old hasn’t fought since November 2014 and has lost three of his last four fights.
Still, this fight is worth watching if only because the dearth of talent at heavyweight means East might climb the ladder quicker than most expect.
Prediction: East by 1st-round TKO
Carla Esparza vs. Juliana Lima
Anthony Pettis and Jon Jones aren’t the only former champions trying to get back on track at UFC 197. Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza returns to the cage for the first time in over a year after she lost her title to Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Lima’s last loss also came at the hands of the former champion, but she has since rebounded with decision wins over Ericka Almeida and Nina Ansaroff.
Lima is a real threat here. She’s ranked 14th in the division but carries some pop. She’s strong for her division and is able to utilize that strength in the grappling department.
This fight should be a good barometer of Esparza‘s health and status in the division. If she’s the same fighter who beat Rose Namajunas to win the title, she should coast to a victory in this one. If the year away from the cage has had long-term effects, we could see a landmark win for Lima.
As long as Esparza hasn’t lost too much, she should be too much for Lima. Expect her to utilize her well-rounded game to figure out where she holds the biggest advantage against her opponent and use it to grind out a unanimous decision.
Prediction: Esparza by decision.
Sergio Pettis vs. Chris Kelades
The Diaz brothers might be the preeminent pair of UFC siblings right now, but the Pettis brothers will do their best to gain some ground on that title at UFC 197. Anthony Pettis is the co-headliner, but younger brother Sergio will close out the Fox Sports 1 prelims.
This will be Pettis‘ first fight as a ranked fighter. He’s currently No. 14 in the flyweight division after beating veteran Chris Cariaso his last time out.
Pettis is a striker like his brother, but as Patrick Wyman of Bleacher Report pointed out, they differ in their styles:
Pettis fights much differently than his brother, with a more meat-and-potatoes approach. Sharp jabs and smooth punch-kick combinations are the basis of his game, and he mixes in the occasional takedown and top control for variety. Kelades is solid at everything but great at nothing. He moves well from striking to takedowns and does good work from the top.
Kelades himself has put praise on the 22-year-old’s abilities in the Octagon, but he also understands this is a big opportunity for himself because of Pettis‘ name recognition.
“He’s a very talented striker, pretty good all-round, and he’s put together some good wins in the UFC,” said Kelades, per Tim Bissell of Bloody Elbow. “He’s a pretty fighter, so I’m very excited for this, he’s got a lot of eyes on him so it’s a good opportunity for myself.”
That’s going to be a tall task for the 35-year-old Kelades. He’s durable, and he’s only been finished once in 11 fights, and that was by submission. However, it’s hard to see him mounting enough offense to pull off the upset and derail Pettis‘ hype train.
In a division that could be running out of title contenders if Demetrious Johnson beats Henry Cejudo, Pettis is definitely worth keeping an eye on.
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