Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back at it again tonight (Sat., July 27, 2019) as UFC 240 goes down from inside Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Headlining the pay-per-view (PPV) event is a Featherweight title fight as division champion, Max Holloway, defends his title against Frankie Edgar. In the co-headlining act, Cris Cyborg will face Felicia Spencer in a pivotal 145-pound match up.
What’s Hot:
Holloway and Edgar have been booked to throw down twice before, and both times the title fight was scratched because of injuries. After each man went 1-1 in their previous two bouts, they once again find themselves locked in for a championship bout. And while we still have a few hours until they actually step into the cage, it seems it will finally go down this time around.
But at least we have an insurance policy in place should something go wrong last minute.
That said, we are going to be in for a treat, as the combatants are two of the very best to ever do it inside the Octagon. Holloway is currently riding a 13-fight win streak at 145 pounds, while Edgar is 3-1 in his last four fights in the division. Look, I can bring up all of the stats and accolades for both men, but you already know what they’ve done and what they can do. In short, they bring it night in and night out, and it promises to be a title fight for the ages.
For Edgar, beating Holloway will give him his second strap in as many divisions, putting him in a rather exclusive club. And believe it or not, it’s a must-win for Edgar, as I don’t envision the promotion giving him another title shot at 145 pounds (this will be his third attempt to capture gold in the division). For Holloway, this is the chance to bounce back from his loss to Dustin Poirier in a Lightweight title fight earlier this year, all while giving him his third straight title defense at 145 pounds. It will also get him closer to cleaning out the division, meaning that a permanent move up to 155 pounds could come sooner rather than later.
What’s Not:
Come on, be honest, I can’t be the only one who has noticed that ever since UFC inked a deal with ESPN to stream all PPV events on ESPN+, the cards haven’t been as top heavy as they once were. With the exception of UFC 236 and UFC 239, the rest of the events have been sub-par at best. Geoff Neal vs. Niko Price, Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Arman Tsarukyan and Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Krysztof Jotko are the other three PPV main card fights. Need I say more? And I am not trying to disrespect those fighters one bit, but you would think UFC would stack the card with a bit more with well-known fighters who can draw eyes to the television, iPad or computer.
Do you really think that would’ve happened last year? Now that UFC gets paid by ESPN regardless of buys, the effort seems to have gone down a bit. What’s worse is that the buy price has stayed the same, on top of the extra coin needed to subscribe to ESPN+.
Original Card Vs. Actual Card:
A fight between Lauren Murphy and Mara Romero Borella was yanked from this event and moved to UFC on ESPN 5 next month. Furthermore, a fight between Giacomo Lemos and Tanner Boser – which was set to go down at Heavyweight – was axed after Lemos failed a pre-fight drug test.
Injuries:
No injuries reported.
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
If the main card is lacking, don’t expect the “Prelims” to be any better. Remember when Erik Koch was once touted as a top prospect and potential title contender? After a rough stretch over the last six years, Koch has been relegated to the opening fight of the night. He can use that as motivation to get a win over Kyle Stewart at Welterweight in an attempt to jump-start his career. One of the bright spots of the undercard is a Flyweight fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Deiveson Figueiredo. Deiveson recently had his undefeated streak snapped at 15 by Jussier Formiga, so he will be thirsty to get back into the win column, something he’s grown accustomed to. As for Pantoja, he has won three straight, five of six overall inside the Octagon. That said, he is looking for a big win here in to insert himself into the 125-pound championship mix, as the division will not be axed as originally thought.
Headlining the “Prelims” is a women’s Flyweight bout that will see Alexis Davis attempt to snap her two-fight skid against Viviane Araujo, winner of three in a row including her impressive UFC debut at UFC 237, knocking out Talita Bernardo with one punch. Also, up-and-coming prospect Hakeem Dawodu will get another chance to shine and collect his third straight win when he welcomes UFC newcomer, Yoshinori Horie.
To get a better look at all of those fights, as well as the rest of the UFC 240 underbelly, click here and here.
New Blood:
Horie is the only UFC newcomer this week. Coming into his UFC debut, Horie is 8-1 with five knockouts with all of his fights taking place under the famed Pancrase umbrella. All but one of his knockouts have come in the first round, so Horie is a fast starter. Ironically, the only loss of his career came against a former UFC veteran in Issei Tamura.
At the end of the day, while Horie is talented, he isn’t too experienced, having only been in the fight game for three years. But, the 24-year-old is skilled and he can get the job done. And he will need to be on point if he wants to take out Dowadu, who has shown flashes of brilliance in his short time inside the Octagon.
To get a better idea of what Horie brings to the table, read our very own Patrick L. Stumberg’s “New Blood” piece.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
It’s hard to put Cyborg in this category, but the fact of the matter is she needs a win in the worst way. While we know her time with UFC could come to an end regardless of the outcome in her fight against Spencer, a victory ensures she will get paid.
If she suffers another loss, her second in a row, it won’t give her a ton of leverage when it comes to negotiating a new deal, regardless of what promotion wants her. Yes, she carries a big name, but a second straight loss could scare off plenty of suitors, and may perhaps indicate that her run as the terrorizing fighter she once was is no more.
Interest Level: 6.5 of 10
What saves this event is the main- and co-main bouts, obviously. I’m eager to see just how much more improved Holloway is coming off his first loss in forever. He is adamant he only got better since April, which doesn’t bode well for Edgar. As for “The Answer,” he is on a life-long journey to win the 145 pound title, it seems, and this could be his last chance to do so. If he can’t take out “Blessed,” we could possibly see him go back up to Lightweight or maybe even attempt a cut down to Bantamweight.
In the co-main event, Cyborg will look to raise her stock in what could very well be the final fight of her UFC career. She is set to be a free agent after the fight, and since she didn’t lock down an extension prior to this event, all signs are pointing to her leaving. Of course, UFC could always swoop in and make her an offer she can’t refuse once it’s all said and done, but that will depend heavily on what she can do against Spencer.
Spencer burst onto the UFC scene a few months ago by absolutely dominating Megan Anderson before choking her out in the first round. Spencer is undefeated (7-0, 1-0 UFC) and was the former Invicta FC Featherweight champion. Plus, she won’t be giving up any size to Cyborg, so she has that going for her.
On top of that, Spencer’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu is as legit as it gets, scoring three straight rear-naked choke wins thanks to her black belt skills. Of course, the big question is whether or not Spencer can hang with Cyborg on the feet. For her part, “Feenom” is ready to show what she can do in the striking department.
Cyborg is coming off a devastating first-round knockout defeat to Amanda Nunes, so there is no telling if she will be gun shy or be the same aggressive fighter everyone knows and loves. Sure, that aggressiveness cost her against Nunes, but it’s worked for her throughout her career, so I don’t envision her changing up her style. If it gets to the ground, though, Spencer has a slight advantage, so it could be all she wrote if Spencer can mount and get good position. A second straight loss for Cyborg all but ensures UFC won’t bring her back, as her and Dana White’s relationship simply never got off to a good start.
Enjoy the fights!
UFC 240 Full Fight Card:
UFC 240 Main Event:
145 lbs.: UFC Featherweight champion Max Holloway vs. Frankie Edgar
UFC 240 Main Card On ESPN+ PPV (10 p.m. ET):
145 lbs.: Cris Cyborg vs. Felicia Spencer
170 lbs.: Geoff Neal vs. Niko Price
155 lbs.: Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Arman Tsarukyan
185 lbs.: Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Krzysztof Jotko
UFC 240 ‘Prelims’ Undercard On ESPN (8 p.m. ET):
125 lbs.: Viviane Araujo vs. Alexis Davis
145 lbs.: Hakeem Dawodu vs. Yoshinori Horie
145 lbs.: Seungwoo Choi vs. Gavin Tucker
125 lbs.: Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Alexandre Pantoja
UFC 240 ‘Prelims’ Undercard On UFC Fight Pass (7 p.m. ET):
125 lbs.: Sarah Frota vs. Gillian Robertson
170 lbs.: Erik Koch vs. Kyle Stewart265 lbs.: Tanner Boser vs. Giacomo Lemos — CANCELED (full details here)
*Fight card, bout order and the amount of matches subject to change
For more upcoming UFC events click here.