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There is no rest for the wicked, as Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back at it again with another international event, as UFC Fight Night 160 is set to go down later today (Sat., Sept. 28, 2019) inside Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark. In the main event, hard-hitting Middleweight contenders Jack Hermansson and Jared Cannonier will collide to see who takes the next step up. In the co-headlining act, Gunnar Nelson will face Gilbert Burns.
What’s Hot:
With the Middleweight division losing a lot of it’s star-power with Luke Rockhold and Chris Weidman moving up to Light Heavyweight, and Anderson Silva being a shell of his former self, Jack Hermansson and Jared Cannonier have made their way into the top 10 over the last year. In fact, Jack is in the top five, which means a win for “Joker” puts him closer to a shot at the title. And it would be well-deserved, as Hermansson has been on a tear, winning four straight, six of seven overall, including big wins against David Branch and Ronaldo Souza. And he’s done it quietly, albeit effectively.
Cannonier, meanwhile, has been doing work himself, going 2-0 with knockout wins over David Branch and Anderson Silva since dropping down to 185 pounds. The downside is that prior to that, he suffered back-to-back defeats, though they were at Light Heavyweight. That said, if he can get a win over Hermansson, it will surely catapult him up the pecking order and set him up for bigger and better fights.
It’s an interesting stylistic matchup to say the least, as I will give the power advantage to Cannonier, though Jack seems to be the more well-rounded fighter of the two. Either way, it’s a big fight that will have major implications in the 185-pound division, especially as Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya get ready to do the dance next week at UFC 243.
What’s Not:
The main card wasn’t all that top-heavy to begin with, and when Thiago Alves bowed out of the event, it lost that much more star-power. I get it, international fight cards aren’t known for being stacked, as they focus more on promoting international talent from whatever region the promotion is visiting that weekend. But I really hope UFC starts adding a bit more star-power to these types of cards moving forward.
Original Card Vs. Actual Card:
Alessio Di Chirico was set to face Peter Sobotta on the card, but after Peter was forced out for undisclosed reasons, he was replaced by Floyd Mayweather-promoted fighter, Makhmud Murado.
Injuries:
Thiago Alves was set to face Gunnar Nelson in what was an interesting Welterweight matchup, but “The Pitbull” pulled out of the fight after he suffered an injury. In his place, Gilbert Burns was pegged to take on the submission specialist.
New Blood:
We have a couple of UFC newcomers ready to make their mark, but perhaps the most notable one will be Mark Madsen. The former Olympic silver medalist-turned pro fighter will look to add to his perfect mark (8-0) when he faces off against Danilo Belluardo.
While Madsen’s bread and butter is obviously wrestling, he simply doesn’t grind out his opponents, as he has five stoppage victories to his credit. UFC has had several Olympic medalists stroll through the Octagon and make an impact, so I will be eager to see how Madsen handles this big platform.
Also, Makhmud Muradov is another interesting get for UFC, as he is represented by none other than Floyd Mayweather. In fact, he is the only MMA fighter on “The Money Team.” All that aside, the man can scrap, as he is currently on a ridiculous 11-fight win streak, with nine knockouts collected during that span. Competing overseas in regional promotions throughout his career, Makhmud has his work cut out for him inside the Octagon. His first test will be Alessio Di Chirico. Alessio is no slouch himself and will look to get back in the win column after losing to Kevin Holland just a few months ago.
Also, Giga Chikadze will finally get his chance to fight inside the Octagon after he came up short in his fight on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series (DWTNCS). After two wins on the regional circuit, the striker got the call up to face Brandon Davis at Featherweight.
Jack Shore will look to keep his undefeated (11-0) record intact when he faces Nohelin Hernandez in bantamweight action. Shore is a banger, but he can also twist you up like a pretzel if need be. As for Hernandez, he came up short in his own UFC debut against Marlon Vera, who submitted him at UFC 239 this past March. Shore seems to have the goods to make an impact for the promotion, now he needs to put it all together in his opportunity.
To get a more detailed look at all of the newcomers, click here to read Patrick L. Stumberg’s “New Blood” piece.
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
Aside from the newcomers mentioned above who will be fighting on the undercard, there are a few notable names and matchups taking place on the “prelims.”
Siyar Bahadurzada came out strong in his UFC career, but he has since become somewhat of an afterthought, as he hasn’t really made much noise. While he is 3-1 in his last four fights, those three victories came so far apart from one another, that it didn’t seem as if he was building any momentum. Whatever he did have going for him came to a halt when Curtis Millender defeated him at UFC 232. He will look to turn it back around when he faces Ismail Naurdiev.
Also, the always-entertaining Lando Vannata will look for his second straight win when he faces Marc Diakiese in what is sure-to-be a thrilling Lightweight scrap. Lando has had an up-and-down career so far inside the Octagon, while Marc hasn’t lived up to the hype that once surrounded him. Nevertheless, these two are entertaining and will give fight fans a nice showing.
In women’s Bantamweight action, Macy Chiasson will look to stay undefeated (5-0, 3-0 UFC) when she battles longtime veteran, Lina Lansberg. Lina will be a huge step up for Macy, so it will be interesting to see if she can handle the pressure and experience she brings.
To get a better look at all of the “prelim” action click here and here.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
Ovince St-Preux has had a rough stretch as of late, losing two straight, three of four overall. It’s a far cry from the man that once challenged Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones for the title in 2016. Getting a win over Tyson Pedro during his slump was nice, but it just won’t cut if he wants to get back to where he once was. And his challenges won’t get any easier, as he is lined up to face Micha? Oleksiejczuk, who has won his last 11 fights, including his first three UFC bouts. This fight can be a blessing for Ovince, as getting a win over Michal and stopping his momentum can be the very boost he needs. Dropping three in a row, though, will only send him tumbling down the ladder a bit further.
Interest Level: 5/10
Again, it’s not that great of a card overall and while the main event should be entertaining, it’s tough sell as a headlining act. Not that Jack and Jared aren’t talented, but their names don’t pack the punch just yet. Then again, I am always screaming for UFC to give other people a chance in certain divisions instead of having the same ones fighting for the title or spearheading events, so perhaps I need to put a lid on it and not complain too much.
In other main card action, Khalil Rountree and Ion Cutelaba will collide in a hard-hitting matchup that could very well see one of these men go to sleep early, as they both can crack…and hard. Also, Alex Oliviera will look to snap his two-fight skid — the longest of his career — when he faces off against Nicolas Dalby, who is on a three-fight win streak.
Enjoy the fights!
UFC Fight Night 160 Full Card:
UFC Fight Night 160 Main Event:
185 lbs.: Jack Hermansson vs. Jared Cannonier
UFC Fight Night 160 Main Card on ESPN+ (2 p.m. ET):
155 lbs.: Danilo Belluardo vs. Mark Madsen
170 lbs.: Gunnar Nelson vs. Gilbert Burns
205 lbs.: Ion Cutelaba vs. Khalil Rountree
205 lbs.: Michal Oleksiejczuk vs. Ovince Saint Preux
170 lbs.: Nicolas Dalby vs. Alex Oliveira
UFC Fight Night 160 Prelims Card on ESPN+ (11 a.m. ET):
185 lbs.: Alen Amedovski vs. John Phillips
185 lbs.: Alessio Di Chirico vs. Makhmud Muradov
170 lbs.: Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Ismail Naurdiev
135 lbs.: Macy Chiasson vs. Lina Lansberg
155 lbs.: Marc Diakiese vs. Lando Vannata
135 lbs.: Nohelin Hernandez vs. Jack Shore
155 lbs.: Giga Chikadze vs. Brandon Davis
*Fight card, bout order and the amount of matches subject to change.
For more upcoming UFC events click here.