When the UFC goes to air to this evening it will be doing so in honor of those in the U.S. military. The event is always a raging success, both due to its patriotism and its tendency to provide some good old-fashioned donnybrooks for those in attendance.
This card should be no different, as former Army Ranger Tim Kennedy headlines and former Marine Liz Carmouche is in the co-main event, both fighters inhabiting divisions that could see the most change by the time the night is over.
At middleweight, Kennedy with fight Rafael Natal, a middling talent on a little win streak and looking to get some attention. That fight will be the fourth of the night at 185 pounds, meaning there could be some significant jumps coming. While no one competing is a contender, or even in the top-10, the event will see plenty of moving and shaking in the middle of the middleweight pack.
Carmouche, appearing in her third UFC fight, will battle Alexis Davis in a fight that people have been clamoring for since the days of Strikeforce. Both ladies are incredibly bullish, the picture of willful combat in action when they enter the cage.
They’re definitely the front-runner for fight of the night—especially considering that Carmouche will fight in front of her military brethren and won’t want to disappoint—and in a division as shallow as ladies’ bantamweight, you’re never more than a good showing or two away from a title shot.
Lower on the card, Amanda Nunes will fight Germaine de Randamie, and it could very well be that the winners of each tilt get matched up coming out of this event.
There are also four lightweight bouts on the card, again indicating some shuffling in the rankings. While most are outside of the top 10, there is an interesting bout between Jorge Masvidal and Rustam Khabilov that could answer some questions and get some attention.
Masvidal is an interesting case, a guy who looks to be entering his prime and is getting better every time he hits the cage. Khabilov is part of the ongoing Russian invasion in MMA, a 16-1 wrecking ball who hasn’t lost in the Octagon. Whoever comes out of that one is going to get a big step up in competition next time out.
Fight for the Troops 3 isn’t packed with superstars, but that’s not what this event is about. It’s about giving a live UFC event to people who greatly deserve it for the line of work they’ve chosen.
What they’ll get is a card rich in prospects and talent finding its way, most of which will be happening in the middleweight, ladies’ bantamweight and lightweight divisions.
One way or another, things are going to look different in those hierarchies when you get up tomorrow morning.
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