Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will invade Rogers Arena later tonight (Sat., Sept. 14, 2019) to stage UFC Fight Night 158. In the main event, Donald Cerrone and Justin Gaethje will collide in what is sure-to-be a thrilling Lightweight fight. In the co-headlining act, Glover Teixeira takes on Nikita Krylov at Light Heavyweight.
What’s Hot:
Cerrone will look to get himself back in the winner’s circle after having his three-fight win streak snapped by Tony Ferguson (via doctor stoppage) in his last outing. Standing in his way is none other than “The Highlight,” who is gunning for his third consecutive win. This is a fight fan’s dream come true, as both men have countless impressive wins on their resumes that not only fattened their bank accounts, but have made them two of the most exciting fighters in the history of the sport.
“Cowboy” never backs down, and all Gaethje knows how to do is push forward with relentless attack and pace. Both men have countless post-fight bonus awards under their belts, proving that when it comes to sparking fireworks, no one does it better than these two.
On the flip side, since these are two of the best strikers in the game, don’t be too surprised if the fight ends early, as one clean hit can leave fight fans wanting more. Gaethje and Cerrone desperately want their shot at Conor McGregor, and a win here can get them there, as the chances of “Notorious” swooping in and stealing Tony Ferguson’s title shot against Khabib Nurmagomedov aren’t looking too good.
Still, this fight is a tough one to call as their skill levels are pretty much equal. It’s easy to say Gaethje can go in and rush Cerrone and overwhelm him with his aggressiveness and score a knockout win, but “Cowboy” is as seasoned as they come and he can easily clip an overzealous Gaethje at any moment. Regardless of how this fight plays out, we are all in for a treat.
What’s Not:
Matchmaking can be a bit puzzling at times. For example, the Light heavyweight match up between Jimmy Crute vs. Misha Cirkunov. Crute is undefeated in his career (13-0), including winning his first two fights inside the Octagon. Cirkunov, meanwhile, is coming off a knockout loss and has dropped three of his last four, getting stopped each time out. While both men are trying to climb the rankings, I would’ve preferred Crute get someone who is also on a nice run, not someone coming off a loss and with only one win since 2016.
Original Card Vs. Actual Card:
David Branch was set to face Andrew Sanchez at the event, but an injury forced him out and he was ultimately replaced by Marvin Vettori. In turn, Sanchez came down with an eye infection and the fight was rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 161 next month.
Injuries:
The aforementioned Sanchez and Branch were the only two men who were struck down by the injury bug, thankfully.
New Blood:
Miles Johns will make his official UFC debut after earning his shot on Dana White’s “Tuesday Night Contender Series” (DWTNCS). With a record of 9-0, Johns earned his stripes under the Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) banner. He will be taking on fellow undefeated (7-0, 1-0 UFC) fighter, Cole Smith, who made good on his own UFC debut back in May after defeating Mitch Gagnon.
Another DWTNCS alum, Hunter Azure, will get his time to shine under the bright lights as he puts his undefeated (7-0) mark up against Brad Katona, who suffered the first loss of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career in his previous outing against Merab Dvalishvili.
After winning four straight on the regional circuit — all stoppage victories — Tristan Connelly got the call up to the big leagues. His first fight won’t be an easy one, as he is facing Michel Pereira, the fearsome striker who has won three straight via knockout, including his spectacular UFC debut against Danny Roberts, who he knocked out via flying knee at UFC Fight Night 152.
To get a more detailed look at all of the newcomers, click here to read “New Blood.”
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
Katona suffered the first loss of his professional MMA career in his last outing after coming up short to Dvalishvili, so he’s itching to get back into the Octagon in search of a win. Trying to prevent him from doing that is undefeated newcomer, Hunter Azure (7-0).
In more featherweight action, Chas Skelly will look to end his two-fight losing streak when he takes on Jordan Griffin. Jordan came up short in his Octagon debut, losing to Dan Ige back in Dec. 2018. He hasn’t been heard from since, so he will look to remind the combat world why he earned a contract after his win on DWTNCS.
Also, Louis Smolka will look to bounce back after having his four-fight win streak snapped by Matt Schnell. This is Smolka’s second run with UFC, so he has to make sure he doesn’t drop another inside the Octagon before he gets dropped again by the promotion. In his way is Ryan McDonald (10-1), who didn’t do too well in his UFC debut, losing to Chris Gutierrez.
To get a better look at all of the undercard action click here and here.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
Marcin Tybura has lost three of his last four fights under the UFC umbrella, including dropping his last outing to Shamil Abdurakhimov via knockout. UFC’s roster is getting bigger by the day, so the promotion has no qualms in letting talent go who are seemingly dragging their feet. If Marcin loses his second straight, he could be in danger of losing his spot on the roster.
Interest Level: 6.5/10
We know Cerrone and Gaethje is going to be pure fire, let’s just hope it goes 25 minutes. Now let’s dig into the some of the intriguing bouts on the main card. Glover Teixeira is looking to score his first three-fight win streak since 2014-2015 as he takes on the heavy-handed Russian, Nikita Krylov. Teixeira showed off his submission skills in his last two fights, so don’t be too surprised if he looks to take the big man to the ground. And he would be wise to do so, as Krylov’s three of his last four wins have come via knockout.
Todd Duffee will make his long-awaited return to action after being out for a whopping four years on the sidelines after suffering several unfortunate injuries. In his last fight, he was knocked out by Frank Mir in the very first round. While most people have likely forgotten about that, Duffee hasn’t, so he’ll look to make his return a memorable one when he faces Jeff Hughes.
In Middleweight action, Uriah Hall — who has failed to live up to the great expectations people had of him after The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) — will look to get back into the winner’s circle once again to score back-to-back wins for the first time since 2015. Over the last three years, Hall is only 2-4, which means he needs to win impressively … and then a few more after that, before he starts setting his sights on the likes of Israel Adesanya. Trying to beat Antonio Carlos Junior, though, is no easy task.
Enjoy the fights!
UFC Fight Night 158 Full Fight Card:
UFC Fight Night 158 Main Event:
155 lbs.: Donald Cerrone vs. Justin Gaethje
UFC Fight Night 158 Main Card on ESPN+ (8 p.m. ET):
205 lbs.: Nikita Krylov vs. Glover Teixeira
265 lbs.: Todd Duffee vs. Jeff Hughes
170 lbs.: Michel Pereira vs. Tristan Connelly
185 lbs.: Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Uriah Hall
205 lbs.: Misha Cirkunov vs. Jim Crute
UFC Fight Night 158 ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN+ (5 p.m. ET):
265 lbs.: Augusto Sakai vs. Marcin Tybura
135 lbs.: Miles Johns vs. Cole Smith185 lbs.: Andrew Sanchez vs. Marvin Vettori — CANCELED (full details here)
135 lbs.: Hunter Azure vs. Brad Katona
145 lbs.: Jordan Griffin vs. Chas Skelly
135 lbs.: Ryan MacDonald vs. Louis Smolka
155 lbs.: Austin Hubbard vs. Kyle Prepolec
*Fight card, bout order and the amount of matches subject to change.
For more upcoming UFC events click here.