At UFC Fight Night 66, former UFC champion Frankie Edgar and former WEC champion Urijah Faber will meet in a highly anticipated bout that could determine the next featherweight title challenger.
Since going the distance with 145-pound champion Jose Aldo in his featherweight debut, Edgar has won three in a row. Given the competitive nature of his first meeting with Aldo, Edgar could be in the running for a rematch even if Aldo remains champion after his upcoming clash with Conor McGregor.
Beaten more decisively by Aldo in April 2010, Faber might need a little more help. The California Kid has been among the elite bantamweights in the world over recent years, but he’s still seeking a UFC championship and might need McGregor to dethrone Aldo in order to get a shot at the 145-pound belt.
While Edgar and Faber will likely have UFC roster spots as long as they want them, several UFC Fight Night 66 competitors are in much different situations. Here are the individuals sitting on the hot seat heading into this weekend’s card.
Mark Munoz and Luke Barnatt
Following three consecutive losses, Mark Munoz is expected to retire regardless of the result of his bout with Luke Barnatt on Saturday.
At 37 years old, Munoz was clearly beginning to decline and has made the smart decision to call it quits and limit future health problems that can arise from a long career in MMA. Known as The Filipino Wrecking Machine, Munoz will have a chance to compete in the Philippines for the first time this weekend.
So, there will be added pressure on him to go out with a bang.
While the spotlight will be on Munoz in this matchup, Barnatt could also have a lot riding on the result. Although both came via narrow decisions, Barnatt has lost two in a row. Three straight defeats often leads to a fighter being released from the UFC roster, especially when that defeat comes against a reeling opponent like Munoz.
Kajan Johnson
A contestant on TUF Nations, Kajan Johnson was eliminated by Chad Laprise in the semifinals.
Johnson ended up being brought back to compete at UFC 174, but he was knocked out by Tae Hyun Bang. Normally, that initial loss would be the end of the road for a TUF contestant who failed to reach the show’s finals, but Johnson has another opportunity coming his way.
On Saturday, Johnson will meet Zhang Lipeng. While Lipeng has posted a respectable 2-1 record inside the Octagon, this is a matchup Johnson cannot afford to fail in again.
Jon Delos Reyes and Roldan Sangcha-an
Despite being stopped in the opening round of his first two UFC outings, Jon Delos Reyes has been given another chance to pick up his first win inside the Octagon.
Opposite Kyoji Horiguchi and Dustin Kimura, Delos Reyes did face some stiff competition, though. Still, falling to 0-3 under the UFC banner would certainly lead to Delos Reyes’ return to regional competition unless he were to put together a Fight of the Night performance this weekend.
After losing to Richie Vaculik in his UFC debut, Delos Reyes’ opponent is also in a must-win situation. Born in the Philippines, Roldan Sangcha-an will have the crowd on his side at UFC Fight Night 66, but that could add unnecessary pressure to an already bad situation for him.
Nolan Ticman and Yao Zhikui
In August, Nolan Ticman made his UFC debut opposite Frankie Saenz and was beaten in a decision. With that, the Kings MMA product will likely need a win on Saturday in order to keep his UFC career going, as the promotion cuts most competitors who drop their first two bouts.
Facing an opponent with only six MMA appearances, Ticman couldn’t have a better opportunity to get into the win column either.
Coming up short of the finals on TUF China and losing to Royston Wee in his UFC debut, Yao Zhikui was a bit lucky to keep his UFC gig. That said, Zhikui did lose to Wee via split decision, so it would have been a hard pill to swallow had he been released.
At 24 years old, Zhikui has some improvements to make in order to prove he can hold a UFC roster spot for an extended period. He’ll need to start showing some of those improvements this weekend against Ticman.
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