Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to the hurt business tonight (Sat., April 14, 2018) for UFC on FOX 29 from inside Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, featuring a lightweight barn burner between divisional staple Dustin Poirier and fan favorite Justin Gaethje. In the co-main event, former UFC welterweight titleholder Carlos Condit takes on Brazilian finisher Alex Oliveira.
What’s Hot:
Umm…the main event!
With a Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje headliner in place this evening combat fight fans of all shapes and sizes will get a dream matchup inside of the Octagon. Not only are both fighters competing for their chance to move up the 155-pound ladder and closer to an eventual title shot, but they’re capable of turning in some of the best fights in the business.
Gaethje, who is coming off his first professional loss to Eddie Alvarez this past December, is a legitimate madman inside of the cage. He often sticks his chin straight up, plows forward, and invites his opponents to brawl until someone drops from exhaustion. Poirier, on the other hand, is a little more calculated, but has been known to turn in Fight of the Night performances at the drop of a dime.
It’s a main event clash that could end in a split second so make sure you don’t take your eyes off the screen.
Injuries:
Luckily, there weren’t an insane amount of injures to ruin this card like what happened to UFC 223 one week ago. The biggest fallout was an injury to welterweight veteran Matt Brown, which will prohibit fight fans from seeing “Immortal” finally square off in a dream matchup with Carlos Condit. Fortunately, Brazilian “Cowboy” Oliveira stepped up on short notice to help keep “Natural Born Killer” on the card.
Also, knockout specialist Abdul Razak Alhassan was expected to fight Muslim Salikhov on the FOX preliminary card, but was forced out of action due to injury. He was replaced by welterweight veteran Ricky Rainey.
New Blood:
There aren’t any top-flight prospects competing on this card, but we will get a close look at Lauren Mueller (4-0) as she takes on women’s flyweight standout Shana Dobson. Mueller is a 26-year-old fighter capable of injecting some excitement into the newly-minted 125-pound division, so it should be interesting to see how she fairs against the Ultimate Fighter alum.
Also making an Octagon debut is lightweight submission artist Dan Moret, who takes on Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert Gilbert Burns in the Fight Pass headliner, and former Bellator MMA standout Ricky Rainey, who will challenge Muslim Salikhov on the FOX preliminary card.
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
Not too shabby. With a full list of fights scheduled to go down (10 in total), the UFC on FOX 29 “Prelims” should deliver a ton of action. Recognizable names like Tim Boetsch, Wilson Reis, Brad Tavares, John Moraga, Yushin Okami, and Krzysztof Jotko, should be enough to draw viewers in from the opening bell.
The most enticing matchup of the “Prelims” is a flyweight tilt between Reis and Moraga. Reis is coming off back-to-back loses for the first time in his UFC career and will be looking to make a statement to get back in the flyweight title hunt. Moraga, on the other hand, has experienced a bit of a resurgence and will look to build on his two-fight win streak to make another run at gold in 2019.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
On paper, Carlos Condit really needs a win badly. After returning to action this past December and losing to Neil Magny via decision, “Natural Born Killer” desperately needs his hand raised later this evening if he wants to remain relevant at 170 pounds. After all, the 33-year-old veteran has produced a dismal 2-6 record in his last eight Octagon appearances, last winning against Thiago Alves back in 2015.
What makes things even more frustrating for Condit is that he’s still one of the best skilled fighters in the division. But with rising contenders like Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington, Darren Till, and Santiago Ponzinibbio making a push towards title contention, Condit needs to start racking off wins if he wants to regain his world-class status.
Interest Level: 8/10
This card is a banger. Even with Matt Brown out of action, we’re still going to see Carlos Condit square off with Alex Oliveira, who literally never produces a boring fight. Add in a ridiculous main event between top-notch lightweight contenders Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje, and this looks to be one of the best big FOX main cards of the year.
Plus, we’re going to see the return of rising middleweight prospect Israel Adesanya, who will take on Italian prospect Marvin Vettori. Adesanya is already drawing comparisons to former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones (even though he doesn’t like it) and can quickly climb the divisional ladder if he continues to build on an undefeated 12-0 record. “Last Stylebender” is a really likable character who fuses insane kickboxing skills with power from all angles, so he’s always one punch or kick away from scoring a finish and talking some trash on the microphone.
Full UFC on FOX 29 Fight Card:
UFC on FOX 29 Main Event:
155 lbs.: Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje
UFC on FOX 29 Main Card (8 p.m. ET):
170 lbs.: Carlos Condit vs. Alex Oliveira
185 lbs.: Israel Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori
115 lbs.: Michelle Waterson vs. Cortney Casey
UFC on FOX 29 Prelims (6 p.m. ET):
185 lbs.: Tim Boetsch vs. Antonio Carlos Junior
170 lbs.: Muslim Salikhov vs. Ricky Rainey
125 lbs.: Wilson Reis vs. John Moraga
185 lbs.: Krzysztof Jotko vs. Brad Tavares
UFC on FOX 29 Prelims on Fight Pass (3:30 p.m. ET):
170 lbs.: Gilbert Burns vs. Dan Moret
125 lbs.: Shana Dobson vs. Lauren Mueller
170 lbs.: Dhiego Lima vs. Yushin Okami
265 lbs.: Arjan Bhullar vs. Adam Wieczorek
135 lbs.: Matthew Lopez vs. Alejandro Perez
135 lbs.: Luke Sanders vs. Patrick Williams