On Saturday, Alexander Gustafsson will meet Anthony Johnson in a matchup that is expected to produce the next light heavyweight title challenger.
Following a narrow loss to 205-pound champion Jon Jones in September 2013, Gustafsson defeated Jimi Manuwa in a bout that was supposed to earn him a rematch with the light heavyweight titleholder. Unfortunately, that rematch fell apart due to a Gustafsson injury, and the Swede will now need to pick up one more win in order to earn a second meeting with Jones.
Meanwhile, Johnson has taken a much different route to the top of the 205-pound division. The former welterweight was cut by the UFC after failing to make weight for a January 2012 middleweight contest with Vitor Belfort, which he wound up losing. “Rumble” went on to earn his way back to the UFC and became a legitimate 205-pound contender with wins over Phil Davis and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
While Gustafsson and Johnson have secure holds on their UFC roster spots, some UFC on Fox 14 competitors aren’t in such great situations. Here are the individuals sitting on the hot seat heading into Saturday’s fight card in Sweden.
Dan Henderson
Now 44 years old, Dan Henderson has pretty much earned a permanent spot on the hot seat.
Even in the event of a win, any appearance could end up being Henderson’s last inside the Octagon. However, Henderson is in particularly hot water heading into this weekend’s matchup with Gegard Mousasi.
In May, Henderson was bullied around by Daniel Cormier in a bout that signaled the end of the former Pride FC champion’s days as a real light heavyweight contender. Accordingly, Henderson made a long-anticipated return to the middleweight class.
The move gives Henderson new hope at making one last title run. However, should he lose badly against Mousasi, Henderson may have to decide whether he thinks it’s worth his time to continue fighting with little hope of ever capturing UFC gold.
Akira Corassani
After appearing on The Ultimate Fighter Season 14, Akira Corassani got out to a 3-0 start inside the Octagon.
That strong start earned Corassani a step up in competition. However, he was knocked out in back-to-back fights with current top-15 featherweights Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway.
Clearly, those matchups were too much, too soon for Corassani.
Nonetheless, the Swedish-born fighter suddenly finds himself in danger of losing three in a row, which regularly leads to competitors being released from the world’s top MMA organization. Looking at a winnable matchup with fellow TUF veteran Sam Sicilia, Corassani can’t risk coming up short on Sunday.
Andy Ogle
Following a win over Josh Grispi in February 2013, Andy Ogle looked like a featherweight prospect with some potential.
However, the Englishman has now lost three in a row. So it is a bit surprising to see Ogle back inside the Octagon for another opportunity this weekend.
With a matchup against UFC newcomer Makwan Amirkhani, Ogle is being given every chance to get back into the win column this weekend. If he doesn’t do so, it’s hard to image Ogle being given another UFC bout without earning his way back with a couple of wins on smaller shows.
Stanislav Nedkov
In debuting with a knockout win over Luiz Cane, Stanislav Nedkov had the look of a strong addition to the UFC light heavyweight roster. Unfortunately, he hasn’t picked up another win since that strong introduction more than three years ago.
After missing more than a year, Nedkov returned with a submission loss to Thiago Silva, which was later overturned to a no-contest. Then, “Stucky” was stopped by Tom Watson in February 2013 and hasn’t competed since then.
While he hasn’t officially lost multiple bouts in a row, it’s hard to overlook Nedkov‘s long winning drought. Should Nedkov lose to Nikita Krylov at UFC on Fox 14, he may force the UFC brass to make a hard decision about his future with the organization.
Viktor Pesta
Making his UFC debut in May, Viktor Pesta was bested by Ruslan Magomedov in a decision.
Only 24 years old, Pesta still has a lot of potential. However, an 0-2 start inside the Octagon is usually grounds for release from the world’s top MMA promotion.
Facing a UFC newcomer in Konstantin Erokhin, Pesta can’t afford to lose this weekend.
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