The UFC continues its hectic schedule of events on Saturday on Fox, where T.J. Dillashaw will look to successfully close the book on his rivalry with former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao.
The prelims feature more than a few fan favorites in Ben Saunders, the returning Tom Lawlor, Daron Cruickshank and Jim Miller. A pair of lightweight fights with the potential to steal the show are also featured on the main card.
The main and co-main events are the fights of most significance, but this show is filled with crafty veterans and is a fun card from top to bottom.
After numerous setbacks, the rematch between Dillashaw and Barao is finally upon us. We may not have been clamoring to see this fight, but it will finally allow the division to move on and for whomever emerges as champion to take on some new challengers. Plus it’s a championship fight for free, which is nice.
The first fight on the main card has performance bonus written all over it, possibly in Joe Lauzon’s blood. Lauzon versus Takanori Gomi is the type of dynamic fight we’ve become accustomed to seeing on these network television main cards. Lauzon has notched 13 performance bonuses throughout his UFC tenure, and the upcoming fight with Gomi is a treat for hardcore fans.
Both men are looking to rebound from TKO losses. That might provide the urgency to give us the best fight possible between these two, which is kind of scary.
After the dust settles from Lauzon and Gomi, another lightweight scrap will go down in Chicago. What was originally Anthony Pettis versus Myles Jury has morphed into Edson Barboza versus Paul Felder. Felder is undefeated at 10-0 and made a name for himself in quick fashion in his last fight, knocking out Danny Castillo with a spinning backfist.
He’s shown flashes of brilliance in the cage, and we’ll get to see how he does against a supremely skilled and dangerous striker in Barboza. Barboza is coming off a unanimous-decision loss to Michael Johnson back in February and will be looking to add Felder to his already insane highlight reel of finishes and halt the hype of the Philadelphia native.
Filthy Tom Lawlor returns to action after a two-year hiatus and is moving back up to light heavyweight for the first time since 2009. He’s taking on Gian Villante, who has noticeably improved over his last few fights. Lawlor will have to deal with being the smaller fighter and having ring rust from a two-year break, so this one is Villante’s fight to lose.
Welterweight Ben Saunders is another fun-to-watch fighter on the prelims, and he is taking on Kenny Robertson. Saunders has a cult following, and you can always count on him to bring the violence. He holds the only submission in the UFC via omoplata, so fans can always expect to be entertained when Killa B is in the cage.
Jim Miller is also in action on the prelims, against Danny Castillo. Miller’s back is against the wall in this one, and he’ll need to bring back his killer submission instinct if he wants to remain relevant in a crowded lightweight division.
The UFC has managed to squeeze in a very decent fight card into their busy Summer schedule, and this could be the most entertaining card of the entire month. It may not do gangbuster ratings, being headlined by unproven draws in Dillashaw and Barao, but the show should give us plenty to talk about on Sunday.
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