Friday night’s show in Sydney, Australia marks a quiet milestone for the UFC, its 200th live event dating back to its 1993 beginning. In a way, it’s perfectly fitting that it takes place halfway around the world from its Las Vegas roots, as the global expansion continues, bookmarked on either side by shows emanating from Japan and Sweden.
UFC on FX 2 is the promotion’s third time Down Under, and the event is official after all 22 fighters stepped on the scale during weigh-ins at the Allphones Arena.
Welterweights Thiago Alves and Martin Kampmann both checked in at 170.5 pounds for their main event tangle. Alves, who has had weight issues in his past, had no such problems this time around, saying on the FUEL broadcast that it was the easiest cut of his career, and that he could focus solely on destroying his opponent.
“I think it’s going to be a great war, a great fight for the fans,” he said. “I know I can finish him and prove I’m the best standup fighter in this weight class.”
Alves has won two of his last three while Kampmann recently snapped a hard-luck two-fight losing streak by beating Rick Story.
Although Alves and Kampmann are getting the marquee treatment, many are placing greater importance on the smallest men on the card, as the UFC finally institutes the long-awaited flyweight division.
In a strange coincidence, all four entrants in the tournament to crown the division’s inaugural champ weighed in at exactly the same weight: 125.5.
Joseph Benavidez is considered the favorite to win it all. He’ll take on Yasuhiro Urushitani in his first round bout, while Demetrious Johnson faces Ian McCall in the other semifinal. The winners will clash at a later date for the belt.
In the night’s other main card bout, Constantinos Philippou will take a one-pound advantage into his middlweight fight with the surging Court McGee.
Full results are as follows:
Main Card
Thiago Alves (170.5) vs. Martin Kampmann (170.5)
Joseph Benavidez (125.5) vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani (125.5)
Demetrious Johnson (125.5) vs. Ian McCall (125.5)
Constantinos Philippou (185.5) vs. Court McGee (184.5)
Preliminary Card
Aaron Rosa (205.5) vs. James Te Huna (206)
Nick Penner (203.5) vs. Anthony Perosh (205)
Cole Miller (146) vs. Steven Siler (146)
Kyle Noke (185) vs. Andrew Craig (185)
Jake Hecht (171) vs. T.J. Waldburger (170)
Mackens Semerzier (146) vs. Daniel Pineda (146)
Shawn Jordan (245.5) vs. Oli Thompson (235)