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Can Derrick Lewis Take Advantage Of Main Event Spotlight? (Editorial)

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Derrick Lewis picked up the biggest win of his career this past July when he was awarded a split decision over Roy Nelson.

Friday night, the 31-year-old “Black Beast” can follow up that…

Derrick Lewis picked up the biggest win of his career this past July when he was awarded a split decision over Roy Nelson.

Friday night, the 31-year-old “Black Beast” can follow up that performance by taking care of Shamil Abdurakhimov in the main event of UFC Fight Night 102.

Despite the card airing only on UFC Fight Pass and not being a typical Saturday evening, the opportunity to headline shows that the UFC is willing to bet on Lewis – and even Abdurakhimov for that matter.

But this is about the former Legacy FC heavyweight champion and his chance to showcase himself to the masses.

Lewis has won four in a row, scoring finishes vs. Gabriel Gonzaga, Damian Grabowski and Viktor Pesta prior to his win over Nelson. Since signing with the UFC in 2014, he has put together a 7-2 record, dropping bouts to Shawn Jordan and Matt Mitrione.

And if you want someone who hates decisions, look no further than Lewis. Out of his 21 pro bouts, just three have gone to the scorecards. He owns 14 knockouts and a submission win to his credit.

If Lewis can pull off a fifth consecutive win, expect another interesting post-fight interview from him.

Three Very Interesting Non-Title Fights In Store From UFC Still This Year (Editorial)

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Sure, Ronda Rousey’s return will be hyped to the brim.

And the upcoming interim featherweight title fight between Anthony Pettis and Max Holloway is sure to be fireworks.

Oh, and Cody …

Sure, Ronda Rousey’s return will be hyped to the brim.

And the upcoming interim featherweight title fight between Anthony Pettis and Max Holloway is sure to be fireworks.

Oh, and Cody Garbrandt challenging Dominick Cruz for bantamweight supremacy is awesome.

But there fights that have no title on the line are really ones that I am looking forward to before we close the door on this very interesting 2016 calendar year.

– First up is Donald Cerrone vs. Matt Brown at UFC 206.

Honestly, Cerrone has placed himself on the short list of contenders since moving up to welterweight and could wait on the sidelines for an eliminator bout. But this is “Cowboy” we are talking about and he has not desire to waste time not competing.

Brown, meanwhile, has lost two straight and four of his last five after stringing together a seven-fight win streak between 2012-14.

– Next, Sage Northcutt and Mickey Gall square off at UFC on FOX 22.

Northcutt showed his mental toughness when he rebounded from his first career loss in July with a decision win over Enrique Marin. In January, the uber-prospect lost to Bryan Barberena via submission.

Gall, of course, ended the dream of Phil “CM Punk” Brooks in the MMA debut for the former WWE superstar. Gall did what most everyone expected him to do: dominate, submitting Brooks in the first round.

– And finally, former heavyweight champions – and opponents – Fabricio Werdum and Cain Velasquez battle it out at UFC 207.

Werdum captured the first meeting when he submitted Velasquez back at UFC 188 in 2015. However, he dropped the title to Stipe Miocic this past May in his first defense before rebounding with a decision over Travis Browne.

Velasquez has battled injuries over his career, but is 5-1 since a loss to Junior dos Santos in his last six. That includes finishes of Browne, dos Santos and twice vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.

Of course, all of this is contingent on the fighters remaining healthy and making it to their scheduled dates.

UFC Fight Night 101 Biggest Star: Robert Whittaker (Editorial)

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Robert Whittaker was presented with a main event fight live on FOX Sports 1 Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 101.

And “The Reaper” delivered.

The 25-year-old from New Zealand overca…

Robert Whittaker was presented with a main event fight live on FOX Sports 1 Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 101.

And “The Reaper” delivered.

The 25-year-old from New Zealand overcame an incredible start by Derek Brunson to delight the Melbourne, Australia crowd with a first round finish. For the former Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes winner, it marked a fifth consecutive win since moving up to middleweight from welterweight.

Whittaker, who holds black belts in Hapkido and Karate, along with a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, dug deep to take out Brunson. He didn’t necessarily use any of those incredible skills, he just showed heart.

After back-to-back losses to Court McGee and top welterweight contender Stephen Thompson, Whittaker likely saved his own career with a win over Mike Rhodes in home hometown of Auckland. After that, he moved up to middleweight and has done nothing but dominate.

He finished both Clint Hester and Brad Tavares, adding decision wins over Uriah Hall and Rafael Natal to his resume. Whittaker is a rock-solid 8-2 in the UFC and has finished four of those foes.

So why is no one talking about him?

Whittaker doesn’t have to worry about that anymore. People are talking and the middleweight division is definitely on notice for this one.

UFC Fight Night 101 Biggest Star: Robert Whittaker (Editorial)

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT2o2Ev12EQ[/embed]

Robert Whittaker was presented with a main event fight live on FOX Sports 1 Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 101.

And “The Reaper” delivered.

The 25-year-old from New Zealand overca…

Robert Whittaker was presented with a main event fight live on FOX Sports 1 Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 101.

And “The Reaper” delivered.

He finished both Clint Hester and Brad Tavares, adding decision wins over Uriah Hall and Rafael Natal to his resume. Whittaker is a rock-solid 8-2 in the UFC and has finished four of those foes.

So why is no one talking about him?

Whittaker doesn’t have to worry about that anymore. People are talking and the middleweight division is definitely on notice for this one.

Saturday’s UFC/Bellator Tripleheader Offers Something For Everyone (Editorial)

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UFC Fight Night 99, Bellator 165 and UFC Fight Night 100 will all take place this Saturday on either digital stream or “free” television.

That means 30-plus bouts in all of live action,…

UFC Fight Night 99, Bellator 165 and UFC Fight Night 100 will all take place this Saturday on either digital stream or “free” television.

That means 30-plus bouts in all of live action, including a lightweight title fight featuring Michael Chandler and Benson Henderson.

Things kickoff early Saturday with an all-UFC Fight Pass card from Northern Ireland with Gegard Mousasi meeting Uriah Hall in the main event. The middleweights have history, as Hall stunned Mousasi back in 2015, earning his biggest win to date.

Ross Pearson, one of the toughest veterans in the sport, is also slated for action, as he takes on Stevie Ray, while heavyweights Timothy Johnson and Alexander Volkov and Artem Lobov and Teruto Ishihara round out the main card.

On the prelims, flyweights Ian McCall and Neil Seery should put on quite the show, while fellwo 125-pound fighters Kyoji Horiguchi and Ali Bagautinov are also set to collide. Two female fights – Anna Elmose vs. Amanda Cooper and Marion Reneau vs. Milana Dudieva – should provide a jolt of energy early in the card.

Mark Godbeer and Brett Johns are not as well known in the U.S. as they are over in Europe, but that could change soon. Godbeer, a heavyweight, meets Justin Ledet, while Johns takes on Kwan Ho Kwak at bantamweight.

Bellator 165 is all about Chandler and Henderson. The promotion is putting a lot of work into the card, hyping Chandler as the man to submit Eddie Alvarez, while Henderson owns wins over UFC fighters Nate Diaz, Donald Cerrone and Frankie Edgar.

But that isn’t all from the SAP Center in San Jose, as Michael Page puts his rising star status on the line vs. veteran Fernando Gonzalez and Keri Melendez – the wife of Gilbert Melendez – makes her MMA debut after a career in kickboxing.

If all goes as planned, the prelims will see Kevin Ferguson Jr., the son of the late Kimbo Slice, finally compete. His previous bouts have been cancelled due to issues with the opponent. Ferguson is set to face Aaron Hamilton at welterweight.

The UFC Fight Night 100 card from Brazil presents a solid rematch in the main event, as Ryan Bader battles Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Bader won the first encounter, and you can bet the Brazilian Nogueira wants redemption.

We also get Thomas Almeida, who is coming off his first career loss to Cody Garbrandt, against unbeaten Albert Morales and former title contender Claudia Gadelha returning to take on Cortney Casey.

Justin Scoggins-Pedro Munhoz at bantamweight is interesting, as Scoggins was on the verge of being a contender at flyweight before issues with his weight prompted the move to 135 pounds.

Donald Cerrone-Kelvin Gastelum Might Be Most Intriguing Fight Of UFC 205 (Editorial)

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There is no doubting that the reason many people will tune in Saturday night to UFC 205 is to see if Conor McGregor can make history.

But, a bout down the main card lineup and playing s…

There is no doubting that the reason many people will tune in Saturday night to UFC 205 is to see if Conor McGregor can make history.

But, a bout down the main card lineup and playing second-fiddle – heck, maybe more like fifth-fiddle on this night – is a welterweight affair between top contenders Donald Cerrone and Kelvin Gastelum.

Maybe it’s just because I will never miss a “Cowboy” fight that I am so intrigued by this match up, but hear me out on my reasons before voting against.

Cerrone has been involved in some of the most interesting battles in the lower weight classes in recent years. His finishes of Jim Miller, Edson Barboza and Adriano Martins are on the highlight reel for his career, while he also holds wins over current lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez and former titleholder Benson Henderson.

Sure, Cerrone failed to net himself UFC gold when he was finished by Rafael dos Anjos last year, but it remains the only loss on his resume since 2013 – which also was to dos Anjos. In fact, outside of facing RDA, he is 12-0 in his last dozen fights.

Cerrone has earned a total of 13 “fight night” bonuses with the UFC to go along with five captured while competing in the WEC. His 18 bonuses stand as a Zuffa record, and eight of those are “Fight of the Night” winners.

Plain and simply put, he comes to fight.

His opponent, now, is a different beast.

Gastelum, who turned 25 years old last month, is part of a new-age of MMA fighter. He is a strong wrestler, has ever-improving striking and can also submit you from different angles. While Cerrone has met some of the best out there at welterweight, the former Ultimate Fighter winner stands as his toughest test in the 170-pound division to date.

Last July, Gastelum topped former division champion Johny Hendricks. His only two losses were both split decisions to Neil Magny and current UFC titleholder Tyron Woodley. He has stopped Nate Marquardt with strikes, submitted Jake Ellenberger and bested Rick Story.

So, while there is no reason to not be pumped about McGregor-Alvarez, Woodley-Stephen Thompson, the UFC strawweight title fight and Chris Weidman-Yoel Romero, at the end of the night, Cerrone-Gastelum might just tell us who the next welterweight contender is and walk away with a bonus or two.