Nik Lentz didn’t hesitate when offered a bout with Will Brooks. Tonight (Nov. 18), Lentz will take on Brooks inside the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. The bout will be featured on the FOX Sports 1 preliminary portion of the UFC Fight Nigh…
Nik Lentz didn’t hesitate when offered a bout with Will Brooks. Tonight (Nov. 18), Lentz will take on Brooks inside the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. The bout will be featured on the FOX Sports 1 preliminary portion of the UFC Fight Night 121 card. The bout was initially set to go down at UFC […]
If you come from a land down under, where fighting men throw thunder, you better get ready to be torn asunder. You better run. You better take cover.
I spent three hours writing that.
But it’s the best lead I’ve ever written, so it’s time well spent. W…
If you come from a land down under, where fighting men throw thunder, you better get ready to be torn asunder. You better run. You better take cover.
I spent three hours writing that.
But it’s the best lead I’ve ever written, so it’s time well spent. What else will be time well spent? Your time, this Saturday, watching UFC Fight Night 121, going down from fair Sydney, the jewel of Australia.
Well, maybe. As you know, I’m not a spin doctor. And this is not a good card. Injuriesdancedtheir terrible dance and now we’re left with a depleted slate.
In the main event, heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum takes a short turnaround, facing Pole Marcin Tybura just six weeks after a first-round dismantling of last-second fill-in Walt Harris. As you might imagine, Werdum is a heavy favorite.
So that’s the main event. The rest of the card, well, it’s downhill from there. Not all is lost, though. Here are three fights you shouldn’t miss.
Welterweight
Tim Means (27-8-1) vs. Belal Muhammad (12-2)
Odds: Hill -215 Means
Airs on: Fox Sports 1
Unless your name is Matt Brown, you’re not going to win a brawl with Tim Means. Muhammad will try to push forward and pressure on lankier Means, but that’s a tall order.
If Muhammad can close the distance, he can land takedowns and make this a fight. If he charges too recklessly and into Means’ muay thai, he’s a done dada.
Either way, watching him try it could be the most interesting struggle of this card.
Lightweight
Will Brooks (18-3) vs. Nik Lentz (27-8-2)
Odds: Brooks -510
Airs on: Fox Sports 1
This is Will Brooks’ chance to re-establish himself in the lightweight division. Doing it against a long-running villain in Nik Lentz makes the opportunity that much sweeter.
Brooks has a unique game, throwing kicks from long range to set up double-leg takedowns. Lentz is a brawler who can make this fun but as a guy who spent a good amount of time at featherweight, he’ll be surrendering serious size. His game is also not nearly as well-rounded as Brooks. We’ll see if his outspoken internet trolling can help him against Brooks, a motivated competitor looking to regain the championship form he found in Bellator.
Lightweight
Frank Camacho (20-5) vs. Damien Brown (17-10)
Odds: Camacho -130
Airs on: Fox Sports 1
Brown is 2-2 in the UFC but has looked pretty good in each contest. Brown is dogged and determined, as evidenced by his 2016 out-grinding of Jon Tuck. He’s always working, always reaching for the finish and always seeming to withstand the other guy’s toughest shot.
He’ll need to do it again vs. Camacho, a former Pacific Xtreme Combat champ with 15 knockouts to his name. His hands are heavy, but his gas tank may be shallow. If he can find the early knockout, that would likely be ideal. Easier said than done.
Most fight fans will be tuning in Saturday night to UFC Fight Night 121 to watch former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum take on a relative unknown in the division in Marcin Tybura. And while that is all and good, there is so much more to the card …
Most fight fans will be tuning in Saturday night to UFC Fight Night 121 to watch former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum take on a relative unknown in the division in Marcin Tybura. And while that is all and good, there is so much more to the card set for Australia and the Qudos Bank Arena […]
The UFC Fight Night 121 card is coming together, as three bouts were recently made official for November 19 from Sydney, Australia. Will Brooks and Nik Lentz, who were scheduled for UFC 216, will now meet in a lightweight contest in Australia. Lentz pulled out the day of the planned first meeting after UFC doctors […]
The UFC Fight Night 121 card is coming together, as three bouts were recently made official for November 19 from Sydney, Australia. Will Brooks and Nik Lentz, who were scheduled for UFC 216, will now meet in a lightweight contest in Australia. Lentz pulled out the day of the planned first meeting after UFC doctors […]
The UFC 216 card lost a key piece Friday prior to weigh-ins, as a lightweight contest between Will Brooks and Nik Lentz was pulled. While the UFC released a statement earlier in the day regarding the manner, Lentz proceeded to do the same, explaining his side of the decision. #UFC #UFC216 pic.twitter.com/QQHXyfRvyI — Nik Lentz […]
The UFC 216 card lost a key piece Friday prior to weigh-ins, as a lightweight contest between Will Brooks and Nik Lentz was pulled. While the UFC released a statement earlier in the day regarding the manner, Lentz proceeded to do the same, explaining his side of the decision. #UFC #UFC216 pic.twitter.com/QQHXyfRvyI — Nik Lentz […]
The UFC announced Friday that Nik Lentz has withdrawn from his scheduled lightweight bout with Will Brooks at UFC 216 on Saturday due to “medical issues.”
Combat Press reported that Lentz’s withdrawal had to do with complications brought on by attempti…
The UFC announced Friday that Nik Lentz has withdrawn from his scheduled lightweight bout with Will Brooks at UFC 216 on Saturday due to “medical issues.”
Combat Press reported that Lentz’s withdrawal had to do with complications brought on by attempting to cut weight.
There will be no replacement fight added to the card in the wake of the cancellation, but according toMarc Raimondiof MMA Fighting, Matt Schnell vs. Marco Beltran will move up from the UFC Fight Pass card to the FX card.
The 33-year-old Lentz is a highly experienced fighter who boasts a career professional record of 27-8-2.
He is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 208, and he is just 3-3 over his past six outings.
The 30-year-old Brooks is an impressive 19-3, but he has struggled since moving from Bellator to UFC.
Brooks lost each of his past two fights, to Alex Oliveira and Charles Oliveira, and is just 1-2 under the UFC umbrella.
Saturday’s card from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will feature a total of 12 fights and be headlined by Tony Ferguson vs. Kevin Lee.
If you come from a land down under, where fighting men throw thunder, you better get ready to be torn asunder. You better run. You better take cover.