(‘Jacare vs. Mousasi’ weigh-in highlights via YouTube.com/UFC)
Weigh-ins for tonight’s UFC Fight Night 50 card went down yesterday at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut, and they were noteworthy for two reasons:
– Charles Oliveira tipped the scales at 150 pounds for his featherweight prelim contest against Nik Lentz, and was fined 20% of his purse. (He also earned a spot on the leaderboard.) Oliveira’s excuse didn’t exactly put our minds at ease: “I was sick for the past week in Brazil, and I was pretty bad when I got to the United States,” Oliveira told MMAFighting.com after the weigh-ins. “I couldn’t cut weight, and I’m not feeling well to cut weight, so that’s why I missed weight. I had high fever, headache. I think it was a viral infection. But I was the one who asked for this fight, so I couldn’t withdraw.”
When asked if the illness would affect his performance tomorrow, Oliveira said “I don’t know, let’s wait until tomorrow.” Yeesh, good luck dude. By the way, Lentz is still a +160 underdog in this match, so get in while the getting’s good. Oliveira previously missed weight for his UFC 152 fight against Cub Swanson, coming in just over at 146.4 pounds, but that fight was made a catchweight bout and Oliveira wasn’t fined.
Check out the full UFC Fight Night 50 weigh-in results after the jump (via B/R), and be sure to come back tonight at 10 p.m. ET for our liveblog of the main card!
(‘Jacare vs. Mousasi’ weigh-in highlights via YouTube.com/UFC)
Weigh-ins for tonight’s UFC Fight Night 50 card went down yesterday at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut, and they were noteworthy for two reasons:
– Charles Oliveira tipped the scales at 150 pounds for his featherweight prelim contest against Nik Lentz, and was fined 20% of his purse. (He also earned a spot on the leaderboard.) Oliveira’s excuse didn’t exactly put our minds at ease: “I was sick for the past week in Brazil, and I was pretty bad when I got to the United States,” Oliveira told MMAFighting.com after the weigh-ins. “I couldn’t cut weight, and I’m not feeling well to cut weight, so that’s why I missed weight. I had high fever, headache. I think it was a viral infection. But I was the one who asked for this fight, so I couldn’t withdraw.”
When asked if the illness would affect his performance tomorrow, Oliveira said “I don’t know, let’s wait until tomorrow.” Yeesh, good luck dude. By the way, Lentz is still a +160 underdog in this match, so get in while the getting’s good. Oliveira previously missed weight for his UFC 152 fight against Cub Swanson, coming in just over at 146.4 pounds, but that fight was made a catchweight bout and Oliveira wasn’t fined.
Check out the full UFC Fight Night 50 weigh-in results after the jump (via B/R), and be sure to come back tonight at 10 p.m. ET for our liveblog of the main card!
MAIN CARD (10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT)
Jacare Souza (185) vs. Gegard Mousasi (186)
Alistair Overeem (248) vs. Ben Rothwell (264)
Matt Mitrione (255) vs. Derrick Lewis (264)
Joe Lauzon (155) vs. Michael Chiesa (155)
PRELIMINARY CARD (7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT)
Nik Lentz (146) vs. Charles Oliveira (150)
John Moraga (126) vs. Justin Scoggins (126)
Al Iaquinta (155) vs. Rodrigo Damm (156)
Rafael Natal (185) vs. Chris Camozzi (186)
Chris Beal (135) vs. Tateki Matsuda (135)
Sean Soriano (145) vs. Chas Skelly (145)
– Matt Mitrione vs. Derrick Lewis: Mitrione was supposed to compete at last weekend’s UFC 175 event until his opponent Stefan Struve collapsed in the locker room and was pulled at the last minute. “Meathead” has now been re-scheduled against Derrick Lewis — better known as “The Black Beast” — who has gone 2-0 in the Octagon so far, with both wins by first-round TKO. Lewis most recently finished Guto Inocente at the TUF 19 Finale. I smell a slugfest.
– Matt Mitrione vs. Derrick Lewis: Mitrione was supposed to compete at last weekend’s UFC 175 event until his opponent Stefan Struve collapsed in the locker room and was pulled at the last minute. “Meathead” has now been re-scheduled against Derrick Lewis — better known as “The Black Beast” — who has gone 2-0 in the Octagon so far, with both wins by first-round TKO. Lewis most recently finished Guto Inocente at the TUF 19 Finale. I smell a slugfest.
– Charles Oliveira vs. Nik Lentz 2: According to Fox Sports’ Damon Martin, the two featherweights have been booked for a rematch of their UFC on Versus 4 fight from June 2011, which was chuggin’ along pretty well until Oliveira KO’d Lentz with an illegal knee. The fight was declared a no contest, but still won Fight of the Night. Oliveira remains one of the most exciting young talents at 145 pounds, and won Performance of the Night bonuses in his last two appearances, for his submissions of Andy Ogle and Hatsu Hioki. Lentz is coming off a decision win against Manny Gamburyan at UFC Fight Night 40: Brown vs. Silva in May.
Arlovski, of course, last stunk up the joint against Brendan Schaub at UFC 174, winning a split-decision in a fight that nobody really won. When asked why he would book Arlovski for a main event after such a flat performance, Dana White explained:
“I was disappointed in both of their performances. It doesn’t mean the guys are never going to fight again. I just let them know how I felt. The fight sucked. I’ve got Schaub hitting me up telling me that he got robbed. I’m like, ‘No, we got robbed’…Guys have bad nights. It’s not like I hate Brendan Schaub or Andrei Arlovski because of it. I just hated that fight.”
To put it another way: It’s a Fight Pass card in Brazil, against a Brazilian — so let’s not pretend that Arlovski is being rewarded for his efforts.
Arlovski and Silva previously met at Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery in May 2010, with Bigfoot winning a unanimous decision.
For an event that was initially much better on paper and seemed certain to disappoint, UFC on FOX 9 came through. The card was entertaining and ended in one of the best knockouts in recent memory.
Zach Makovsky defeated Scott Jorgensen via decision. Interestingly enough, Makovsky—a former Bellator champ—didn’t have to prove himself in WSOF to get a shot in the UFC. Funny how things work out like that, isn’t it?
Pat Healy dropped a unanimous decision to Bobby Green. The crowd booed the announcement (or maybe they were saying boo-urns). The decision wasn’t horrible although it was pretty clear Green didn’t win all three rounds (but somehow 2/3 judges thought he did).
Edson Barboza vs. Danny Castillo elevated the card’s energy level. In the first round, Castillo ran over Barboza like a freight train. He floored the Brazilian striker, unleashed vicious ground-and-pound, and nearly choked him out. Somehow, Barboza survived the torrent of offense and even managed to reverse his fortunes in the second round. In that frame, Barboza made use of leg and body kicks to stymie Castillo and nearly finish him. The third round was a little closer and slower-paced. Barboza walked away with a majority decision.
In the last preliminary fight, rising star and late replacement Ryan LaFlare carved up Court McGee‘s face with pinpoint striking. The Long Islander outworked McGee until the third round, where he started to gas a little bit. But LaFlare’s work in the first two rounds was enough to secure a unanimous decision.
For an event that was initially much better on paper and seemed certain to disappoint, UFC on FOX 9 came through. The card was entertaining and ended in one of the best knockouts in recent memory.
Zach Makovsky defeated Scott Jorgensen via decision. Interestingly enough, Makovsky—a former Bellator champ—didn’t have to prove himself in WSOF to get a shot in the UFC. Funny how things work out like that, isn’t it?
Pat Healy dropped a unanimous decision to Bobby Green. The crowd booed the announcement (or maybe they were saying boo-urns). The decision wasn’t horrible although it was pretty clear Green didn’t win all three rounds (but somehow 2/3 judges thought he did).
Edson Barboza vs. Danny Castillo elevated the card’s energy level. In the first round, Castillo ran over Barboza like a freight train. He floored the Brazilian striker, unleashed vicious ground-and-pound, and nearly choked him out. Somehow, Barboza survived the torrent of offense and even managed to reverse his fortunes in the second round. In that frame, Barboza made use of leg and body kicks to stymie Castillo and nearly finish him. The third round was a little closer and slower-paced. Barboza walked away with a majority decision.
In the last preliminary fight, rising star and late replacement Ryan LaFlare carved up Court McGee‘s face with pinpoint striking. The Long Islander outworked McGee until the third round, where he started to gas a little bit. But LaFlare’s work in the first two rounds was enough to secure a unanimous decision.
The once-much-better main card began with a mismatch (though it was fun to watch). Joe Lauzon brutalized the hopelessly outmatched Mac Danzig for 15 minutes en route to a unanimous decision victory. It was a bloody affair. Lauzon tempered his intensity with caution, not over-pursuing any finishes. Instead, he remained content with control and moderate amounts of damage that snowballed into the end result: Danzig’s face looking like it had gone through a wood chipper.
Chad Mendes and Nik Lentz faced off next. Mendes was his normal studly self early on, but succumbed to the fight’s pace. He won the fight via UD. It wasn’t the prettiest performance though. During a post-fight news blurb on FOX, Ariel Helwani claimed Mendes had a sinus infection (I think that’s the first time we’ve heard that excuse), so maybe that explains it.
The co-main event of the evening pitted Urijah Faber vs. Michael McDonald. The 22-year-old McDonald was out of his depth. Faber took the first round easily enough. In the second, “The California Kid” stunned McDonald and swarmed him. After a few punches against the staggered McDonald, Faber scored a guillotine finish. It was an excellent display of killer instinct. Faber became an animal when he saw McDonald was hurt.
The main event ended in unbelievable fashion. Demetrious Johnson landed a right hook that lawnchair’dJoseph Benavidez in the first round. It’s undoubtedly the most incredible KO in flyweight history and will likely stay that way for quite some time.
TL;DR – UFC on FOX 9 was supposed to be an incredible free card that demanded our attention. It was still fun due to the performances on the main card, but it could’ve been so much more had the plague of injuries never happened.
Complete Results:
Main Card
Demetrious Johnson def. Joseph Benavidez via KO (punch), 2:08 of Round 1
Urijah Faber def. Michael McDonald via submission (guillotine), 3:22 of Round 2
Chad Mendes def. Nik Lentz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Joe Lauzon def. Mac Danzig via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Preliminary Card
Ryan LaFlare def. Court McGee via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Edson Barboza def. Danny Castillo via majority decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Bobby Green def. Pat Healy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Zach Makovsky def. Scott Jorgensen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Sam Stout def. Cody McKenzie via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Abel Trujillo def. Roger Bowling via TKO (strikes), 1:35 of Round 2
Alptekin Ozkilic def. Daren Uyenoyama via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
(It was then that Demetrious realized his own head was chilly, and the envy built up inside him, poisonous and overwhelming. / Photo via MMAJunkie)
The UFC is setting up shop at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento this evening, and while injuries have hacked this card down to a hobbling shell of its former self, we’ll still happily tune in to watch the Team Alpha Male crew defend its home turf on network television. On the docket for this evening: Joseph Benavidez takes another crack at reigning flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson, local legend Urijah Faber takes on 22-year-old bantamweight phenom Michael McDonald, and Chad Mendes looks for his fifth-straight KO/TKO in the featherweight division against Nik Lentz. Plus, Joe Lauzon and Mac Danzig kick off the broadcast in a battle between a guy who collects a lot of bonus money and a guy with no sponsors.
Handling our liveblog for this evening is Aaron Mandel, who will be banging out round-by-round results from the UFC on FOX 9 main card after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and let us know how you’re feeling in the comments section.
(It was then that Demetrious realized his own head was chilly, and the envy built up inside him, poisonous and overwhelming. / Photo via MMAJunkie)
The UFC is setting up shop at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento this evening, and while injuries have hacked this card down to a hobbling shell of its former self, we’ll still happily tune in to watch the Team Alpha Male crew defend its home turf on network television. On the docket for this evening: Joseph Benavidez takes another crack at reigning flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson, local legend Urijah Faber takes on 22-year-old bantamweight phenom Michael McDonald, and Chad Mendes looks for his fifth-straight KO/TKO in the featherweight division against Nik Lentz. Plus, Joe Lauzon and Mac Danzig kick off the broadcast in a battle between a guy who collects a lot of bonus money and a guy with no sponsors.
Handling our liveblog for this evening is Aaron Mandel, who will be banging out round-by-round results from the UFC on FOX 9 main card after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and let us know how you’re feeling in the comments section.
Preliminary card results
– Ryan LaFlare def. Court McGee via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Edson Barboza def. Danny Castillo via majority decision (29-28 x2, 28-28)
– Bobby Green def. Pat Healy via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)
– Zach Makovsky def. Scott Jorgensen via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Sam Stout def. Cody McKenzie via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Abel Trujillo def. Roger Bowling via TKO, 1:35 of round 2
– Alptekin Ozkilic def. Darren Uyenoyama via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)
Main Card
We’ve got FOX robots, very small men and 3 guys trying to do it on home turf. Refresh early and often for round-by-round action and leave your comments below.
Joe Lauzon vs. Mac Danzig
Both these lightweights are coming of losses so it’s an important fight for both of their UFC careers.
Round 1- Touch of the gloves to start. Lauzon throwing a few strikes early. Lauzon clinches Danzig and drags him to the ground into half guard. Lauzon working some ground and pound from half guard. Moves to mount and rains down strikes. Lauzon rolls for armbar and goes belly down but Danzig escapes and lands on top in Lauzon’s guard. Butterfly guard from Lauzon working for a sweep, Danzig not doing much. Lauzon throws his legs up for an armbar that is not there but he switches to omoplata and then triangle, well defended by Danzig and they rise to the feet. Good knees and elbows from Danzig in the Thai clinch. Lauzon muscles Danzig down from the clinch and lands in guard. Round ends with Lauzon on top and probably 10-9 Lauzon.
Round 2- Danzig winning the standup in the early going with punches and kicks. They clinch and exchange strikes but not much action. Good body shot and jab from Danzig. Right hand lands for Danzig. Danzig works strikes again from the clinch, some knees from Lauzon. A trip attempt fails for Danzig and Lauzon ends up on top in guard. Large cut on Danzig with blood getting in the eyes from a Lauzon elbow. Lauzon working strikes from on top in guard, being patient. Danzig’s face is entirely covered in blood. Lauzon moves to half guard and works knees into Danzig’s body. Danzig recovers butterfly guard and Lauzon postures up and rains down a large strike and falls into side control and then mount. With ten seconds left he spins for an armbar but Danzig defends. 10-9 Lauzon.
Round 3- Danzig comes out with a flurry of strikes but nothing major lands. Head collision briefly stops the fight, I did not realize that was a thing. Danzig initiating clinches more than I’ve ever seen, they separate and throw strikes, Danzig throwing heavier and landing more. Big elbow and knee from Lauzon and he trips Danzig to the ground. Lauzon in full guard working ground and pound as he moves to half guard. Side control for Lauzon with a crucifix on Danzig’s right arm. Heavy strikes from Lauzon and Danzig is bleeding bad. Elbows from Lauzon as he mounts. Huge elbows from mount for Lauzon as he spins for an arm. He pauses on the arm to rip elbows into Danzig’s body. Lauzon spins too soon and Danzig ends up on top. Lauzon turtles, stands and drives Danzig back down. Lauzon moves to half guard and works knees into side control, some top level top game grappling from Lauzon with big elbows as the fight ends. 10-9 Lauzon and should be his fight.
Joe Lauzon defeats Mac Danzig via unanimous decision, 30-27 x 3
Nik Lentz vs. Chad Mendes
Big cheers for hometowner Mendes, apparently Lentz is huge at 145…
Round 1- Lentz throws first but Mendes blocks. Mendes cracks Lentz with a right that rocks Lentz but he survives the flurry and they get back to striking range. Lentz may have hurt Mendes with a body kick. Lentz gets wobbled again and his knows is bloodied. Lentz whiffs on an uppercut and Mendes takes him down. Lentz escapes back to the feet. Speed of Mendes is apparent as he keeps landing. Lentz comes forward with strikes but Mendes perfectly times a takedown. Lentz successfully defending on the bottom and they are back on the feet. Mendes with another takedown but he has not been able to work any ground and pound. 10-9 Mendes.
Round 2- A few leg kicks from Mendes and Lentz answers. Good jab from Mendes. Right hook and leg kick from Mendes. Rogan thinks Mendes is tired or maybe hurt from round 1 body kick and he is only one strike at a time. Takedown from Mendes again but it is short lived and Lentz works back to the feet. Jab and hook land from Lentz. Takedown from Mendes yet again but Mendes is not doing much much. Lentz elevates and they are back to the feet. Lentz stuffs a takedown but Mendes comes back and hits another one, back on top in guard doing nothing. 10-9 Mendes.
Round 3- Kicks from both fighters to start, nice to the body from Lentz. Lentz clips Mendes and he either slipped or briefly goes down but back to the feet. Mendes shoots in but is stuffed and momentum building for Lentz. Headkick blocked from Mendes and Lentz flurries. Eye poke on Lentz with only a brief pause in the action. Good right hand from Lentz. Mendes briefly gets a takedown but Lentz comes right back up and drills a kick into the body of Mendes. Two more takedowns from Mendes but they are shortlived. Left hand lands from Lentz. Flying knee from Mendes clips Lentz and he goes down and Mendes dives in for a guillotine on top but Lentz is defending. They rise to the feet and the round ends. 10-9 Lentz?
Chad Mendes defeats Nik Lentz via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)
Apparently Mendes had the cold/flu according to a Dana White tweet which might explain his slightly flat performance. I wouldn’t take much away from Lentz though, he was a game opponent.
Michael McDonald vs. Urijah Faber
This is a good battle between a young stud in McDonald who has already had great early-career success and a fighter in Faber who is into the second half of his career. It should prove a lot about where the bantamweight division is headed, if McDonald is ready for another climb to the top or whether Faber will make a final run.
Round 1- Crowd is seriously pumped for Faber and boos McDonald who has one punch power at 135. Touch of gloves to start. Headkick from Faber into a takedown in first 15 seconds. Faber working strikes while Rogan salivates over McDonald’s guard. McDonald working rubber guard with Faber’s left arm stuck, Faber still working strikes. Good shots from the top from Faber. McDonald tying Faber up and searching for submissions with his legs. Some body shots from Faber and Herb Dean stands them up. Faber dancing around with kicks and shrugs of a clinch takedown from McDonald. Head kick misses from Faber. Big knee from McDonald to the body of Faber. Faber misses with a big windmill right. Good right hand from Faber lands as the round ends followed by a left. 10-9 Faber.
Round 2- Faber dances and fakes but can’t get an early takedown. Left hooks land from both fighters. Faber hits McDonald with a low blow and the action stops. Restart and Faber nails McDonald with a right hand that has him wobbled. McDonald fires back off a Faber head kick and hits Faber pretty hard which makes him reconsider his frenzy. McDonald still unsteady but firing back and lands a good low kick. Headkick grazes Faber but he cracks McDonald with a right and has him in trouble stumbling all over the Octagon. Faber pursues like a wild hyena smelling blood and drops McDonald with more strikes, throws a guillotine on and McDonald taps out. The crowd goes nuts, Rogan goes nuts and McDonald raises the hometown boy’s hand.
Urijah Faber defeats Michael McDonald via guillotine choke, round 2
Champion Demetrious Johnson vs. Joseph Benavidez
It’s time for the rematch of the first flyweight title fight in UFC history which Johnson eeked out in a decision. Benavidez has been on a tear and is fighting at home, should be a great fight and a great test of my touch typing speed skills.
Round 1- Leg kick from Benavidez, and yep, they are both fast as shit! Johnson goes down for a quick breakdancing move and then fails on a takedown attempt. Punches and headkick miss from Benavidez who is more active early with punches and a high amount of kicks. Johnson darting in and out quickly and loads up on a right hand that catches Benavidez flush and puts him out cold. Johnson holds onto his title with his most dominant performance yet.
Champion Demetrious Johnson defeats Joseph Benavidez via KO, round 1
Good nights of fights, capped by the main and co-main events, as it should be. Good night PotatoHeads.
(One of these days, Josh Barnett is going to choke to death on a peanut in a room full of people, and nobody will realize what’s going on until it’s too late. Everyone will just think, “There’s good ol’ Josh, threatening our lives again.” / Photo via Getty)
Both men are on two-fight win streaks, with Barnett most recently TKO’ing Frank Mir during his UFC homecoming last month at UFC 164, and Browne coming off his first-round knockouts of Gabriel Gonzaga and Alistair Overeem. The winner of this fight immediately stakes a claim to UFC heavyweight title contendership, assuming that the promotion won’t just have Velasquez and Dos Santos fight each other over and over and over again, forever.
Even though Barnett is just four years older than Browne, the two heavies represent a generational clash of the sport’s modern eras. Will Barnett big-brother the less-experienced Hapa, or will Browne’s new-school approach win the day?
In other booking news…
Ever since his unsuccessful featherweight title challenge against Jose Aldo in January 2012, Chad Mendes has been on a killing spree, scoring first-round stoppages of Cody McKenzie, Yaotzin Meza, and Darren Elkins, before upping the level of difficulty with a brilliant third-round TKO of Clay Guida last month at UFC 164. One more impressive win could earn the Team Alpha Male product another shot at the 145-pound belt, and he now has an opportunity to do just that.
(One of these days, Josh Barnett is going to choke to death on a peanut in a room full of people, and nobody will realize what’s going on until it’s too late. Everyone will just think, “There’s good ol’ Josh, threatening our lives again.” / Photo via Getty)
Both men are on two-fight win streaks, with Barnett most recently TKO’ing Frank Mir during his UFC homecoming last month at UFC 164, and Browne coming off his first-round knockouts of Gabriel Gonzaga and Alistair Overeem. The winner of this fight immediately stakes a claim to UFC heavyweight title contendership, assuming that the promotion won’t just have Velasquez and Dos Santos fight each other over and over and over again, forever.
Even though Barnett is just four years older than Browne, the two heavies represent a generational clash of the sport’s modern eras. Will Barnett big-brother the less-experienced Hapa, or will Browne’s new-school approach win the day?
In other booking news…
Ever since his unsuccessful featherweight title challenge against Jose Aldo in January 2012, Chad Mendes has been on a killing spree, scoring first-round stoppages of Cody McKenzie, Yaotzin Meza, and Darren Elkins, before upping the level of difficulty with a brilliant third-round TKO of Clay Guida last month at UFC 164. One more impressive win could earn the Team Alpha Male product another shot at the 145-pound belt, and he now has an opportunity to do just that.
Lentz has made an impressive career resurgence since dropping down to featherweight last year, earning three straight victories, the last two of which came against Brazilian fighters in Brazil. Prior to that, “The Carny” had compiled an Octagon record of 5-2-1 (w/1 NC) competing at 155 pounds.
As usual, Mendes should be a heavy favorite for this one, although the matchup is far from a squash match. Do you think Money Mendes deserves another title shot with a win here?
(This photo of Ronny Markes was included to show Paulo Filho in happier times, and the shorts he bought at the Walmart across the street from this event when he realized he left his gym bag at home.)
Over the past twenty-four hours, ‘Fight for the Troops 3’ has seen several bouts added to a card that will be headlined by the middleweight debut of Lyoto Machida. Some of these fights are worth getting excited about (such as the Jorge Masvidal vs. Rustam Khabilov bout), while others, well, the Facebook preliminary card needs something, I guess. The following bouts are also set for the event, loosely arranged in order of how interesting they are on paper.
(This photo of Ronny Markes was included to show Paulo Filho in happier times, and the shorts he bought at the Walmart across the street from this event when he realized he left his gym bag at home.)
Over the past twenty-four hours, ‘Fight for the Troops 3′ has seen several bouts added to a card that will be headlined by the middleweight debut of Lyoto Machida. Some of these fights are worth getting excited about (such as the Jorge Masvidal vs. Rustam Khabilov bout), while others, well, the Facebook preliminary card needs something, I guess. The following bouts are also set for the event, loosely arranged in order of how interesting they are on paper.
George Roop vs. Francisco Rivera – This bout was originally scheduled for UFC 166, but was moved to this card to make room for Sarah Kaufman vs. Jessica Eye. Some fun facts about this fight: George Roop will be entering a fight riding back-to-back victories for the first time since 2008 for this one, and if Rivera didn’t piss hot after UFC 149, he’d be riding a five fight winning streak. It’s never a smart idea to bet money on a George Roop fight, but I think we’re in for a fun scrap.
Ronny Markes vs. Yoel Romero – Former Olympic wrestler Yoel Romero will look to follow up his devastating UFC debut with an impressive performance against a fighter who is 3-0 in the UFC and hasn’t lost since 2010. Sign me up.
Chris Camozzi vs. Lorenz Larkin – Yeah, I know, both guys are coming off losses. But before accepting a fight against Jacare on short notice, Camozzi was riding a four fight win streak that included victories over at least three guys you’ve heard of. Likewise, you can make the argument that Lorenz Larkin should still be undefeated; his loss against Francis Carmont this past April was debatable, to say the least. It’ll make for a decent midcard fight.
Neil Magny vs. Seth Baczynski – It’s win or go home for both fighters. That should at least provide a dramatic finish to a fight I otherwise wouldn’t be able to care less about.
