UFC 170 will get underway in Las Vegas on Saturday night, and all 22 competitors officially made weight on Friday evening.
The main event will feature two undefeated Olympians squaring off for UFC gold. UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey de…
UFC 170 will get underway in Las Vegas on Saturday night, and all 22 competitors officially made weight on Friday evening.
The main event will feature two undefeated Olympians squaring off for UFC gold. UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey defends against No. 4-ranked Sara McMann in one of the biggest bouts in women’s MMA history.
The co-main event also features an undefeated Olympian. No. 4-ranked heavyweight Daniel Cormier drops to light heavyweight and welcomes UFC newcomer Patrick Cummins to the cage.
Bleacher Report will have full coverage of UFC 170 for you on Saturday.
UFC 170 Weigh-in Results
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship: Ronda Rousey (135) vs. Sara McMann (135) Daniel Cormier (205) vs. Patrick Cummins (205) Rory MacDonald (171) vs. Demian Maia (170) Mike Pyle (171) vs. TJ Waldburger (171) Robert Whittaker (170) vs. Stephen Thompson (170.5) Alexis Davis (135) vs. Jessica Eye (136) Raphael Assuncao (136) vs. Pedro Munhoz (135) Cody Gibson (135.5) vs. Aljamain Sterling (135.5) Zach Makovsky (125) vs. Josh Sampo (126) Rafaello Oliveira (155) vs. Erik Koch (155) Ernest Chavez (156) vs. Yosdenis Cedeno (155.5)
Two days removed from UFC 170—the organization’s first event to feature a trifecta of Olympic athletes—things are really heating up.
Despite Rashad Evans’ last-minute injury causing a bit of frenzy, fans are still left with some verb…
Two days removed from UFC 170—the organization’s first event to feature a trifecta of Olympic athletes—things are really heating up.
Despite Rashad Evans’ last-minute injury causing a bit of frenzy, fans are still left with some verbal warfare in the co-main event, along with plenty of intrigue in the evening’s main event.
Will Sara McMann’s wrestling pedigree result in the first genuine impediment to Ronda Rousey’s unstoppable judo? Or will “Rowdy” hold onto her women’s bantamweight championship with the same ease and supreme control she’s demonstrated in her UFC stint thus far?
It’s Olympian vs. Olympian—with nuance and variance as to how the two women approach the grappling game.
If you listen to the oddsmakers, the co-main event tilt between wrestling extraordinaire Daniel Cormier and Patrick Cummins should be nothing more than a squash match. Look at it this way: If Cormier has his way, we’ll be in for an entertaining beating, yet if he doesn’t, Cummins might deliver a historic upset.
Whatever the end result, it’ll likely be worth watching.
Here’s the full fight card for Saturday night:
After falling a rung down the welterweight ladder in his loss to Robbie Lawler, Rory MacDonald will face off against submission specialist Demian Maia. Will MacDonald’s versatility afford him more tools than Maia can handle, or will the former ADCC champion force the Canadian youngster to tap before he can even get into gear?
And it doesn’t end with those three main bouts—UFC 170 will feature exciting names like Mike Pyle, Stephen Thompson, Alexis Davis and Zach Makovsky.
There are plenty of reasons to be excited. Thankfully, Bleacher Report will have you covered with tons of fight-night content.
Artem Moshkovich is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter for MMA news and more.
Imagine this unlikely scenario—a week before the Super Bowl the entire roster of the Seattle Seahawks comes down with Legionnaires’ disease. The NFC champions, without a doubt, will be medically unable to perform. In short, it’s a …
Imagine this unlikely scenario—a week before the Super Bowl the entire roster of the Seattle Seahawks comes down with Legionnaires’ disease. The NFC champions, without a doubt, will be medically unable to perform. In short, it’s a national emergency.
What would NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell do? Would he ask the San Francisco 49ers to step into the breach, replacing their archrivals in the most important game of the season?
Would he delay the game several months, waiting for the Seahawks to regain their bearings?
Or, in a brilliant fit of inspiration, would he ask the Seahawks franchise to bring in a random collection of Arena League players, misfits and Vince Young to take it to the AFC champion Denver Broncos?
What if, in a series of movie montage brilliance, the guys off the street gave the professionals, led by Peyton Manning, a run for their money? What if they won?
It would be the biggest sports story ever. Rocky, Rudy and Buster Douglas would all immediately take a backseat to this game, the biggest upset in the history of modern athletics. But would it be good for business?
Maybe at first, caught up in the feel-good moment. But what then? Eventually an insidious and nagging doubt would set in. Why bother watching the regular season, some fans might ask? After all, if literally anyone can win, what makes even the best teams and players exceptional?
Professional athletics works because we buy into the notion that the athletes are special, a different breed than you or I. An upset of the kind I just described would throw all of that into doubt. In time, the feel-good moment of the year would have an immeasurable effect on the entire sport—most of it negative.
It’s a scenario that can almost immediately be dismissed. It’s unthinkable. A guy off the street, even a very good college player who didn’t make it in the league, couldn’t possibly come in and beat the best in the world. Everything we know about sports tells us that loudly and very clearly.
Only, no one remembered to tell UFC President Dana White. When “Suga” Rashad Evans went down with a knee injury just six days before his fight, White wasn’t able to postpone the fight or find a suitable last-minute replacement to take on the very tough Daniel Cormier, ranked fourth at heavyweight.
After all, no competent and sane UFC heavyweight or light heavyweight would want to take on Cormier with less than a month’s notice. He’s one of the most skilled fighters in the world, combining disciplined and multi-faceted striking with the kind of wrestling that twice put him on the U.S. Olympic team.
That’s not a package you want to open on Christmas morning without a lot of time to think about it and get ready. So there were no reasonable UFC takers.
That’s when the calls went out. Eventually one found its way to a coffee shop in Dana Point, California. It was there that Dana White found Pat Cummins, Cormier’s next opponent. Cummins, mind you, wasn’t sitting down to enjoy a hot beverage. He was serving them.
A fighter on the cusp of the pound-for-pound rankings, a fighter who is not competing for the heavyweight title simply because his teammate owns it, a fighter who has beaten Josh Barnett, Frank Mir and Roy Nelson in recent memory is fighting a coffee shop barista.
Yes, Cummins was a good amateur. Yes, he has impressed training partners as he’s tried to make his way in the sport. Yes, he has a bit of fighting experience. He’s 4-0, his wins stockpiled on the backs of opponents with a combined career record of 10-20-1.
No, he doesn’t have a chance. Or shouldn’t.
BestFightOdds.com shows Cormier as an overwhelming favorite. At -1300, it’s thought he is an almost certain lock.
It’s a word that nags.
Almost.
That’s not the same as certainty. That’s not a lock. Anything can happen. And what if it does?
What if Pat Cummins, walking from the coffee shop to the cage, a twisted analogue to “Tank” Abbott, the old-school legend who made a similar walk from the bar, manages to upset Daniel Cormier, a man seemingly destined to fight Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title?
It’s hard to take the idea of an Arena League team competing with an NFL franchise seriously. No one would pay to watch Serena Williams play someone off the street. The very idea of either outsider competing with the best in the world is preposterous.
What does it say about mixed martial arts as a sport that White and the UFC are selling the MMA equivalent? For years we’ve justified the existence of what was once called “human cockfighting” by emphasizing its sporting nature. The UFC is just another professional sports league, the argument goes, the athletes as impressive and skilled as their counterparts in traditional stick-and-ball sports.
If it’s true, if Cummins can beat Cormier, what then? Cormier’s one of the UFC’s 20 best fighters. A man off the street as good as one of MMA’s best? The years of hard work and sacrifice all gone, victim to the vagaries of chance and MMA’s “anything can happen” creed?
And then there are the unintended consequences. The UFC has spent two decades establishing itself as MMA’s premium brand. It’s a given that their fighters are superior to the competition’s. But, if Cummins can upend Cormier, doesn’t that position become a bit muddled? The moment an obscure fighter with no UFC pedigree beats a top star is the exact moment Bellator has a legitimate opening to claim one of their fighters is the best in the world. The slope here, it is slippery.
It’s an upset that would strike right at the heart of this enterprise. If Pat Cummins beats Daniel Cormier, is this a sport or at all? Or were the critics right all along—and MMA is nothing but a spectacle, an unpredictable buffet of violence, an orgy of the unspeakable, a street fight hiding in plain view?
Headlined by women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and fellow Olympian Sara McMann, UFC 170 is set to go down this weekend.
Rousey has successfully defended her UFC title in back-to-back bouts, but McMann could be her toughest test stylistically. …
Headlined by women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and fellow Olympian Sara McMann, UFC 170 is set to go down this weekend.
Rousey has successfully defended her UFC title in back-to-back bouts, but McMann could be her toughest test stylistically. The former freestyle wrestling silver medalist could be the first fighter who is capable of forcing Rousey to stand.
Additionally, Daniel Cormier will make his light heavyweight debut on Saturday. “DC” was originally scheduled to meet Rashad Evans in the co-main event, but he’ll now meet replacement opponent and UFC newcomer Patrick Cummins in what looks to be a warm-up.
Furthermore, welterweight contenders Rory MacDonald and Demian Maia will battle to get back into the win column. Despite their recent losses, both fighters are very much in the hunt for a shot at the currently vacant 170-pound championship.
The UFC 170 weigh-ins will be held on Friday at 7 p.m. ET. When the weigh-ins begin, live streaming video will be available on the video player above.
Below is the entire fight card for UFC 170, which will be hosted by Las Vegas on Saturday.
UFC 170 Main Card (10 p.m. ET on Pay-Per-View)
Ronda Rousey vs. Sara McMann
Daniel Cormier vs. Patrick Cummins
Rory MacDonald vs. Demian Maia
Mike Pyle vs. TJ Waldburger
Robert Whittaker vs. Stephen Thompson
UFC 170Prelims (8 p.m ET on Fox Sports 1)
Alexis Davis vs. Jessica Eye
Raphael Assuncao vs. Pedro Munhoz
Cody Gibson vs. Aljamain Sterling
Zach Makovsky vs. Josh Sampo
UFC 170 Online Prelims (7 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass)
Ronda Rousey can continue to build her impressive legacy with another win at UFC 170. It would make a strong case for her being the greatest female fighter of all-time.
When discussing who is the greatest of all-time in women’s MMA it comes down to thr…
Ronda Rousey can continue to build her impressive legacy with another win at UFC 170. It would make a strong case for her being the greatest female fighter of all-time.
When discussing who is the greatest of all-time in women’s MMA it comes down to three names: Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino”, MegumiFujii and Ronda Rousey.
Fujii is now retired, and due to varying factors she is all but forgotten in this discussion, but she should not be. However, as both Justino and Rousey are active fighters, they are continuing to build on their resume and will surpass her if they have not already.
Who is in the best position to have that moniker bestowed upon them?
Cyborg is 12-1 with one no contest. Her lone defeat came in her professional debut to Erica Paes via a kneebar. Since that time she has been one of the dominant figures in women’s MMA.
Rousey has been dominant since the day she stepped into the cage or ring. All of her amateur and professional bouts have ended via her patented armbar. Her professional record is currently at an unblemished 8-0.
One of the biggest knocks on Cyborg’s MMA record is that she is fighting at 145 pounds, which would not be an issue if the featherweight class was a division with a wealth of talent. That is not the case.
The majority of Cyborg’s legacy has been built over thrashing fighters who are fighting above their weight class. They were fed to a lion, and they got treated like lambs who were led to the slaughter.
That is not to say her opposition was not talented. They were, but they were simply not strong enough to compete with Cyborg. Size does matter in MMA. Vanessa Porto, Shayna Baszler, HitomiAkano, Jan Finney and others were not big enough to be a threat to Justino.
Cyborg also has the red flag of testing positive for an anabolic steroid, a big hit to the resume she was building. The questions and rumors that followed her were finally given validation, and it is something she is still struggling to recover from today.
That is not a knock Rousey has against her. In fact, she started her career fighting larger women like EdianeGomes. She finished her in 25 seconds.
Since Rousey‘s drop to bantamweight, she has faced consistently credible competition. There were no scrubs placed opposite her in the cage to pad her record. There were no sacrificial fighters found to simply give her a fight. No, Rousey fought some of the best women in the division and won with ease.
That is the true difference between Rousey and Justino: the level of competition.
Cyborg’s skills and strength are undeniable. She is one of the best to ever grace the sport, but when she has not consistently fought opposition with a real threat to defeat her it hurts her legacy. It puts a nice rosy tint to her record that can be easily seen through.
Rousey now has the opportunities to add another top-five female fighter, and one who won an Olympic silver medal, to her list on Saturday. Justino is still waiting for an opponent to step up for her next fight.
At this juncture we are splitting hairs between them, but Rousey‘s resume is becoming more impressive by the day. A win over Sara McMann should cement her in that top spot. UFC 170 is an important bout for Rousey‘s legacy as the greatest of all time.
Let us all gather round, hold hands, and pray. Pray that this weekend’s UFC 170 manages to rise above the level of the decision-filled snoozefests that were UFC 169 and Fight Night 36. Of course, with a main event featuring Ronda Rousey, whose “kill ratio” is 100% (as Don Frye would put it if he gave two shits about this fight), and a co-main event featuring the biggest squash match of the year (so far), it looks like UFC 170 will rise to the level of those 10 decision events at the very minimum. I’m guessing that sound I just heard was all of you reaching into your wallets for $50.
Regardless of whether or not UFC 170 is able to deliver from an action standpoint, it has plenty of opportunities to deliver from a gambler’s standpoint, so join us after the jump for some sexy gambling lines (courtesy of BestFightOdds) and even sexier advice. You know, because women.
Makovsky is a perfect 3-0 since dropping down to flyweight and looked outstanding in his upset victory of Scott Jorgensen in his UFC debut at UFC on Fox 9. Sampo is looking to extend his 5 fight winning streak after an equally impressive debut RNC submission win over Ryan Benoit at the TUF 18 finale. The +105 prop that he wins via decision is a nice plus money option, as “Fun Size” should be able to use his NCAA division 1 wrestling to nullify Sampo’s submission threat on the ground while getting the better of the exchanges in the stand up department. Makovsky makes the parlay at a bargain -165 to win outright.
Let us all gather round, hold hands, and pray. Pray that this weekend’s UFC 170 manages to rise above the level of the decision-filled snoozefests that were UFC 169 and Fight Night 36. Of course, with a main event featuring Ronda Rousey, whose “kill ratio” is 100% (as Don Frye would put it if he gave two shits about this fight), and a co-main event featuring the biggest squash match of the year (so far), it looks like UFC 170 will rise to the level of those 10 decision events at the very minimum. I’m guessing that sound I just heard was all of you reaching into your wallets for $50.
Regardless of whether or not UFC 170 is able to deliver from an action standpoint, it has plenty of opportunities to deliver from a gambler’s standpoint, so join us after the jump for some sexy gambling lines (courtesy of BestFightOdds) and even sexier advice. You know, because women.
Makovsky is a perfect 3-0 since dropping down to flyweight and looked outstanding in his upset victory of Scott Jorgensen in his UFC debut at UFC on Fox 9. Sampo is looking to extend his 5 fight winning streak after an equally impressive debut RNC submission win over Ryan Benoit at the TUF 18 finale. The +105 prop that he wins via decision is a nice plus money option, as “Fun Size” should be able to use his NCAA division 1 wrestling to nullify Sampo’s submission threat on the ground while getting the better of the exchanges in the stand up department. Makovsky makes the parlay at a bargain -165 to win outright.
The only thing more controversial than Eye’s decision win over Kaufman was the consequential fall out and NC ruling from the TDLR a few weeks ago. Hopefully, Jessica will not be overly affected by the recent controversy that has surrounded her, but it may be a small difference maker in a razor sharp fight that will be close and most likely decided by the judge’s cards. +170 for Alexis Davis to win by decision is a solid risk if you believe that Eye will be good enough not to be submitted, but not good enough to control where this fight takes place.
Aljamain Sterling (-240) vs. Cody Gibson (+200)
With a perfect 8-0 record, Serra Longo Fight Team submission specialist Aljamain Sterling is a +215 prop to beat Cody Gibson inside the distance. Sterling has won his last three fights via RNC while 2 of Gibson’s 3 career losses have come via submission. If he cannot keep this fight standing, that’s easy money.
“Quicksand” is a 2 to 1 favorite to avoid the submission game of T.J. Walburger, who comes in as the +160 underdog. All signs point towards Pyle being the right favorite; prior to his 30 second sparring session gone wrong with Matt Brown at UFN 26, he was riding a four fight win streak and the last time he lost by submission was close to five years ago. With 3 of his 4 UFC wins coming via submission, T.J. Waldburger has found success when he hits the mat with his opponent, something Pyle will most likely participate in here. With the likelihood this fight goes to the ground, Waldburger is fighting where he is strongest while Pyle plays with fire and hopes not to get burned. Pyle if you must, but probably a better idea to skip and simply enjoy this one.
Stephen is the better striker on paper and Whittaker prefers to stand with his opponents in the cage. Thompson should be able to land first from and begin to find his range as the fight progresses. Whittaker may eventually have to work at taking “Wonderboy” down if the first round does not go well on the feet, which may lead to Thompson creating distance and fighting off his back foot on the way to the scorecards. Thompson to win.
Not sure that anyone is running to the window to lay -280 on Rory MacDonald to beat Demian Maia given the 2013 that he had. Rory has the tools to best Maia on the feet, but Demian will surely be looking to take this fight down to the ground right away. This leads to the question of whether or not Rory can get back to his feet or whether or not he will look like Jon Fitch did against Maia. Rory may opt to use the jab he found success with against strong grapplers to keep Maia at bay and outpoint the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu ace until a window opens for him to end the fight (if the window presents itself…cough.. Jake Ellenberger) or simply ride out another decision victory. Rory to win.
-1300 means there is no point trying to make much profit off picking Cormier to win against the 4-0 short notice replacement Patrick Cummins here. Did Cummins really school Cormier in wrestling practice so bad that it led Daniel to break down in tears? Or is Cummins attempting to get inside Cormier’s head in hopes of pulling off the upset of the year this Saturday night? Well we know for sure that Pat…sorry… Patrick has upset Cormier, but from the looks of it, this may work against him once the cage door closes. Cormier to win via hulk smash is not available but highly likely nonetheless. Cormier to win.
The line suggests otherwise, but this fight has to be the closest fight on the cards based on the pedigree of both fighters alone. McMann is a silver medalist in wrestling, Rousey a bronze medalist in Judo, and both are undefeated thus far in their respective careers. Ronda has given up her back to far lesser a grappler than McMann, but always ends up in the same position by the end of the fight, forcing the tap from by applying her signature armbar submission. McMann, on the other hand, has either finished her opponent on the ground or given the audience a 15 minute wrestling clinic by controlling her opponent en route to a decision victory.
While many expect to see Ronda Rousey’s striking game to be put on display, it can be argued that under the bright lights and with the gold on the line, these ladies will want to go with what brought them to the dance. The fight boils down to what happens when McMann initiates the first takedown and whether or not Ronda counters effectively with one of those beautifully timed/executed Judo throws which finds her on top of McMann in control on the ground. The possibilities when these two hit the mat are endless and this contest will offer the highest caliber grappling the UFC audience has ever seen. Rousey to win.
Parlay 1
Makovsky-Koch
Parlay 2
Sterling-Assuncao
Props
Makovsky +105 to win by decision
Davis +170 to win by decision
Sterling +215 to win inside the distance
Two days removed from 
