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UFC Fight Night 206 is highly anticipated by mixed martial fans all over the globe despite recent news that the headliner fight of Daniel Cormier vs. Antony Joshua was called off since Cormier had to pull out of the fight due to an injury he has sustained. The two fighters had met back in UFC fight night 187 where Cormier had emerged victorious thanks to a submission in the third round.

With the cancellation of the headline fight, let us look at what is left of the fight card for UFC 206 and why it is still going to be an epic fight night.

UFC fight night 206 is scheduled to take place on December 10th and the venue is Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The main card will air on a pay per view basis on both Fox Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Max Holloway vs. Anthony Pettis – UFC has announced after the scrapping of the Cormier vs. Joshua fight that Holloway vs. Pettis will be the new headlining fight. This fight did already exist on the card, but it has now been promoted to a headlining fight and it now gives the fighters something much bigger to fight for – an interim belt.

Since Holloway and Pettis is fighting for the interim belt, the current interim title holder, Jose Aldo has been pushed to the main title and Conor McGregor who only recently clinched the lightweight belt has had to retire his featherweight belt as confirmed on the UFC fight night 101 broadcast which was telecasted on Fox Sports 1.

Pettis is ranked tenth in the MMA Junkie featherweight rankings whereas Holloway holds the third position. Holloway is the favorite among bookies and it comes as no surprise given his recent form wherein  he has won his last nine consecutive fights and will be eager to make that ten when he comes up against Pettis.

Pettis was able to break his poor form by topping off three losses with a submission victory over Charles Oliveira after moving down to the featherweight division.

Rashad Evans is seemingly having a tough time acquiring a license from an athletic commission from the looks of it as he has had to bow out of yet another fight thanks to the persisting commission issue.

The ex UFC lightweight champion was drafted to fight Tim Kennedy in UFC fight night 106 scheduled for the 10th of December and this draw had fans and punters alike buzzing, but alas, it is not going to happen. UFC fight night 106 however will happen with the exception of this fight, and the venue is Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The news was first delivered not by Evans, but instead but Kennedy who told Ariel Helwani on an episode of the MMA Hour that was broadcasted on a Monday after which in a subsequent interview it was also confirmed by Evans’ manager Ali – Abdel – Aziz.

According to Kennedy, the athletic commission in Ontario pretty much prohibited Evans from acquiring a license in order to compete in the jurisdiction of the Ontario province which is not unlike what the New York State Athletic Commission did when they refused to issue him Evans a license to fight in New York State when he wanted to compete in UFC fight night 205 which occurred earlier this month.

As per Evans’ manager, Abdel – Aziz, the Ontario State athletic department is known for being one of the most stubborn commissions in all of North America. He further said that they did not even like the MMA at all. He confirmed that the UFC is working to ensure that Rashad Evans is back in the octagon at the latest by early 2017.

Previously, Evans was to face Kennedy himself but in New York back in UFC fight night 206 when the New York State Athletic Department prohibited the fight only a week before when it was supposed to happen due to an apparent issue with Evans’ MRI scan.

Evans is disappointed and feels he is healthy and in better shape than ever, but understands that the athletic commission has a zero tolerance policy towards such issues and has no choice but to wait it out.   

Firstly, let us talk about the where and the when. UFC fight night 101 is scheduled to occur on the 27th of November starting at 10:30 am and the venue for the fight night has been uncovered as Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.

UFC fight night 101 will consist of a fight card which is comprised of 13 fights in all of which 12 are men’s fights and there is one women’s bout. The first preliminary fight is due will begin at noon and then the six fights on the main card will get underway starting at two in the afternoon. The fight night will also feature eight Australian talents including the likes of Robert Whittaker and Jake Matthews which will actually be one of the main events.

How will fight night 101 compare to UFC 193

UFC fight night 193 which also took place in Melbourne was one of the most action packed fight nights. However, there are some fundamental differences between fight night 193 and the now much anticipated fight night 101. UFC fight night 193 actually had two belts or championships up for grabs. Also, the marketing and attraction that Ronda Rousey vs. Holy Holm brought to fight night 193 is almost unprecedented. Ronda Rousey was favorite to win going in, but Holy Holm shocked the world by defeating Rousey.

Why should I look forward to UFC fight night 101

Well, It might not be Rousey vs. Holm and there may be only one title up for grabs, but fight night 101 still has a lot to offer. It is a platform for upcoming talent Whittaker who gets another chance to inch closer to a middle weight title shot.

He will be coming up against Brunson. If Whittaker is able to take the victory, then his next fight will almost certainly be against a fighter ranked in the top five and if he can win that then he will surely secure the number one contender fight.

From a punters point of view, we think Whittaker has too much to lose, and so will be very well dialed in, focused and is going to prove to be too much for Brunson to deal with.

UFC fight night is scheduled to take place in Pheoenix, Arizona and the fight card is already filling up pretty quickly. Mark your calendars, because January 15, 2017 is going to be one eventful fight night full of action and tons of potential bets that could make you some serious bank.

One fight that fans and punters alike are really looking forward to is Sergio Pettis vs. Jussier Formiga. Pettis broke into the top 15 fighters in the UFC when he emerged victorious against the one and only Chris Kelades. This win has now setup the youngster with immense talent and potential on the fight of his life. Pettis is only 23 years old and fights in the flyweight weight division. Come, fight night 103 on January 15th, Sergio Pettis will get to show what he can do when matched against Jussier Formiga.

Pettis was initially booked to fight against Louis Smolka back in October itself, however, Pettis sustained an injury and had to withdraw from the contest due to injury. Pettis is a Roufusport talent and it is also worth mentioning that he is in pretty immaculate form. He will be going into UFC fight night with two back to back wins and not just anybody, but against the likes of Kelades and Chris Cariaso.  He has also lost weight and currently weighs in at 125 pounds and will most certainly be looking to improve to 3 – 1.

On the other hand, Formiga who is 19 – 4 is ranked considerably higher than Pettis. Pettis only broke into the top 15 recently, but Formiga is ranked third in the flyweight division. His last fight was a victory against Dustin Ortiz in September and he actually lost the fight prior to the Ortiz fight which was against Henry Cejudo.

Even though they are separated by over ten ranks, we think it will be a competitive fight and can actually be a difficult one to call. The venue for UFC fight night 103 has been declared as Talking Stick Arena in Phoenix.

Leading up to the main event, UFC Fight Night 101 this time actually features prelims wherein which is the first section of an exciting two-part undercard series that promises to throw some light on some of the world’s greatest fighters. This event will take place in the land down under in Melbourne, Australia. Without any further ado, let us take a look at some of the fights confirmed on the fight card and what the odds are looking like.

Seo Hee Ham vs. Danielle Taylor

Seo Hee Ham was looking virtually unstoppable with 6 consecutive wins until she was, against all odds, beaten Joanne Calderwood. Calderwood used both punches and flying knees exceptionally well in order to deafeat Seo Hee Ham and take the victory on her Octagon debut.

However, Seo Hee Ham then came back strong and swinging against Courtney Casey and won by unanimous decision. Some might say it was a close call though.

Seo Hee Ham at 5’2″ has a whole two inches over the 5 foot zero inches Danielle Taylor.

Danielle who is also known as “Dynamite”. She has only lost once in her career and it came on her most recent outing against Maryna Moroz. Danielle was stepping in for Justine Kish who had to back out of the fight. Danielle lost in a split decision, but she put a tough fight and a very impressive one at that considering that she is a whole 7 inches shorter than Moroz.

Looking at how the bookkeepers are gauging these two fighters – they have Seo Hee Ham at 16 – 7 and Danielle Taylor at 7 – 2.

Focusing back on Ham, we know and have seen her struggle in fights against taller opponents and it is safe to say her height has been a major hindering factor thus far, but for once, she is actually going to be the taller fighter in the octagon when she comes up against Danielle. We have a feeling that Ham is going to utilize this rare advantage effectively and should be able to clinch victory.

Tyson Pedro vs. Khalil Rountree

Tyson Pedro hails from the same camp as heavyweight prospect Tai Tuivasa and is scheduled to take on Khalil Rountree come UFC fight night 101. Pedro made his octagon debut back in 2013 very impressive when he knocked out his opponent in a mere 31 seconds. He was recently on a hiatus and has come back surprisingly in great form and has emerged victorious in his last three fights, and all via first round submission.

On the other end of the Octagon is going to Rountree who stands 2 feet shorter than Pedro. Rountree fought in the finals where he lost by decision to Andrew Sanchez. Rountree got lucky to get to the finals, it was a neck injury to Cory Hendricks which saw Rountree get the opportunity in the first place.

We think Pedro has this in the bag, and would be inclined to putting our money on him.

The fight card is getting quickly filled up for Bellator 162 and there are certainly already some head turners in there, but here is all the low down you need in terms of which fights you should not miss and where all the exciting stuff is happening.

Firstly, a definite must watch is fighter Alexander Shlemenko who is determined to prove himself after having tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Shlemenko is on the path to regain respect and reputation for himself as a fighter after the doping allegations and he certainly has everything to fight for. Shlemenko has a lot running on the line and you can bet your bottom dollar that he is training like he has never done before to win this fight, it is going to something special and we can already sense it. Shlemenko maybe focused and may have all the desire in the world for victory, but his opponent is no slouch. He is going to be put up against the one and only Kendall Grove and this will be the headliner for Bellator 162 which is scheduled to happen at FedEx Forum (venue name) in Memphis, Tennessee.

People may have doubts about Shlemenko’s form considering he has not fought competitively in Bellator in over 20 months. Shlemenko was supposed to serve a ban which should have lasted for just over three years and was imposed by the California State Athletic Commission. He doping was uncovered in a post fight drug screening just after he had fought and defeated Melvin Manhoef courtesy of a technical knockout. This was back in 2015 and luckily for Shlemenko, the ban was later reduced to a one year suspension. Since his ban has been lifted, Shlemenko has been in the ring twice, but both times the M-1 Global banner. People, understandably, think that he might be a bit rusty to get throw right back into the action. However, if you think about it, his opponent Kendall Grove has also not exactly been fighting week in and week out.

Changing focus to Grove – Grove has in a recent interview with media personnel expressed his bitter feelings and resentment towards Bellator saying that he felt like he was chewed up and spat out by the industry and since then Grove returned to Maui, his hometown, and is focused more on being there for his family and his young children. Grove did train and fight intensely for two years when he was down at Las Vegas, but said since he has had children of his own, his priorities have change quite a bit.

So for those that think Shlemenko is rusty, we say, he has been evenly matched. Two top shelf fighters coming back from their own respective hiatuses and looking to return on the right foot – this has everything in the making to be an incredible display of courage, sheer determination, technical ability, finesse and form.

The fight of the night in our books!