Since the ridiculousness that was UFC 196: McGregor vs. Diaz, the MMA world has continued to feel the waves of the tail-end of that card. However, what immediately looms ahead is April 23rd’s UFC 197 card, which has unfortunately fallen prey to the injury gods that plague amazing UFC match-ups.
With Daniel Cormier out with injury new-age up-and-comer Ovince Saint Preux (OSP) comes in on short-notice to face a returning Jon Jones for the interim Light Heavyweight (205lbs) championhip. In the lead up to UFC197, Cormier-Jones had the aura of a super-fight, particularly because of the “question” of legitimacy of Daniel Cormier’s title reign. This is in reference to the fact that Jon Jones never lost his belt (in fact, Cormier’s only MMA/UFC loss was his title-challenge of Jon Jones), he was forced to vacate it due to his out-of-competition run-ins with the law. I err on the side of Cormier in the legitimacy debate, particularly because he was TeamUSA’s World/Olympic representative in Freestyle Wrestling at 96kg/ 211.2lbs from 2003-2008. However, I especially acknowledged the legitimacy of Cormier’s reign after his 5-round classic against Alexander Gustafsson, in which Cormier survived his first title defense via split decision. Nonetheless, with Cormier out, the Jones-OSP fight for the interim title poses a few interesting possibilities.
OSP joined the UFC in 2013 and has put together an impressive 7-2 record since, including a TKO win over former LHW champion Mauricio Shogun Rua. OSP has also headlined three UFC Fight Night (non-PPV) cards. Known as a D1 football-crossover into MMA, OSP brings an ever-evolving ground-game with a lethal left-hand that he’s proven can KO opponents even if he himself is back-stepping. That said, I do take OSP’s track-record with a grain of salt. In his last 5 fights, he’s 3-2 w/ 2 wins via KO (including the knockout of Rua). However, in has last 2, OSP is 1-1, losing to perennial-contender Glover Teixeira via rear-naked choke prior to beating Rafael Cavalcante via Unanimous Decision (Cavalcante would be released by the UFC after this third-in-a-row loss). Given that he took the fight on short-notice, OSP is definitely game for the challenge, and a tall task awaits in Jon Jones. If there is any advantage for OSP, it is that he even a much different fight than Cormier, who Jones was preparing to take on.
Jon Jones returns under interesting circumstances, as his last fight was in January of 2015, where he successfully defended his LHW title for the 8th-time, defeating current champion Daniel Cormier. Jones would be stripped due to an out-of-competition incident that following April. Jon Jones is effectively one of, if not, the best MMA fighters to ever grace the UFC Octagon. With an essentially undefeated-record and having been stripped of his title (and forced to watch as the man he last beat, Cormier, was able to be champion of the weight-class), MMA fans held their breath as Jon Jones did court-mandated actions and prepared for a comeback. A former NJCAA (JUCO) national wrestling champion, Jones is one of the most savage overall fighters in MMA. His 8 title defenses includes wins over 5 of the last 6 (excluding himself) UFC LHWT champions. Gotta believe that Jones is ready for blood (and gold) come April 23rd.
Another interesting fight (though it is on the Fox Sports 1 prelims) is a fight between the former UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion (115lbs) Carla Esparza, coming off her title-loss fight to Joanna Jedrzejczyk last March, and Juliana Lima, who rides a 2-fight winning streak into the fight (though, the streak is preceded by a loss to the previously mentioned Jedrzejczyk, who is the current 115lbs champion). One has to assume a win here puts Esparza back in the conversation for a title-fight; conversely, if Lima can notch this big-time win and make it 3-wins-in-a-row, she could quickly find herself in the title-conversation.
A match-up that is sure to intrigue all fight fans is former UFC Lightweight (155lbs) champion Anthony Pettis (known for his Showtime Kick of Benson Henderson)
taking on highlight-reel maker Edson Barboza (known for his spinning wheel kick that knocked out Terry Etim and skyrocketed Barboza into UFC fame).
Both men are coming off losses, with Pettis have lost twice in his last two fights (the former loss was that in which he lost the UFC title to current-champion Rafael Dos Anjos via Unanimous Decision, while the latter is a Split Decision loss to MMA-veteran Eddie Alvarez). Barboza enters coming off a D’Arce choke submission loss to Tony Ferguson. Despite this loss, Barboza also enters with two straight Fight of the Night honors under his belt. If this one lives up to the billing, we should be in for a good scrap. Both are excellent on their feet, as both men have Taekwondo black belt certifications, while Barboza is also an accomplished Muay Thai practitioner as well. The consequences of this fight are intriguing, considering that the two fighters are right in the hunt for title contention yet Pettis could find himself in dangerous waters if he loses three-straight fights.
The co-main event of UFC197 poses the biggest technical curiosity-peaker for combat sports fans across disciplines. Demetrious Johnson is coming off a complete, 25-minute dismantling of top-contender John Dodson at UFC191, making it 7-straight title defenses as the UFC Flyweight (125lbs) champion for Johnson. The champion’s 9-fight win streak includes 4 post-fight bonuses. In his fight against Dodson, Johnson looked absolutely perfect in all areas, putting together smooth, quick striking combinations and out-classing Dodson in most facets of the grappling exchanges. The challenger will be 2008 Olympic Champion wrestler, 10-0 Henry Cejudo (the youngest Olympic Wrestling Champion in US History at 21 years old). After struggling to make weight early in his UFC career, Cejudo has fought and won his last three fights at 125lbs. Building upon his world-class wrestling foundation, Cejudo has evolved into a powerful MMA fighter with power in his hands. Fellow 125er Ian McCall observed that Cejudo uses his skill-set well to nullify opponent's’ speed and distance, but was unsure Cejudo could take on Johnson’s speed. I agree with McCall, especially after watching Johnson tactically, strategically beat Dodson in every possible aspect. It’s hard to choose against the wrestler (thought Johnson was a wrestler in his own day as well), but it’s harder to choose against the first and only UFC 125lbs champion ever.
Today’s UFC Fight Night has heavy implications on UFC198, headlined by the the UFC Heavyweight (265lbs) Title fight between Fabricio Werdum (the champion) vs. Stipe Miocic. Featuring four straight Heavyweight fights, the co-main and main event of tonight’s card are most intriguing. Long-time UFC veteran Gabriel Gonzaga takes on Derrick Lewis (5-2 in the UFC). Lewis comes in on a 2-fight win streak, while Gonzaga is coming off a win after suffering three-straight losses. Lewis replaced stud wrestler/ fighter Ruslan Magomedov on the card to fight Gonzaga. In the main event, Ben Rothwell, himself a long-time UFC heavyweight, is on a 4-fight win streak and looks to extend it against former Heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos. JDS comes in after losing to Alistair Overeem in December. He is, however, the last man to beat title-contender Stipe Miocic.
Keep in mind, on the March 20th Fight Night card, Mark Hunt knocked out Frank Mir, further making this heavyweight division a bit more interesting.
The week prior to the May 14th UFC198 card, Antonio “Big Foot” Silva takes on the tallest fighter in the UFC, Stefan Struve. The main event puts two Heavyweight MMA legends in Overeem vs. Andrei Arlovski against each other.
