Wow, where do I start?
This week is like Christmas for fight fans. I genuinely woke up giddy with excitement on Monday morning – a full six days before a punch will be thrown at UFC 200.
At this stage, we’ve all seen the now-famous commercial for UFC 200 that closes with the snarling image of a returning Brock Lesnar. But this international fight week is so jam-packed with insanely rip-roaring bouts that some are inevitably going to fail to get the exposure of Lesnar’s comeback or the attention thrust on the rematch between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier which has since fallen apart due to Jones’ testing positive for a banned substance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKbM5v_ovmo
We’re going to hear the final buzzer echo on 34 occasions between Thursday night and Sunday morning.
And by the time the last final buzzer goes, some truly amazing scraps are going to be in the books.
Here are just ten fights that aren’t getting as much attention as those five epic tilts on the UFC 200 main card. Let’s give them some love.
Joe Duffy vs. Mitch Clarke (Thursday night, UFC Fight Night 90)
Donegal’s own Joe Duffy has only had to rebound from defeat once in his professional career and that came with a submission win over Damien Lapilus in Cage Warriors.
EXCLUSIVE: @Duffy_MMA on his unhealthy love of bloody battles in the Octagon https://t.co/LKMf0twSQ6
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 29, 2016
Even Duffy has admitted that he was somewhat rushed into a fight with top-15 ranked opposition due to the combination of his incredible UFC debut and his then-status as ‘the last man to beat Conor McGregor.’
After receiving something of a reality check against Dustin Poirier at UFC 195, Duffy can now start to gradually pave his path to contention without the pressure of an undefeated record in the promotion.
He gets that chance against submission specialist Mitch Clarke on Thursday night and Duffy foresees a war against the Canadian.
Roy Nelson vs. Derrick Lewis (Thursday night, UFC Fight Night 90)
If knockouts are your thing, this could be the likeliest place to find them.
These heavyweight sluggers hold a combined 27 knockout victories on their professional records so someone could well go to sleep come Thursday.
Having said that, the wisest option for Nelson could be to go back to his roots as a grappler. If he gets Lewis on his back, not only does he put himself in the position to dominate but he nullifies Lewis’ most dangerous weapon.
It could be a fascinating stylistic duel but, more likely, someone’s getting knocked out.
Gray Maynard vs. Fernando Bruno (Friday night, Ultimate Fighter finale)
Yep, Gray Maynard is still fighting and he comes back on Friday night to take on Nova Uniao product Fernando Bruno.
Maynard, 37, hasn’t had his hand raised in over four years and retirement must be around the corner but he deserves to go out with a bang in his first fight at featherweight.
It’s no gimme against Bruno as Nova Uniao have a tendency to produce some pretty decent lighter weight fighters… you may have heard of a few of them.
Doo Ho Choi vs. Thiago Tavares (Friday night, Ultimate Fighter finale)
Thiago Tavares said he wanted to fight a bigger name than Doo Ho Choi this summer and while the ‘The Korean Superboy’ may not be a household name just yet, he’s one of the most menacing opponents for anyone at featherweight.
In his two fights under the UFC banner, Choi has gone 2-0 with under two minutes of fight time. With 10 knockouts to his name, he is one of the most exciting youngsters on the roster.
Tavares has a massive experience advantage, having made his debut six years before Choi and having faced truly elite-level competition like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Clay Guida and Manny Gamburyan.
Ross Pearson vs. Will Brooks (Friday night, Ultimate Fighter finale)
The most stacked division in the UFC is about to get another name thrown into the mix.
Win or lose in his debut, you’d better believe that Will Brooks is going to cause some trouble for the best lightweights in the UFC in the coming years.
One of the most thrilling prospects to emerge from Bellator, Brooks has beaten the reigning Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler on two occasions, avenged his only career loss and is one of the best acquisitions the UFC has ever made.
8 days. #rebirthofachampion @ufc pic.twitter.com/bPtlDpWoEf
— Will Brooks (@ILLxWillBrooks) June 30, 2016
Pearson is not a walkover though. The scrappy Brit has the power to knock anybody out with the torque he puts into his Tyson-esque hooks.
This is must-see television.
Jim Miller vs. Takanori Gomi (UFC 200, Saturday night)
Thank you, Joe Silva. Thank you very much.
Neither Jim Miller nor Takanori Gomi are likely to make a run at the lightweight title any time soon, they’re both coming off the back of two defeats but you have to admire the mindset of the UFC matchmaker as he thought ‘these are two of the most entertaining fighters in the world, let’s get them matched up together.’
Two come-forward, all-action 155 lbers are guaranteed to get the curtain raised right on Saturday night.
We would say it was a banker for fight of the night but that would be hasty when you consider the next fight on this list.
Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Lauzon (UFC 200, Saturday night)
What have we done to be worthy of this fight?
It really doesn’t get better than this.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BDmYEB0qb8C/
13 post-fight bonuses in the career of Joe Lauzon and seven for Diego Sanchez… There is no way that this fight is going to be anything less than spectacular.
It will bloody, it will be exhausting for both men and it will go down in history…. not to jinx it or anything.
Sage Northcutt vs. Enrique Marin (UFC 200, Saturday night)
This is more down to curiosity than anything else.
How will ‘Super’ Sage react to his first defeat, one which prompted swathes of abuse from haters just waiting for ammunition against a then-teenager.
Northcutt is an extremely talented fighter but was not nurtured as he should have been. He was thrown in there against a much more experienced fighter and was found out.
He’ll be eager to get back to his athletic best and put on a show against an opponent who is much more on his level.
TJ Dillashaw vs. Raphael Assuncao (UFC 200, Saturday night)
It shows the quality of the Fox Sports prelims that this bantamweight clash, that could easily headline any fight night, is smack dab in the middle of the card.
The reason that it feels like an age since we’ve seen Raphael Assuncao is because it’s been an age since we’ve seen Raphael Assuncao.
October 4, 2014 was the last time we saw the Brazilian who many argue is the top contender for Dominick Cruz’s crown.
To get that shot he’ll have to beat Dillashaw, the former champion over whom Assuncao already holds a victory. This one’s an unofficial title eliminator.
Johny Hendricks vs. Kelvin Gastelum (UFC 200, Saturday night)
Just like the above bout, this bout is so important in terms of the career trajectory of a former champion.
Hendricks was humiliated by Stephen Thompson in February and two consecutive losses, coupled with the talent atop the welterweight division, might mean he’s fought his last ever title fight.
Gastelum, a very similar fighter to Hendricks, will be hoping to get some stability back in his career. After being forced up to middleweight due to issues with his weight cut, he was successful against Nate Marquardt but, when he returned to 170 lbs, he came up short against Neil Magny.
This is the biggest fight of both these men’s lives and it all goes down before the opening notes of Baba O’Riley in the brand new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
What a week to be alive!
