UFC on FX 5 fight card primer: FX main card fights

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

UFC on FX 5 is headlined by a Heavyweight showdown between Travis Browne and Antonio Silva. But before the main event, FX will feature three other fights in the Welterweight and Flyweight divisions. Here’s a look at those three main card fights. Don’t forget to check out our separate prelim coverage, and check back for the main event. The UFC on FX 5 shows airs live on FX Friday night October 5 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.

Of the three fights, the Dodson vs. Formiga Flyweight fight has the most relevance, as Dana White has declared it a #1 contender’s fight. Jake Ellenberger bouncing back from his loss is also worth checking out. And while the main card opener doesn’t have a lot of divisional relevance, it still should be a fun fight. Here’s the main card line-up for UFC on FX 5:

Travis Browne vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva
Jake Ellenberger vs. Jay Hieron
John Dodson vs. Jussier da Silva
Josh Neer vs. Justin Edwards

Jake Ellenberger (27-6 MMA; 6-2 UFC) vs. Jay Hieron (23-5 MMA; 0-1 UFC)

This fight was shuffled over to FX after the UFC 151 cancellation, and was originally planned to be the #5 ranked Ellenberger vs. Josh Koscheck in a much more interesting fight. When injury forced Kos out, #19 Hieron stepped in. The big story here is Ellenberger looking to get back on track. At the end of last year, he looked like one of the top talents in the Welterweight division, with five straight wins, a very impressive KO of Jake Shields, and his lone UFC loss coming against champion Carlos Condit. He opened 2012 with a close decision win over Diego Sanchez, then was stopped by Martin Kampmann. The heavy hitting Ellenberger needs to remind people that he is a contender with a solid win here.

Jay Hieron is a 9 year pro with experience in every organization from the UFC to the IFL to Strikeforce to Bellator. Last year, he had an impressive 3-1 run in Bellator that saw him challenge Ben Askren for the Welterweight title, losing a split decision. He’s since come back with a smaller win. This marks his 2nd UFC fight, as he competed for the company back in 2005, losing to Jonathan Goulet. Hieron is an Xtreme Couture trainee, and while he has great experience, this is a tough challenge for him.

John Dodson (13-5 MMA; 2-0 UFC) vs. Jussier da Silva (14-1 MMA; UFC debut)

This is a #1 contender’s fight to determine the first challenger for Demetrious Johnson’s new UFC Flyweight title. On one side is Dodson, the season 14 Ultimate Fighter winner in the Bantamweight division. After that win, he quickly dropped back down to his regular home at Flyweight, defeating Tim Elliott in his UFC Flyweight debut. Dodson comes from the Greg Jackson camp, and has shown nice KO power in the past, most notably in that TUF finale win over T.J. Dillashaw.

Jussier da Silva, or Jussier Formiga as it appears the UFC has decided to call him, is a submission expert out of Brazil’s esteemed Nova Uniao camp. He’s a great pick-up for the UFC, as he is considered one of the top Flyweights in the world. Our rankings have him at #4 (with Dodson a bit below him at #6). Da Silva will likely be an unknown to most UFC fans as his most high profile US fights so far came in Tachi Palace Fights. There, he went 2-1, recording the lone loss of his MMA career at the hands of Uncle Creepy Ian McCall. With a win here, Formiga will be in a position to give Nova Uniao a clean sweep of the three newest weight classes in the UFC.

Josh Neer (33-11-1 MMA; 6-7 UFC) vs. Justin Edwards (7-2 MMA; 1-2 UFC)

This Welterweight contest between unranked opponents opens the main card. Josh “The Dentist” Neer is a long-time MMA journeyman. Despite being only 29, he has nearly 50 fights to his name, dating all the way back to 2003. The Miletich Fighting System product has been in and out of the UFC since 2005, always providing a tough challenge, but never quite making it to the higher levels of the Welterweight division. His current UFC run started in 2011 with one of his career best performances in a vicious beating of Keith Wisniewski. He looked to have put it all together with a 6-0 run, but was somewhat surprisingly stopped by Mike Pyle in his last fight. Neer always entertains, and makes a perfectly fine midcard fighter in the division.

Justin “Fast Eddy” Edwards was on season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter, losing in his first fight to eventual winner Tony Ferguson. Prior to coming to the UFC, Edwards was a perfect 6-0 with all first round stoppages in the Midwest regional scene. But since making the step up, he’s struggled, going 1-2 with all 3 fights going the distance. His last fight was a loss to John Maguire. If he loses here, it will bring him down to 1-3 inside the Octagon, and I can’t imagine he’ll be kept around at that point. The stakes are high for Edwards in this one.

More UFC on FX 5 preview coverage from Bloody Elbow:

Breaking News: Jeremy Stephens arrested – Chris Hall

UFC on FX 5 Fight Card – Mookie Alexander

Travis Browne vs. Antonio Bigfoot Silva Dissection – Dallas Winston

Jake Ellenberger vs. Jay Hieron Dissection – Dallas Winston

Jussier Formiga da Silva vs. John Dodson Dissection – Dallas Winston

Josh Neer vs. Justin Edwards Dissection – Dallas Winston

Fuel TV Preliminary Card Dissections – Dallas Winston

Bloody Elbow staff picks and predictions

UFC on FX 5 weigh in video and coverage – Tim Burke

UFC on FX 5 betting lines – Tim Burke

Dennis Hallman misses weight, fight cancelled – Brent Brookhouse