You don’t have much time to catch your breath after the action you’ve just witnessed over the past two UFC events. There’s still one more card to come before a three week break from the UFC, at which time many fans will turn their attention to the NFL season as well as Mayweather vs. Canelo in boxing.
Glover Teixeira has so far lived up to expectations when the UFC finally brought him on board last year. He’s 4-0 with 3 finishes, but he still needs a win bigger than a declined Rampage Jackson to make his case for a title shot. In steps Ryan Bader, who was supposed to fight Teixeira at UFC 160 before a knee injury forced him out of it. A win for Teixeira, particularly one with a finish, and he’ll certainly be next in line against the Jon Jones/Alexander Gustafsson winner. If Bader can pull off the upset it definitely shakes up 205 lbs a little bit.
Additionally, Ronaldo Souza can make himself a legitimate middleweight contender with a win over Yushin Okami, who has won his last 3 fights. Flyweight standout Joseph Benavidez is targeting a 3rd straight win of his own as he faces Jussier Formiga, and it’s not unreasonable to think that Benavidez/Johnson 2 could be on the horizon if Joe B can come out on top.
There’s pretty much no name value for the remainder of the card, but if you like shows with three great fights mixed in with some prospects and veterans then this is the show for you. Earlier this week there was a late change to the card, as Hugo Viana is out with an injury and his fight with Wilson Reis has been scrapped entirely.
The main card starts live on Fox Sports 1 at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT, but preceding that is two hours of prelims at 6 PM ET/3 PM PT. After the event is finishes you can tune into the premiere of TUF 18, featuring coaches Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate.
Main Card (FS1)
Glover Teixeira vs. Ryan Bader
Ronaldo Souza vs. Yushin Okami
Joseph Benavidez vs. Jussier Formiga
Francisco Trinaldo vs. Piotr Hallman
Rafael Natal vs. Tor Troeng
Marcos Vinicius vs. Ali Bagautinov
Preliminary Card (FS1)
Felipe Arantes vs. Edimilson Souza
Joao Zeferino vs. Elias Silverio
Lucas Martins vs. Ramiro Hernandez
Keith Wisniewski vs. Ivan Jorge
Preliminary Card (Facebook/Youtube)
Sean Spencer vs. Yuri Villefort
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