Ravaged by injuries and visa issues, the UFC’s once-but-no-longer TUF Brazil finale is nowhere near the card it once was. Fortunately, there are still some high-quality and otherwise well-matched bouts near the top end of the card and, thank God, you don’t have to watch it.
Lyoto Machida meets Yoel Romero in the main event. Machida is coming off a brutal loss at the hands of Luke Rockhold, and he finds himself pitted against an equally physical fighter in Romero, though perhaps one less innately suited to modern MMA. Romero is a freak athlete and a superb wrestler, with an Olympic silver medal to prove it. His striking game is somewhat rudimentary, but explosive and effective. At this point we have to start wondering how many more big wins Lyoto Machida has left in him, and Romero is nobody’s idea of a comeback fight.
In the co-main event, Lorenz Larkin fights for the second time at welterweight against surging pressure fighter Santiago Ponzinibbio, whose fighting style is almost as fun as his surname. It should be a high-action affair between two knockout punchers, and an important “get-over” fight for both men. And immediately before that, TUF winners Eddie Gordon and Antonio Carlos Junior vie to keep their positions on the UFC roster.
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Fox Sports 1 Main Card
Lyoto Machida vs Yoel Romero
Lorenz Larkin vs Santiago Ponzinibbio
Antonio Carlos Junior vs Eddie Gordon
Thiago Santos vs Steve Bosse
Hacran Dias vs Levan Makashvili
Fox Sports 2 Prelims
Alex Oliveira vs Joe Merritt
Leandro Silva vs Lewis Gonzalez
Steve Montgomery vs Tony Sims
Danny Martinez vs Sirwan Makai
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