In what has been a jam-packed summer of events, the UFC offers up their seventh card in just five weeks. This time, we go to one of the last remaining untapped U.S. markets in Salt Lake City, Utah. With so many events happening, the roster is getting a real workout. Tomorrow’s card features some veterans looking to keep the wheels of progress moving, as well as some fresh talent making their promotional debuts.
The one thing that stands out like a sore thumb though, is the UFC’s relentless push of its Fightpass platform. Number 5 ranked featherweight crowd pleaser, Cub Swanson will be carrying the torch for the early prelims when he faces Tatsuya Kawajiri (#14) in a fight that should really be headlining this event. Call me crazy, but an unranked Alex Caceres vs. Yair Rodriguez (#13) would probably be a better fit for the Fightpass portion of the card.
At a time when fight arenas are veritable ghost towns with more tumbleweeds than fans in the building, it seems a shame to waste your bigger names on the prelims. Those fights also tend to suffer in the bonus department, as the $50K checks seem to go to the athletes higher up on the card, closer to the forefront of memory.
Regardless of the odd layout of the card, the bouts look to be well-matched and should provide plenty of action for combat lovers. Our Bloody Elbow content partner, Tommy Toehold has set us up with his Top 5 fighters from the card, as well as a couple fights to steer clear of. He’s done all the research and has made choosing the winners as easy as can be. Check out the video to get his tips.
Here are a couple of his picks transcribed for you:
“At number three: Maryna Moroz. Her opponent is making her UFC debut and is a bit of a brawler. Moroz is very tall for the division and will have a considerable size advantage. She’s a high level boxer/kickboxer, and she has five first round finishes including Calderwood last year. She’s a solid pick.
At number two we have Chase Sherman. Heavyweights finish fights. Both fighters here are making their UFC debut, but Sherman is the larger fighter and he has a 100% finish rate all in the first round. This one will not see the second round and Sherman is coming out on top.”
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