March 22, 2018
By Ryan Porzl
Note that at the time I release these, the full card of certain events have not been released so there may be other fights I would recommend but aren't announced until after I complete this. Also, card subject to change.
Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov (UFC 223, 4/7/18)- For the UFC Lightweight Championship. This fight was originally scheduled for UFC The Ultimate Fighter Finale 22 (December 11, 2015), UFC on FOX: Teixeira vs. Evans (April 16, 2016), and UFC 209 (March 4, 2017). Ferguson is currently riding a ten fight win streak with his recent win being over Kevin Lee by submission at UFC 216 on October 7th. Nurmagomedov is undefeated with 25 wins and is coming off a win over Edson Barboza by unanimous decision at UFC 219 on December 30th. The fact this is for the championship and that this has been highly anticipated due to it being cancelled three times before due to injury and a bad weight cut are two big reasons to want to see this. Both men have been waiting a long time to compete for the championship with Ferguson being the Interim champion and each are now one step closer to finally winning a championship both seemed destined to win. The fight will also see a big loss as either Ferguson suffers his first loss in six years or Nurmagomedov suffers the first in his career and no matter who wins, it'll be the biggest win of either man's career to date as they not only become the undisputed champion but either break a long win streak or break an undefeated streak. Perhaps another reason for this is the fact that both would like a shot as Conor McGregor and the winner of this fight could get that opportunity which would not only be a big fight for either guy but they have the opportunity to defeat the previous champion and thus solidify their position as champion. Nurmagomedov has been wanting a fight with McGregor for some time and in his home country of Russia and with McGregor possibly coming back this summer as well as rumors of a show in Russia, Nurmagomedov has another incentive to win.
Rose Namajunas vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (UFC 223, 4/7/18)- For the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship and a rematch from UFC 217 on November 4th. Namajunas is riding a two fight win streak with her recent win being over Joanna Jedrzejczyk by KO to win the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship at UFC 217 on November 4th. Jedrzejczyk is coming off a loss to Rose Namajunas by KO at UFC 217 on November 4th which snapped an undefeated record of 14-0. Where do I start on this one? For one, their first fight was good and given more is now on the line besides the championship as the stakes are higher. Namajunas is coming off the biggest win of her career and maybe the biggest win she'll ever have given she won the title, ended the undefeated streak, and it was in Madison Square Garden so the last thing she wants is to lose it especially this soon. It doesn't also help that Joanna feels it was a fluke and Namajunas will want to prove that this win was not a fluke and that she is the better fighter. For Joanna, she's got a lot riding on this fight as she's coming off the first loss of her career and it will be interesting to see how she handles it. Joanna thinks this was a fluke and she had a bad weight cut which she can prove with a win. If she wins especially decisively, she'll not only get the title back but she'll avenge the only blemish on her record and prove the loss was just a temporary setback. A loss proves that Namajunas is the better fighter and this time, Joanna will have no excuses and will have to shallow that bitter pill.
Michael Chiesa vs. Anthony Pettis (UFC 223, 4/7/18)- Chiesa is coming off a loss to Kevin Lee by technical submission at UFC Fight Night: Chiesa vs. Lee on June 25th. Pettis is coming off a loss to Dustin Poirier by TKO at UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Pettis on November 11th. Despite Pettis' recent decline, a win over him would do a lot for Chiesa as it would still be the biggest win of his career to date, a nice bounce back from the Kevin Lee loss, and it would allow him to take that next step. A loss would hurt in many ways as it would mark the first losing streak of his career and after having lost to guys like Jorge Masvidal, Joe Lauzon, and Lee with the latter being a main event, Chiesa would come off like a choker who can't and maybe never take that next step in his career. If Chiesa loses, he may be doomed to be considered just a gatekeeper. Gone are the days when Pettis was the number one lightweight in the world who appeared unbeatable and someone who would rule for a long time to come. Now, Pettis is just fighting to stay afloat as he's 2-5 since 2015 which includes his upset title loss to dos Anjos and despite only being 31, already comes off as washed up. Pettis needs a win and a decisive one to get back in the winners circle and prove he's not done yet. If he loses here then everyone including Pettis has wonder what does Showtime have left and even worse, does he have anything left? While you never say never, a loss could mean Pettis will never get near the lightweight title ever again.
Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Felice Herrig (UFC 223, 4/7/18)- Kowalkiewicz is coming off a win over Jodie Esquibel by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Till on October 21st. Herrig is riding a four fight win streak with her recent win being over Cortney Casey by split decision at UFC 218 on December 2nd. This fight has the potential to be a title eliminator which is a reason to watch this and there's more. When it comes to Kowalkiewicz, win would make things interesting as she would likely get the next shot and regardless of who wins the title match, she has history with both as she previously holds a win over Namajunas in a title eliminator while losing Joanna in her title opportunity. If she and Namajunas win their fights, she has to love her chances of becoming champion as she could face someone she already beat while if Joanna wins, she has a chance to avenge a previous loss. Herrig is currently on a great roll with her four fight win streak and a win would certainly punch her ticket to a title shot as that would be five in a row and a win over a former championship contender all the while earning the biggest win of her career to date. A loss would sting badly as her win streak would end and just as she was so close to a title shot.
Dustin Poirer vs. Justin Gaethje (UFC on FOX: Poirer vs. Gaethje, 4/14/18)- Poirer is unbeaten in three fights (2 wins, 1 no contest) with his recent fight being a win over Anthony Pettis by TKO at UFC Fight Night: Poirer vs. Pettis on November 11th. Gaethje is coming off a loss to Eddie Alvarez by KO at UFC 218 on December 2nd which ended an eighteen fight undefeated streak. How could I not put this one on here? Given how both fighters are, this fight all but promises to be exciting and full of fireworks. We could very well see not only the fight of the month but a potential fight of the year candidate. Aside from that, both would love to get a shot at the Lightweight Championship. If Poirier wins, he could make an argument at least for a title eliminator fight. Gaethje is coming off the first loss of his career and a win over Poirier would get him right back on track. However, some fighters who lose their first fight sometimes lose their second so will Gaethje bounce back or does he suffer his first losing streak?
Carlos Condit vs. Matt Brown (UFC on FOX: Poirer vs. Gaethje, 4/14/18)- Condit is riding a three fight losing streak with his recent loss being to Neil Magny by unanimous decision at UFC 219 on December 30th. Brown is coming off a win over Diego Sanchez by KO at UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Pettis on November 11th. It's impossible to believe that just five and a half years ago, Condit was facing Georges St-Pierre for the UFC Welterweight Championship and then challenged Robbie Lawler for it only two years ago to where he is now. The Natural Born Killer's career looks to be on borrowed time as he's on a three fight losing streak and 1-4 in his last five fights. While his losses were to top names like Woodley, Lawler, Maia, and Magny, it's still a horrible place to be especially for someone who was once a top three welterweight. Simply put, Condit NEEDS to win if he wants to continue and can't take any other outcome be it loss, draw, or no contest. While he may survive a fourth straight loss, there will be loud calls for him to retire. Brown has nothing to lose as he was already supposed to retire before this and given the mileage and age, he'll never get to the UFC title. However, a win over Condit would be the biggest win of his career and should he decide to retire, what better way to go out then against a former UFC Interim Welterweight Champion and two time title contender? Also, like Poirer/Garthje, this could be an exciting fight to watch out for given the way both fight.
Frankie Edgar vs. Cub Swanson (UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee, 4/21/18)- This is a rematch from UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson from November 22, 2014. Edgar is coming off a loss to Brian Ortega by KO at UFC 222 on March 3rd. Swanson is coming off a loss to Brian Ortega by submission at UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Ortega on December 9th. This fight is interesting for many reasons. For one, it's a rematch as Edgar won the last fight decisively and it will be interesting if lightning will strike twice or if Swanson will avenge that loss. Another is that people have to ask if Edgar is coming back too soon especially after his first knockout loss. Like when he took the Ortega fight, Edgar is again rolling the dice as a win over Swanson gets him back on track but a loss sends him further down the ladder. Edgar does have some pressure as he's coming off the first knockout loss of his career and he's going on 37. Given all that, the question is whether Edgar still has it or are we seeing the beginning of the end? Regardless of the recent loss, a win over Edgar would be great for Swanson as it would be one of the biggest wins of his career and be great for him to avenge a previous loss. A win could also get Swanson back in the title hunt. A loss would be tough as it would be a second one which is something no fighter wants.
A.J. McKee vs. Justin Lawrence (Bellator 197, 4/13/18)- McKee is undefeated with ten wins with his most recent win being over Brian Moore by submission at Bellator 187 on November 10th. Lawrence is riding a two fight win streak with his recent win being over Andrew Natividad by unanimous decision at Bellator 193 on January 26th. This is a fight between two promising prospects. McKee has become one of Bellator's biggest prospects and one that the promotion has hopes for. Currently, McKee is enjoying the record for most consecutive wins in Bellator history with his ten wins and would obviously love to extend that record all the while climbing the ladder. Lawrence has been up and down in Bellator as he is 4-2 with a win over former Pancrase Champion Isao Kobayashi but other times he's had a big opportunity such as against prospect Emmanuel Sanchez & top featherweight John Texiera, he's come out on the losing end. A win over a guy like McKee would get his name out there and get Bellator noticing him which could lead to bigger opportunities while a loss would mean another opportunity down the drain.
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Frank Mir (Bellator 198, 4/28/18)- This is a quarterfinal fight in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix. This is Mir's first non UFC fight since August 31, 2001 when he defeated Dan Quinn at IFC 15. Emelianenko is coming off a loss to Matt Mitrione by KO at Bellator NYC on June 24th. Mir is riding a two fight losing streak with his recent loss being to Mark Hunt by KO at UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Mir on March 20, 2016. Despite both men long past their primes and really shouldn't be fighting anymore, it's still somewhat a dream fight given both have achieved legendary status but were never able to fight given Mir spent most of his career in the UFC while Emelianenko has never stepped foot in the octagon. Both men also need to win this. For Emelianenko, he enters this fight with many questioning whether or not it was a good idea to return to fighting back in 2015 as he not only suffered a Knockout loss to Mitrione recently but also has a highly questionable win over Fabio Maldenado with his only decisive win being over the inexperienced Jaideep Singh. As for Mir, his sixteen year UFC Hall of Fame career ended in disgrace after not only losing his recent two fights to Arlovski and Hunt but he also flunked a drug test. A win puts the winner one step closer to possible redemption as they move to the semifinals and get closer to maybe winning the tournament as well as the vacant heavyweight title. If one of these men were to win the tournament, it would further solidify Emelianenko as the greatest heavyweight of all time as he would add yet another championship and tournament to his massive trophy case while it can be a great comeback for Mir to become a heavyweight champion for the first time in more than a decade. Despite Emelianenko not being known for wanting to avenge losses, it has to intrigue him a bit at the possibility of rematching Mitrione in the finals and avenging last years loss. For Mir, he has been wanting this fight for a long time and he wouldn't want to lose a fight he's been wanting for a long time. The fight should also be interesting as Emelianenko has said he's looking forward to this as he feels more motivated in a tournament format while Mir hasn't fought in two years so it will be interesting to see how he comes off.
Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Sam Sicilia (Bellator 198, 4/28/18)- Sanchez is riding a three fight win streak with his recent win being over Daniel Straus by submission at Bellator 184 on October 6th. Sicilia is coming off a win over Marcos Galvao by unanimous decision at Bellator 189 on December 1st. For a couple of years, Sanchez has been one of Bellator's top prospects but with his recent win streak against Georgi Karakhanyan, former Bellator Bantamweight Champion Marcos Galvao, and recently against former two time Bellator Featherweight Champion Daniel Straus, Sanchez is showing he's the real deal and now one of Bellator's top featherweights. A win over Sicilia extends his win streak and potentially sets him up for a title eliminator fight in his next fight while a loss would hurt so bad as it not only snaps his win streak but at the worst time as he's coming off the biggest win of his career so far. Sanchez is on a high right now and doesn't need to hit a speed bump. After getting cut in the UFC following a three fight losing streak, Sicilia is hoping to rebuild in Bellator and so far, he's on the right track by defeating former Bantamweight Champion Marcos Galvao in his debut fight. While Sicilia is not as likely to get a title eliminator in his next fight, a win over Sanchez would be a nice move up. A loss would also hurt as he just snapped that three fight losing streak that sent him packing from the UFC and is coming off a good win so he doesn't need a loss now.
Rafael Lovato Jr. vs. John Salter (Bellator 198, 4/28/18)- Lovato is undefeated with seven wins with his recent win being over Chris Honeycutt by unanimous decision at Bellator 189 on December 1st. Salter is riding a seven fight win streak with his recent win being over Jason Radcliffe by submission at Bellator 188 on November 16th. This is a fight between prospect vs. veteran. Lovato has looked great since arriving in Bellator and has quickly become one of the top prospects in the organization and he will look to continue his undefeated record and winning ways. The win would also be Lovato's biggest giving Salter's hitlist in Bellator so far. Salter has also looked great since moving to Bellator and come into his own as he is 5-0 in the promotion while scoring wins over former champion Brandon Halsey and former title contender Kendall Grove. Though Lovato is not as big as Halsey or Grove, at least not yet, a win over the prospect would be another good win and gain more eyes. More importantly, with the Bellator Middleweight Championship up for grabs in May between Rafael Carvalho & Gegard Mousasi and no obvious number one contenders, this could be a title eliminator fight as the winner could make a strong argument that they should be next after the Carvalho/Mousasi fight.
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