UFC Flyweight Championship: Demetrious Johnson (c) (21-2-1) vs. Kyoji Horiguchi (15-1)
-Horiguchi is an excellent fighter and someone that the UFC needs desperately; an exciting Asian fighter with outstanding skills, great charisma, and a potential inroad to Japan to them. However, Demetrious Johnson is a top-five fighter in the world, regardless of how little the UFC markets him. He’s an absolute force and I could, and have, made the argument for him as the best MMA fighter in the world. Horiguchi will be a big star, but he won’t be a champion…yet. Johnson via R3 submission.
215lb Catchweight Bout: Fabio Maldonado (22-7) vs. Quinton Jackson (35-11)
-This has been one weird saga to get here. Now that it’s settled (for now) we can finally focus on the fight. No man will hit the deck, as these are two very proud strikers who will live and die by the punch. Fab will work Rampage’s very suspect body, but he just doesn’t have enough in the tank against a man who’s seen and done everything in the sport. Jackson via UD.
Middleweight Bout: CB Dollaway (15-6) vs. Michael Bisping (25-7)
-Or as it’s known in MMA circles, Michael Bisping’s Last Chance. Bisping, for nearly a decade, has been the UFC’s Golden Ticket to establish a foothold in the UK. They paired him up with as many cans as they could possibly find, but when it came time for him to make a jump towards a title fight, he was felled every time. Doesn’t it seem strange that with all the title contenders with the divisions stretched so thin nowadays, that Bisping has never fought for a title? Bisping is, almost without question, the best UFC fighter to have never fought for a title in the modern day. He’s also 36 now, and he’s no longer the brash Brit. He’s an understatement. He’s forgotten. This is his last chance. Bisping via SD.
160lb Catchweight Bout: John Makdessi (12-3) vs. Shane Campbell (11-2)
-Holy shit, Joe Rogan can actually say someone has “K-1 level striking” and be exactly correct! Shane Campbell is an excellent kickboxer, K-1 veteran and has defeated or hung in with the best of the best. John Makdessi is a fine MMA striker. There’s a difference between striking in an MMA environment and a legit kickboxing environment. There’s nothing that Makdessi will throw at him that he hasn’t seen. Campbell has fought Enriko Kehl, Chris Ngimbi, Warren Stevelmans, and Justin Greskiewicz, amongst many other muay thai and kickboxing stars. What pushes this in Campbell’s favor is that he also has 13 professional MMA fights, so he knows the cage, he knows the ground game, he knows how to fight in an MMA competition. Campbell via UD.
Bantamweight Bout: Thomas Almeida (18-0) vs. Yves Jabouin (20-9)
-I love this fight. Almeida is the young, super-hot prospect who has been TKOing his way through the bantamweight division. Yves has been with UFC since they first brought in WEC and has been a flag-bearer for lighter weights. Jabouin has taken losses by TKO/KO, but they’ve been to the best of the best; Hominick, Pickett, Wineland, Stout. Is Almeida that level of hitter? We’re about to find out. Jabouin via SD.
Welterweight Bout: Joe Riggs (40-15) vs. Patrick Cote (20-9)
-My DeLorean must be on the fritz. This can’t be happening in 2015, can it?? Cote via UD.
Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Alexis Davis (16-6) vs. Sarah Kaufman (17-2)
-Some people are never the same after a bad title loss, and you couldn’t do much worse than Davis’s. Kaufman, despite her pitiful performance against Ronda, is a great fighter and a very, very high gatekeeper, and I think she grinds it out here. Kaufman via UD.
Lightweight Bout: Bryan Barberena (10-2) vs. Chad Laprise (9-0)
-Laprise has been skating by since TUF nations. Barberena has a wide array of tools at his disposal and Laprise won’t be able to drag him to a decision. Barberena via R2 TKO.
Lightweight Bout: David Michaud (8-1) vs. Olivier Aubin-Mercier (5-1)
-Neither man has blown the doors off of the division since they’ve entered the promotion, but matched up against each other, it should at least be an entertaining submission match. Aubin-Mercier via R1 submission.
Welterweight Bout: Chris Clements (12-5) vs. Nordine Taleb (10-2)
-Taleb via SD.
Women’s Strawweight Bout: Jessica Rakoczy (1-4) vs. Valerie Letourneau (6-3)
-This fight isn’t going to be good, and not neccessarily because of the participants. This is a massive drop in weight and weight classes for both fighters, and after such a massive layoff for Rakoczy, ehhhh…just not going to be great. Letourneau via UD.
Women’s Strawweight Bout: Aisling Daly (15-5) vs. Randa Markos (4-2)
-Ash the Bash is a good gatekeeper who tends to fold up against higher competition, but aside from TUF, we really don’t know what Randa is capable of. I think Randa showed enough on TUF that I’m hopeful. Markos via UD.
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