Coming off the back of one of the best pay per views they’ve had in a while, there is no rest for the wicked. UFC take over Norfolk, Virginia this Saturday night. One of the more stacked fight night cards, here is the main card breakdown.
(Lightweight) Joe Lauzon vs Clay Guida: What a way to kick off the main card. This one has the potential to be fight of the night. Two very seasoned veterans who are in their early to mid 30’s. Between both of them they have 13 fight of the night accolades. It’s a coin toss. Both men are very good on the ground with Guida known a bit more for going the distance. An exciting way to start off the card.
(Bantamweight) Raphael Assuncao vs Matthew Lopez: Another interesting bout. Assuncao is another seasoned MMA fighter and holds notable wins over Jorge Masvidal, Bryan Caraway and current bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw. He is known for a great ground game and going the distance. His opponent Lopez, however, lacks the experience of Assuncao, he makes up for it in his all roundedness. Coming from an amateur wrestling background and making the transition into MMA. He lost his UFC debut but came back and won his last 2 fights. He’s good at striking and good on the ground, he’s not championship level just yet but given time, who knows.
(Middleweight) Nate Marquardt vs Cezar Ferreira: Another scenario where a really experienced fighter fights someone who doesn’t have as much experience. Marquardt has been fighting professionally since 1999 and has fought all over the world picking up accolades and belts and even training former interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin. He is an all round fighter specialising in BJJ but has a great ground and striking game but he does have a lot of miles on the clock. Ferreira is also an all rounder and proficient in BJJ and is 6 years younger then his opponent. He will have his work cut out for him when it comes to experience, but he will be up to the challenge.
(Heavyweight) Andrei Arlovski vs Junior Albini: Who knows how many fights Arlovski has left in him, he’s only 38 and is a former heavyweight champion. He is currently on a 5 fight losing streak. But as we all know, throughout his career he goes through spells of several wins and several losses. He is fighting the less experienced Albini who is fighting his second UFC fight, winning his debut against Timothy Johnson with a TKO in the first round. This is a chance for him to prove himself here but Arlovski will want to get back to winning ways.
(Welterweight) Matt Brown vs Diego Sanchez: Another two seasoned fighters of the sport. Diego Sanchez has always been an exciting fighter picking up the accolade of fight of the year 3 times and fight of the night 7 times. However Matt Brown is looking for a win as this will be his swan song. After losing his last 3 fights it would be great to see him go out on top. This is definitely one not to miss.
(Main Event) (Lightweight) Dustin Poirier vs Anthony Pettis: Main Event time. Right now the lightweight division is fairly stacked. Ferguson is next in line for McGregor. Khabib along with Kevin Lee’s name is also in the hat. Pettis and Poirier will want some of that action. Poirier lost to McGregor in the featherweight division, since coming back up to lightweight he has been on a tear racking up a record of 5 – 1 – 0. He is however going up against the former champion of UFC and WEC. Pettis lost the belt to Rafael Dos Anjos in 2015 and has been on a bit of a downward spiral and will look to get back on track. This could be the fight to do it.
That’s our breakdown, catch all the action on UFC Fight Pass this Saturday night. Let us know your thoughts below, on Facebook and Twitter.