The UFC returns to Pay per View on Saturday night with two title fights on top of the card. The UFC decided earlier in the week that they would continue with the UFC 216 card as planned in wake of the horrific events of last Sunday’s mass shooting there. The UFC also pledged 1 million dollars to the victim’s fund in the promotions hometown. On a lighter note, the card has two huge title fights including the rescheduled attempt of Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson (26-2-1 Flyweight Champion) looking to break the all-time consecutive title defense record against Ray “The Tazmexican Devil” Borg (11-2 #3 Ranked Flyweight). While in the main event an Interim Lightweight Title holder will be crowned as Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson (23-3 #2 Ranked Lightweight) takes on Kevin “The Motown Phenom” lee (16-2 #7 Ranked Lightweight). This card is filled with big matchups and should be a fun night of 12 fights. Let’s not waste any more time and get into the preview.
Thales Leites takes on Brad Tavares.
Former Middleweight Title Challenger Thales Leites (27-7 #13 Ranked Middleweight) returns to the cage to take on The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 alum Brad Tavares (15-5). The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Thales Leites has had an up and down recent stretch in the UFC since returning to the organization in 2013. He is coming off a decision victory but has dropped 3 of his last 5. The goal for Leites will be to get the fight to the ground and use his world-class submission game that has gotten him 15 career victories. That submission game got him the shot at UFC 97 for the Middleweight Title. Brad Tavares has been in the UFC since 2010 and is riding a 2 fight win streak. Tavares has been a guy with great conditioning who seems to always just fall short when he faces the top tier talent of the Middleweight division. Tavares will want to keep this fight standing for as long as possible to avoid the ground game of Leites. Tavares is a grinder who picks up a lot of wins by decision. This fight has the potential to drag on through the rounds if Leites is unsuccessful in getting the fight to the ground and Tavares takes his time getting into the fight. Prediction: Brad Tavares via Decision.
We drop back down to Flyweight where we get longtime UFC veteran John “Chicano” Moraga (17-6 #11 Ranked Flyweight) taking on the undefeated Magomed “Chaborz” Bibulatov (14-0 #15 Ranked Flyweight). John Moraga finally right the ship back in June ending a 3 fight losing streak with a decision victory. The longtime UFC veteran has seen the judges in his last 4 straight fights. Moraga is a good striker with quicks hands, who also excels on the ground. He has 8 career submissions but just seems to not be able to get over the hump when the stiffest competition in the UFC Flyweight division comes calling. Moraga will need to use his ground skills in this one to prevent the very talented Bibulatov from taking the fight to the mat. The former World Series of Fighting Interim Flyweight Champion Magomed Bibulatov is a very highly touted UFC prospect. His pedigree and wrestling style make him one of the most dangerous 125lb guys in the UFC. This will certainly be a change in competition for him as Moraga is a serious veteran of the UF, but Bibulatov didn’t seem overwhelmed in his debut in April so expect the same calm demeanor Saturday. Look for Bibulatov to use that grappling and wrestling and really control where this match goes. Prediction: Magomed Bibulatov via Decision.
The featured UFC Fight PASS prelim is next and it is a Heavyweight battle between Walt “The Big Ticket” Harris and Mark “The Hand of” Godbeer (12-3). Walt Harris has rattled off 2 straight victories coming in with 2 impressive knockouts. Harris is on the verge of a Top 15 ranking with his 3rd win in a row. If he is to get a win it seems as if the only way he does it is via knockout. Harris has 10 career wins and 10 career knockouts so there is a pretty good shot of knowing his game plan coming in. Mark Godbeer got his first UFC victory back in March in a grueling 3 round decision. The 33 year old English Heavyweight is a tough customer who has 9 knockouts of his own. He is willing to stand and trade with all of his opponents so don’t expect anything different versus Harris. The Heavyweight Division is still in desperate need of some stars and a highlight reel knockout could do wonders for either man. Prediction: Walt Harris via TKO.
The FX prelims are kicked off by a matchup in the Women’s Strawweight Division as Pearl Gonzalez (6-2) welcomes Poliana Botelho (5-1) to the UFC. Pearl Gonzalez made her UFC debut back in April where she put up a great fight against surging Women’s Strawweight Cynthia Calvillo (6-0 #7 Ranked Women’s Strawweight). Gonzalez is a very skilled grappler who comes from 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu San Diego. She has 4 career submission victories and showed against Calvillo that she has some serious heart. Gonzalez will be looking to get this fight to the ground and stay out of the striking game with the debuting Botelho. Poliana Botelho is a 28-year-old Brazilian knockout artist. She has rattled off 5 victories all via knockout in her young MMA career. The Nova Uniao fighter will be looking to stand and trade with Gonzalez and try and put her power on display early. This one could be a real war to kick off the free TV prelims on FX. Prediction: Poliana Botelho via TKO.
The next fight could be one that has highlight written all over it as Lando “Groovy” Vannata (9-2) takes on “King” Bobby Green (23-8). Lando Vannata is one of the most entertaining strikers in the UFC today. From his UFC debut on short notice against Tony Ferguson to his highlight reel spinning wheel kick knockout of John “The Bull” Makdessi (14-6), and his knockdown drag out war against David Teymur (6-1) every Vannata fight is entertaining. Lando has an unorthodox striking style, and that has led to his success in the world of MMA. His record may be 1-2 in the UFC, but don’t let that fool you he is a dangerous striker in the 155lbs division. He also had submission skills to go along with his striking. Bobby Green on the other hand is an always game opponent. He has run in to some hard times as of late having dropped 3 in a row. That puts his back against the wall in one desperate for a win which is a dangerous place for any fighter. Green is always willing to stand and trade, but also has a ground game that is not talked about. His 9 submissions are something that have to be paid attention to. This one is going to be a banger, and could certainly contend for a performance bonus. Prediction: Lando Vannata via TKO.
A fight that was moved last minute from UFC Fight Pass to FX in the Flyweight Division with Marco “Psycho” Beltran (8-6) taking on Matt “Danger” Schnell (10-4). The Ultimate Fighter Season 24 alum Matt Schnell has fallen on hard times since joining the UFC. He made it to the Quarterfinals on The Ultimate fighter before being defeated by the Ultimate Winner Tim Elliott (15-8-1 #10 Ranked Flyweight) and then in his first 2 UFC fights he has been knocked out in the very first round. Prior to that the former Legacy FC Interim Flyweight Champion had won 6 in a row. His ground game is his specialty with 5 career wins by submission. He will be looking to get this fight to the ground and stay out of trouble on the feet to see if he can last a bit longer in this outing. Marco Beltran burst into the UFC in 2014 and rattled off 3 straight victories. Since then, however, he has suffered back to back losses one by submission and once via a corner stoppage. Beltran is a well-rounded fighter with a pretty solid ground game. He will look to push the pace early and try to get to the chin that has failed Schnell in his previous 2 fights. This should be a good fight to kick off the night. Prediction: Marco Beltran via TKO.
The exciting young prospect Tom “Fire Kid” Duquesnoy (15-1 1NC) returns to the cage to take on another high level prospect Cody “Spartan” Stamann (15-1) in a Bantamweight showdown. This is an interesting matchup between two guys who have one fight a piece in the UFC and are both riding massive winning streaks. Duquesnoy has rattled off 11 straight wins and made his debut in the UFC with an impressive knockout victory in April. Duquesnoy has knocked out 8 of his opponents and he will most certainly be looking to end this one early. The 24 year old lived up to all the hype he had coming into the UFC and has the chance to keep that rain going should he score a big knockout. Cody Stamann’s win streak is at 8 and he came into the UFC with a 3 round decision win in July. Stamann used his grappling to keep his opponent out of striking range, and will probably look to do the same in this one. Stamann has 5 knockouts on his record, but he seems to get to the judges and let them to decide his fate. This will be a great lead in to the Pay Per View to finish off the FX card. Prediction: Tom Duquesnoy via TKO.
The pay Per View gets kicked off with two top 15 Lightweights going at it as Beneil Dariush (14-3 #12 Ranked Lightweight) takes on Evan Dunham (17-6 #14 Ranked Lightweight). Beneil Dariush had some serious momentum until March when he was knocked out with a vicious knee from perennial top-tier Lightweight Edson “Junior” Barboza (19-4 #4 Ranked Lightweight). Prior to that Dariush had run off two straight victories and was looking poised to regain the form that saw him rip off 5 straight victories from 2014-2015. Dariush has a style of being able to grind out victories and using his grappling to threaten submissions and just overpower his opponents. Dariush will be looking to get back on track, and he has followed his previous losses in his career with victories in the past. Evan Dunham is a longtime veteran of the UFC who made his promotional debut in 2009. It was just a few years ago his career looked to be over after a 3 fight losing streak. Since then he has rebounded and rattled off 4 straight victories and gotten himself back in to the rankings. Dunham has faced a ton of top competition throughout his UFC career, and has stepped up to the plate on many occasions. This bout will be interesting for him, because a win here gets him a top 10 opponent without a doubt. This one will most likely end up in the judge’s hands and the grappling of each probably cancels each other out and we get 3 rounds of some solid kickboxing back and forth. Prediction: Evan Dunham via Decision.
Next up we have a bout that was added to the card just days before following the removal of Paige “12 Gauge” VanZant (7-3 #10 Ranked Women’s Strawweight) and Jessica “Evil” Eye (11-6 1NC) was scrapped due to injury. It will be the debut for both Mara Romero Borella (11-4 1NC) and Kalindra Faria (18-5-1). Mara Romero Borella comes to the UFC following a stint in Invicta FC where she scored a win over former UFC fighter Milana Dudieva (11-6). Borella is riding a 5 fight win streak and has done so with a few submission victories mixed in with decision wins. She is willing to stand on the feet, and she has a solid ground game to boot. The question will be if the bright lights of the UFC will have any effect on her in her debut. Kalindra Faria was originally slated to take on Angela “KGB” Lee (8-2), but due to a USADA issue and some confusion over when she needed to start in the testing pool that fight was scrapped late last week. The former Titan FC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Faria enters the Octagon on a 3 fight win streak with 2 finishes in that time frame. A long time veteran of MMA she will step into the Octagon for her 25th professional fight and look to make a statement in the UFC’s new Women’s Flyweight Division. Prediction: Kalindra Faria via Decision.
In a bout that could shake the very landscape of the Heavyweight Division former Heavyweight Champion Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum (21-7-1 #2 Ranked Heavyweight) enters the cage against Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis (18-5 1NC #6 Ranked Heavyweight). Fabricio Werdum is looking to find a way to get a shot at his Heavyweight Title again. After a loss to Alistair “The Reem” Overeem (43-15 1NC #1 Ranked Heavyweight) in arguably one of the worst fights of 2017 has Werdum trying to bounce back in to the win column. Some people talk that Werdum is potentially the best heavyweight in MMA history having defeated the likes of Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira (34-10), Cain Velasquez (14-2 ##3 Ranked Heavyweight), and Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko (36-5 1NC). If Werdum gets this fight to the ground it could be a quick night for the former champion whether he is on top or bottom that is how good his submission skills are. He will come out fast as he has in the past let’s just hope it doesn’t hurt him. Derrick Lewis inexplicably announced his retirement following his last loss in June. He then almost immediately unretired and is now face a Top 3 Heavyweight in Las Vegas in October. Derrick Lewis punches with one purpose, and that is to knock his opponent dead. He has 16 knockouts in his career, and they are all more vicious than the previous. His ground game is suspect, but when he is on top he uses his size to his advantage to control his opponent. IF Derrick Lewis takes this victory the Heavyweight Division will have a new serious threat for the Title and that’s a fact. Prediction: Derrick Lewis via TKO.
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson (26-2-1 Flyweight Champion) was on the verge of history just over a month ago, before it was torn away from him the week of the fight. That was due to an illness to his opponent that forced the match off the card. He now enters the cage Saturday night trying to break the record for consecutive title defenses that he has currently tied with Anderson “The Spider” Silva (34-8 1NC #6 Ranked Middleweight) at 10 straight defenses. This would cement his place in history as one of the best pound for pound fighters of all time. The only thing standing in his way is Ray “The Tazmexican Devil” Borg (11-2 #3 Ranked Flyweight). Ray Borg will look to redeem himself following the disappointment of him pulling out of this fight in September, and there is no better time to do that than Saturday. Demetrious Johnson has taken every Flyweight and dispatched them quite impressively, including being locked in a submission early against The Ultimate Fighter Season 24 winner Tim Elliott (15-8-1 #9 Ranked Flyweight), only to get out and win what was his 9th straight title defense. The weird controversy around him turning down a potential fight with TJ Dillashaw (15-3 #2 Ranked Bantamweight) at Flyweight is out there, but this is Mighty Mouse’s division and he should dictate what happens and whom he is going up against in such an important fight for his legacy. If Johnson can get through this, and almost all signs point to that, there is nothing left for him at Flyweight and super fights need to be on his mind moving forward. The 24 year old Borg is riding a 2 fight win streak and has won 4 of his last 5 in the UFC. He is a talented wrestler and has used his grappling to his advantage on multiple occasions. Borg will need to be calm in a big situation like this. If he were able to get this victory it would be one of the, if not the biggest upset in UFC history. For Demetrious Johnson this is a long time coming and a potential crowning achievement to a run of greatness that does not happen very often. This record is a sign of perseverance and dedication to always getting better even as a champion. Demetrious Johnson deserves way more credit than he gets and that is not even a question. He should be able to take this title defense if it happens and needs to parlay it into true well-deserved stardom that the UFC desperately needs. Prediction: Demetrious Johnson via Submission.
On to the Main Event that features the return of one of the best 155lb fighters in the world Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson (23-3 #2 Ranked Lightweight) and up and coming prospect Kevin “The Motown Phenom” Lee (16-2 #7 Ranked Lightweight) who needed an extra hour to make the championship weight. They will duke it out for the Interim Lightweight Title and depending on the direction the UFC wants to go a shot at unification and a fight with “The Notorious” Conor McGregor (21-3 Lightweight Champion). Tony Ferguson is the winner of Season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter and currently is riding a 9 fight winning streak. Including a very impressive victory over former Lightweight Champion and now Welterweight contender Rafael Dos Anjos (27-9 #5 Ranked Welterweight), Tony Ferguson is legitimately one of the best well rounded fighters on the UFC roster. He has a very solid ground game and is willing to stand and bang with anyone. Ferguson does put himself at risk at times in fights, and that could cause him some trouble in this matchup. His resiliency and unorthodox movements make him a problem for whoever enters the cage opposite of him. Tony has had 11 months off which could play a factor, plus the disappointment in the fight cancellation against Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov (24-0 #1 Ranked Lightweight) most likely weighed heavily when it happened. However he is now at one of his goals and that is fighting for UFC Gold be it Interim or not it is something that he has been striving for since day and Saturday he will have his shot. Kevin Lee joined the UFC in 2014 and dropped his UFC debut to “Raging” Al Iaquinta (13-3-1 #11 Lightweight), since that loss he has rattled off victories in 9 of his last 10 with a 5 fight winning streak carrying him in to Saturday. Lee is 25 years old and has a good career ahead of him. He has gotten more attention in the past 6 months based on a press conference scuffle and then dispatching via rear naked choke of Michael “Maverick” Chiesa (14-3 #10 Ranked Lightweight). Lee is very talented and that rear naked choke has been his specialty in fact he has finished his last 3 straight opponents using that technique. The question will become is the step up in competition too much in this case. Tony Ferguson is one of the best Jiu Jitsu players in the UFC and it will be seen if Lee can deal with that. Now as far as standing goes Lee only has 1 knockout on his record, but he certainly could take advantage of Ferguson if he puts himself in danger. This matchup is very intriguing and has a ton of storylines that could come from it no matter who wins. This fight will contend for fight of the night and could create two big stars depending on how the night goes. Prediction: Tony Ferguson via Submission.
This is a card that has taken some heat, but with the potential for history to be made with Mighty Mouse and an intriguing Lightweight Title picture it has the possibility to be an excellent card. The undercard may drag depending on the results, but the Pay Per View is well worth the price. Sometime early Sunday morning when this card is over the UFC will have several new landscapes in multiple divisions it will be interesting to see how this all breaks down. Also after a week off having the UFC back to fill in a Saturday night is certainly a good thing.
