Let’s get the suspense out of the way. Jon Jones against Daniel Cormier for the UFC Light Heavyweight title is without a doubt the most intriguing fight on this card.
Heck, it could very well be the best fight the UFC has put on in the last decade, if not ever. And that is strictly based on the skillset of the two fighters.
With all of the bad blood between the two, the interest level in these two could be at an all-time high. People love to see a bitter rivalry play out, specifically in the fight game. When the two men acting out their hatred for one another inside the octagon are also two of the best fighters in the game? Well that my friends is why we watch.
Now let’s take a look at 4 other bouts of intrigue on Saturday night.
Marcus Brimage vs. Cory Garbrandt
Garbrandt is making his UFC debut as another top prospect coming out of Team Alpha Male. An excellent wrestle-boxer with a successful amateur boxing career, Garbrandt has started out his professional MMA career 5-0 with 5 TKO finishes. Brimage is a stiff first test for the 23 year old blue chipper but if he can get by him, Cody Garbrandt could be one to watch in the bantamweight division.
Hector Lombard vs. Josh Burkman
Josh Burkman returns to the UFC after going 11-2 since his release and establishing himself as one of the better welterweights in the world not under the Zuffa umbrella. He walks in to some odd matchmaking as he takes on surging contender Hector Lombard. If believe both Lombard and Dana White, this is due to the fact that no one in contention wants to fight Lombard. If true, I can’t say I blame them. Lombard walked through Nate Marquardt in his first welterweight appearance and followed that up by dispatching perennial contender Jake Shields. Can Burkman return in style or will Lombard continue his trek towards the top?
Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Louis Gaudinot
Simply put, Horiguchi is one of the best flyweights in the world. He has a tough but winnable test here against Gaudinot. An action fighter who lives on pressure and top control, Horiguchi has finished 2 of his 3 wins inside the octagon. In a relatively shallow division like flyweight, an impressive win here should, at the very least, put Horiguchi in position for a number one contender’s bout next time out.
Donald Cerrone vs. Myles Jury
Is Myles Jury a legitimate contender in the lightweight division? Does the winner of this bout earn himself a title shot? Will Cerrone succumb to the pressure in a top contender’s bout just as he has done in the past? These answers will almost surely prove to be the perfect appetizer to a mouth watery main course (event).