Stakes high for UFC in Arizona
FIGHT CARD: For 5 featured fighters, this could influence the direction of their careers
Last weekend’s fight card in Brooklyn had all the drama — even before Conor McGregor & Co. went completely mental — but while UFC 223 was capable of snatching up plenty of headlines, this Saturday’s return to network television from Arizona is actually a more competitive, more compelling card from top to bottom.
The stakes are high in each of the four main card bouts, while the preliminary card features a number of competitive contests between established talents and a chance to get another look at some promising prospects, including dark horse middleweight contender Antonio Carlos Junior and women’s flyweight hopefuls Shana Dobson and Lauren Mueller, who square off in a low key Fight of the Night contender.
Since the Arizona Coyotes have failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the sixth consecutive season, here’s a look at the only exciting action set for the Gila River Arena this weekend and five fighters who are under the microscope heading into Saturday’s UFC on FOX event :
Dustin Poirier
“The Diamond” headlines this weekend against Justin Gaethje (18-1) in a fight that should resemble a human demolition derby. What makes this a crucial contest for the 29-year-old Poirier is that he’s standing on the brink of contention and it’s a familiar position that has produced unsatisfying results.
Poirier (22-5, 1 NC) is a consistently entertaining fighter stationed in the lightweight top 10, but thus far in his career, every time he’s had the chance to stamp himself as a true contender, he’s come up short. It happened not once, not twice, but thrice at featherweight and a couple more times since he’s moved up to the 155-pound ranks and if he’s turned back by Gaethje, it might be time to accept that the Louisiana native is destined to be a top flight gatekeeper and not a legitimate title threat.
Carlos Condit
A longtime contender (and former interim champion) at welterweight, Condit (30-11) has been stuck “in a rough patch” for over five years, dating back to his UFC 154 loss to Georges St-Pierre. Including that contest, “The Natural Born Killer” has gone 2-6 over his last eight fights and even if you want to make the case that he beat Robbie Lawler at UFC 195 (which I think he did), he’s still only 3-5 and coming off back-to-back tough outings.
Now, if you want to give him a pass for losing to Neil Magny because he was off for more than a year, that’s fine, but it only further increases the stakes in this one. Originally scheduled to face Matt Brown, the Albuquerque native now squares off with Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira (18-41, 2 NC) in a bout that feels like it will have a big impact on where Condit’s career goes next.
If he comes out and looks sharp, Condit will remain in the top 10 mix and probably keep fighting every four-to-six months, but given that he’s talked about retirement plenty in the past, another loss could prove to be the end of the line for the fan favourite.
Israel Adesanya
Adesanya was part of the collection of newcomers that showed out at UFC 221 in Perth, Australia, earlier this year, but now it’s time for “The Last Stylebender” to prove he’s a legitimate threat in the middleweight division and not just another flashy striker who scored a great win over an overmatched opponent before crashing back down to earth.
Adesanya (12-0) has finished everyone he’s faced to date, but gets a significant step up in competition when he faces fellow prospect Marvin Vettori (12-3-1) on Saturday night in the desert. The 24-year-old Italian is the best fighter Adesanya has faced as of yet and has the grappling skills to expose the kick-boxer if he can get him on the canvas. That said, he also enjoys chuckling knuckles and might just fancy playing a game of “who’s got the better chin?” instead.
Stumbling at this point wouldn’t be a death sentence for Adesanya, but given how much hype and attention he’s received after his impressive debut, it certainly would be a bit of a letdown.
Michelle Waterson
A solid fighter who has been struggling of late, part of why Waterson (14-6) is under the gun has nothing do with her.
Since returning from a 17-month layoff to face and defeat Paige VanZant on FOX in December of 2016, Waterson has received a major push from the promotion. She landed in the ESPN Body Issue and was a contestant on MTV’s The Challenge, all while being presented as a contender she has never quite proven herself to be inside the Octagon.
In the midst of a two-fight skid, the Jackson-Wink MMA fixture takes on underrated tough out Cortney Casey (7-4) this weekend in a dangerous matchup that isn’t quite must-win, but definitely falls in the “it would be a whole lot cooler if you did” category if you’re the UFC.
Arjan Bhullar
Richmond’s Bhullar (7-0) makes his second appearance in the Octgaon on Saturday, squaring off with fellow sophomore Adam Wieczorek (9-1) on the Fight Pass portion of the prelims.
Several heavyweights have already enjoyed breakout performances in 2018 — Tai Tuivasa, Curtis Blaydes, Alexander Volkov — and this is Bhullar’s chance to keep pace with those making headway in the rankings. After a solid, but unspectacular debut, the Olympic wrestler can solidify his place in the division with a second consecutive victory.
Saturday’s contest is also important to Bhullar because it takes place on Vaisakhi, a historical and religious festival in Sikhism that celebrates the birth of the Khalsa way of living. The first fighter of South Asian heritage to compete in the UFC, Bhullar will wear his turban as he makes the walk to the Octagon this weekend.
E. Spencer Kyte covers MMA for The Province and The Sun. Check out ProvinceSports.com/MMA for all your news, information and analysis, and follow ESK on social media @spencerkyte.