Daniel ‘DC’ Cormier, Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson in title clash at UFC 210
FOLLOWING a three-week break, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns on Sunday (Manila time) with “UFC 210” in Buffalo, New York, that will feature the title clash between reigning light heavyweight champion Daniel “DC” Cormier against challenger Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.
UFC 210 is a rematch between the two with Mr. Cormier (18-1) angling to make it 2-of-2 over Mr. Johnson (22-5) while the latter trying to bounce back from the loss in their previous encounter and complete an unfinished business.
Champion Cormier has won back-to-back fights — Alexander Gustafsson (split decision) and Anderson Silva (unanimous decision) in that order — in the UFC since beating Mr. Johnson (#1) in May 2015 via a third-round submission (rear-naked choke) for the then vacant UFC light heavyweight championship.
Mr. Johnson, meanwhile, has been equally impressive in his last outings, beating division contenders Jimi Manuwa (#4), Ryan Bader and Glover Teixeira (#3) all by knockout in two rounds or less in his last three fights.
Serving as co-main event is the clash between former UFC middleweight champion Chris “The All-American” Weidman (#4) and Gegard Mousasi (#5).
Mr. Weidman (13-2) has been struggling of late, losing to Luke Rockhold and Yoel Romero in succession and is eager to wiggle out of the skid.
Waiting for the American is the on-a-roll Mousasi, winner of his last four fights. Mr. Mousasi is looking to add Mr. Weidman to his list of conquered fighters and hopefully earn a shot at the championship currently held by British Michael Bisping.
OTHER FIGHTS
Also featured at UFC 210: Cormier vs. Johnson 2 are women’s strawweight Cynthia Calvillo against Pearl Gonzalez, welterweight Thiago “Pitbull” Alves versus Patrick “The Predator” Cote, and lightweight Will “Ill Will” Brooks against Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira (#9).
For Filipino fans, someone to cheer for at UFC 210 is flyweight compatriot Jenel “The Demolition Man” Lausa ( 7-2), who is making his second appearance in the famed UFC Octagon against Russian Magomed “Chaborz” Bibulatov ( 13- 0).
In his first fight in the UFC, Mr. Lausa beat his Chinese opponent, Yao “The Conqueror” Zhikui, by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27). It is something he hopes to build on as he progresses in the UFC.
“I really worked hard for it (the win). I studied his moves and sacrificed a lot in training. And it’s a wonderful feeling to win because I knew it was a product of all our work. It was worth it,” said Mr. Lausa, a champion boxer as well as a former titleholder at the Pacific Xtreme Combat (PXC), in an earlier interview with BusinessWorld.
UFC 210 will be shown live on Sunday beginning at 10 a.m. over Hyper Ch. 91 in SD or 261 in HD on Cignal TV. Replay is at 6 p.m. on the same day.
Preliminary fights where Mr. Lausa will be in are broadcast as early as 6:15 a.m.
In the Philippines, Cignal TV, the country’s foremost direct-to-home (DTH) company, is the home of the UFC after the two groups agreed to an extensive deal that will see the UFC beamed on various platforms. —