UFC 201 goes down in Atlanta’s Phillips Arena Saturday night and with names like Robbie Lawler, Matt Brown and Rose Namajunas on the card it’s a solid offering. Many fighters on this card aim to inch closer to contender status, while others simply need a win to remain on the UFC roster. Here are five fighters on the hot seat heading into UFC 201.
Jake Ellenberger
With just one win in his last six fights, many pundits were surprised to see Ellenberger stick around with the UFC following a January loss to Tarec Saffiedine. He takes on Matt Brown Saturday night. While the majority of Ellenberger’s losses have been to top contenders such as Rory MacDonald and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, or current champ Robbie Lawler, his three most recent victories have been over fighters who are either no longer with the UFC (Josh Koscheck/Jay Hieron) or have switched divisions (Nate Marquardt). Brown, who has never been knocked out in 34 career fights, will have the edge if this fight stays on the feet. If Ellenberger suffers another loss, you can expect the 31-year-old to be released from his contract.
Ross Pearson
Pearson moves up to welterweight for the first time in his UFC career to take on the always-durable Jorge Masvidal. The TUF 9 winner has struggled with consistency, alternating between wins and losses since 2014 and a few of his victories during that stretch have been split decisions. While Pearson won’t be too undersized in this matchup — Masvidal has also competed at lightweight often throughout his career — the biggest question is whether or not his power will translate to the 170-pound division. Add in the fact Masvidal hasn’t been finished since 2009 and has only been knocked out once in his 40-fight career and that makes this a real test for Pearson. Should the popular Englishman suffer a second straight loss this month (he dropped a decision to former Bellator champ Will Brooks on July 8), it’s possible the UFC could cut ties with the Alliance MMA product.
Francisco Rivera
Rivera takes on Erik Perez in a bantamweight bout as he looks to snap a two-fight skid. The 34-year-old has gone through the bantamweight gauntlet facing top competition such as Urijah Faber, John Lineker, Brad Pickett and Takeya Mizugaki. With that being said, he’s 1-4 in last five fights and a prime candidate for a UFC release should he suffer another setback.
Anthony Hamilton
With a 2-3 record in the UFC, Jackson-Winkeljohn product is in need of a victory as he takes on Damian Grabowski. Hamilton, the former MFC heavyweight champion, needs to find the consistency that earned him six straight victories (five of them finishes) prior to getting signed to the UFC. Grabowski is 1-2 in his last three fights and it’s a matchup Hamilton should win.
Here’s a look at the entire UFC 201 card:
MAIN CARD
— Robbie Lawler (27-10) vs. Tyron Woodley (15-3)
— Rose Namajunas (5-2) vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (9-0)
— Matt Brown (20-14) vs. Jake Ellenberger (30-11)
— Erik Perez (15-6) vs. Francisco Rivera (11-6)
— Ian McCall (13-5-1) vs. Justin Scoggins (11-2)
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Ed Herman (23-11) vs. Nikita Krylov (20-4)
— Jorge Masvidal (29-11) vs. Ross Pearson (19-11)
— Wilson Reis (20-6) vs. Hector Sandoval (12-2)
— Ryan Benoit (8-4) vs. Fredy Serrano (3-0)
— Michael Graves (6-0) vs. Bojan Velickovic (14-3)
— Anthony Hamilton (14-5) vs. Damian Grabowski (20-3)
— Cesar Arzamendia (7-2) vs. Damien Brown (15-9)
