By Adam Martin
We broke down the UFC on FOX 8 preliminary card Thursday, and now we’ll take a look at the main card, which features four exciting matchups including a title fight main event.
Johnson vs. Moraga
The main event of UFC on FOX 8 features UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson defending his title on FOX for the second time and this time it’s against John Moraga, one of the most unknown title challengers in the UFC in quite some time but definitely not someone Johnson should take lightly.
Johnson is one of the elite fighters in the lower weight classes and since dropping down to 125 pounds after a failed title run at 135 pounds, he’s been absolutely unstoppable with 3-0-1 record while facing off against the cream of the crop of his weight class.
Watch over five hours of UFC on Sportsnet: Johnson vs. Moraga live on Sportsnet 360 starting at 5pm ET / 2pm PT Saturday, July 27, plus two early prelims on sportsnet.ca starting at 4pm ET / 1pm PT
In his last outing at UFC on FOX 6, Johnson defeated Johnson Dodson in that card’s “Fight of the Night” and he drew the praise of UFC president Dana White for putting on an exciting fight. But he didn’t get the finish in that match and he hasn’t finished anyone in the UFC, which has led to him being labeled as a boring point fighter, which is the complete opposite of Moraga.
Moraga, who is 2-0 in the UFC with two stoppage victories, earned his crack at the belt and although many expect Johnson to roll in this fight I don’t think it’s going to be so easy. I believe Moraga’s size and length will help a lot against Johnson, who is one of the smallest fighters in the UFC, and I also think Moraga has more ways to win the fights than the current champion.
This is going to be a super-competitive fight like all the flyweight fights are but I believe in Moraga and I think he has what it takes to pull off a close decision victory and emerge as the new UFC flyweight champion.
Prediction: Moraga via decision
Ellenberger vs. MacDonald
The co-main event of UFC on FOX 8 and arguably the most-anticipated matchup on the entire 12-fight card is the welterweight match between Jake Ellenberger and Rory MacDonald, a bout that may very well see the winner get a title shot at the winner of UFC 167’s Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks.
Ellenberger is 8-2 in the UFC and has won five of those matches by knockout to really prove his nickname of “The Juggernaut” wasn’t just given to him because it sounds cool.
In his last fight, Ellenberger knocked out former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nate Marquardt in absolutely brutal fashion and if he can do the same to MacDonald, the UFC will likely grant him a title shot.
MacDonald, too, could earn a crack at the welterweight belt with a dominant win over Ellenberger, a victory that would push his UFC record to 6-1, a record that includes a dominant win over former UFC welterweight champion BJ Penn in his last outing in which he displayed the skills of an elite mixed martial artist.
Both of these fighters are top-level welterweights but MacDonald possesses the more well-rounded skillset. Look for Ellenberger to have a good start but tire and once he does, MacDonald will take over and win the fight via TKO.
Prediction: MacDonald via TKO
Lawler vs. Voelker
One of the most exciting matchups on the card is a welterweight bout between Robbie Lawler and Bobby Voelker, a battle of former Strikeforce fighters that is more than likely to end with one of the two men being knocked out unconscious on national television as both guys possess the type of power that can put their opponents out in one shot.
Lawler, who fought in the UFC back in 2004 when he was in his early 20s, has competed with some of the best in the world for promotions such as PRIDE, Elite XC, and Strikeforce but he became forgotten by many fans because he wasn’t fighting in the UFC.
Now, at age 31, he’s clearly trying to make up for lost time as “Ruthless” returned to the Octagon after the fold of Strikeforce with a bang earlier this year at UFC 157, scoring a brutal TKO win over top contender Josh Koscheck to immediately emerge as a threat at 170 pounds after an inconsistent run at 185 pounds in Strikeforce.
The American Top Team product is one of the most dangerous strikers in the history of the sport – he has 17 career knockouts in his 20 victories — and he’s taking on another striker in Voelker, a tough Midwesterner who lost a controversial split decision to Patrick Cote in his UFC debut at UFC 158 and who took the fight with Lawler on short notice following an injury to Siyar Bahadurzada.
Voelker showed good durability against Cote but Lawler is on a different level. Although Voelker is solid in all areas of MMA, he’s not great in any one area whereas Lawler is really good at one thing, and that’s hitting people really hard.
Look for Lawler to win this fight with another vicious knockout as he continues his march up the UFC’s 170-pound ladder.
Prediction: Lawler via TKO
Carmouche vs. Andrade
The female bantamweights of the UFC return to action this weekend as Liz Carmouche takes on newcomer Jessica Andrade in the opening bout of the UFC on FOX 8 main card.
It should be pointed out that Andrade took the fight on short notice after Miesha Tate was pulled from the card, and at just 21 years of age and fighting on FOX for the first time — in her UFC debut no less – it’s not a surprise at all that she’s the biggest underdog on the entire card.
Carmouche showed in her fight against Ronda Rousey at UFC 157 that she has what it takes to be an elite fighter in the UFC women’s bantamweight division, and while Andrade has shown promise in her young career so far, she doesn’t have anywhere near the experience against high-level competition that Carmouche does and I really do believe that will be one of the key differences in this fight.
Look for Carmouche to fight a smart, veteran fight, get this matchup to the floor, put Andrade in a bad spot and finish the fight with some brutal “Girl-Rilla” ground-and-pound as she attempts to earn a rematch with Rousey.
Prediction: Carmouche via TKO