The UFC holds its fourth event in as many weeks when it returns to Ohio on Saturday for UFC 203. With a heavyweight title fight between champion Stipe Miocic and top challenger Alistair Overeem headlining the card — plus former champ Fabricio Werdum competing and former WWE superstar Phil Brooks aka CM Punk making his MMA debut — it’s easy to forgot how many good fights are on this card.
Here are five matchups flying under the radar at UFC 203.
Yancy Medeiros vs. Sean Spencer
The featured preliminary bout on UFC Fight Pass pits Hawaii native Mederios against 29-year-old Spencer. Medeiros (12-4) moves up to the welterweight division for the first time in his career and looks to get back on the winning track as he’s lost two of his last three. The 28-year-old is always someone to watch as Medeiros has racked up two Performance of the Night bonuses and earned Fight of the Night honours at UFC 198 in his last outing. Spencer (12-5) also looks to get back in the win column as he heads into this contest on a two-fight skid. The Texas native looks to find the form that saw him rack up an impressive 9-1 record from 2009 to 2012. This could be a loser leaves town match, so expect both of these fighters to lay it all on the line as they look to put on a show for the Fight Pass audience.
Ian McCall vs. Ray Borg
Kicking off the televised prelims is a classic veteran versus prospect matchup pitting McCall vs. Borg. McCall (13-5-1) competes for the first time this year as injuries and his last opponent missing weight have kept him out of action so far in 2016. The 32-year-old is 2-3 in his last five fights but those losses have come to top contenders John Lineker, Joseph Benavidez and UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. Borg (9-2) had his three-fight win streak snapped in his last bout, losing a unanimous decision to Justin Scoggins at UFC Fight Night 82 back in February. The Jackson-Winkeljohn product faces another stiff test in former title challenger McCall, but it should give us a good indication of where he fits in the division. The winner of this matchup will undoubtedly propel up the flyweight rankings and inch closer to a title shot.
Jessica Eye vs. Bethe Correia
Headlining the prelims is Eye taking on former UFC title challenger Correia. Eye (11-5 NC) will be living out her dream on Saturday night by competing in her hometown of Cleveland. The timing couldn’t be better as the 30-year-old is in desperate need of a victory as she’s lost four of her last five fights. Correia (9-2) went undefeated in her career before losing back-to-back fights against Ronda Rousey and a close one against Raquel Pennington. The Brazilian, who now calls California home training at American Kickboxing Academy will be looking for her first win since 2014. Both fighters are extremely durable and neither of these bantamweights are afraid to stand and trade.
Jessica Andrade vs. Joanne Calderwood
In what could easily take home Fight of the Night honours, Brazil’s Andrade takes on Scotland’s Calderwood to open up the pay-per-view-card. Andrade (14-5) dropped down to the strawweight division in her last fight and earned an impressive second-round TKO victory over former title challenger Jessica Penne at UFC 199. The 24-year-old will be looking for her sixth win in her last eight fights. Calderwood (11-1) also heads into this matchup off a memorable TKO victory over Valerie Letourneau at Ottawa’s UFC Fight Night 89 back in June. Calderwood is back down at strawweight (115 pounds) after competing at flyweight (125 pounds) in her last bout. With champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk slowly cleaning out the women’s 115-pound division, the winner of this matchup puts will be in the title shot conversation — possibly directly behind Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
Urijah Faber vs. Jimmie Rivera
The former WEC champion looks to prove his relevancy in the bantamweight division as he takes on 27-year-old New Jersey native Rivera. Faber (33-9) came up short in his fourth UFC title opportunity at UFC 199, losing a unanimous decision to Dominick Cruz in June. “The California Kid” has lost two of his last three fights and another loss could push the 37-year-old towards retirement. Rivera (19-1) has quietly racked up an impressive resume during his UFC tenure, earning three straight victories over Marcus Brimage, Pedro Munhoz and Iuri Alcantara. The WSOF and Bellator veteran has incredible opportunity to propel up the bantamweight rankings by taking out the Team Alpha Male leader. Interestingly enough, Faber has only lost to current or former UFC champions during his UFC career and has never lost back-to-back fights in 42 career bouts.
Here’s an updated look at the full UFC 203 fight card, which takes place at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland:
MAIN CARD
— Stipe Miocic (15-2) vs. Alistair Overeem (41-14, 1NC)
— Fabricio Werdum (20-6-1) vs. Travis Browne (18-4-1)
— CM Punk (0-0) vs. Mickey Gall (2-0)
— Urijah Faber (33-9) vs. Jimmie Rivera (19-1)
— Jessica Andrade (14-5) vs. Joanne Calderwood (11-1)
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Jessica Eye (11-5, 1NC) vs. Bethe Correia (9-2)
— Nik Lentz (26-7-2, 1NC) vs. Mairbek Taisumov (26-5)
— Brad Tavares (13-4) vs. Caio Magalhaes (9-2)
— Ian McCall (13-5-1) vs. Ray Borg (9-2)
— Yancy Medeiros (12-4, 1NC) vs. Sean Spencer (12-5)
— C.B. Dolloway (16-9) vs. Francimar Barroso (18-5)
— Drew Dober (16-7, 1NC) vs. Jason Gonzalez (10-2)
