You would think that losing four of the six biggest names scheduled to compete this weekend at the MTS Centre would lead to the shine of the spotlight being spread out a little more amongst the remaining participants, but that hasn’t exactly been the case.
Late addition Roy Nelson has garnered a great deal of the available attention, and headliners Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson have continued to soak up their fair share as well.
As a result, the following five athletes continue to fly under the radar heading into action Saturday at UFC 161. I encourage you to keep your eye on them; there’s a good chance we’ll be talking about some — or all — of them come Sunday morning.
Alexis Davis
Record: 13-5
Opponent: Rosi Sexton
Six years and 17 fights after making her MMA debut in Winnipeg (against fellow Canadian UFC fighter Sarah Kaufman), Port Colborne, Ontario’s Davis is back again for another first — her inaugural appearance in the Octagon.
The well rounded 28-year-old has come into her own of late, winning five of her last six, including consecutive victories under the Invicta FC banner. Her lone defeat in that span was a hard-fought, razor-thin decision defeat to Kaufman; a fight that now looks like the catalyst to Davis’ continued climb towards contender status. Hanging tough against a former champion will do that for you.
With the women’s bantamweight ranks still under construction, all it takes is a couple solid wins for a fighter to move into title contention, and with consecutive exciting victories coming into her UFC debut, Davis is already on the short list of potential future challengers.
A convincing performance against the experienced and talented Sexton here could leave her staring down a potential title eliminator tilt next time out.
Tyron Woodley
Record: 11-1
Opponent: Jake Shields
There have been a number of impressive first appearances in the Octagon over the last few years. Stephen (Wonderboy) Thompson’s debut and Jordan Mein’s first-round win over Dan Miller immediately come to mind, but so does Woodley’s win over veteran Jay Hieron at UFC 156 back in February.
The longtime Strikeforce stalwart needed just 36 seconds to dispatch Hieron, rebounding nicely from the first defeat of his career, suffered seven months earlier at the hands of Nate Marquardt.
Woodley is a complete talent often incorrectly labeled as a one-trick pony. Though he makes good use of his strong wrestling base, the American Top Team product and former collegiate wrestling teammate of Bellator welterweight champ Ben Askren has a solid submission game, and continually improving striking at his disposal as well.
After blasting Hieron in his debut, a win over the former title challenger Shields in his return to the 170-pound ranks would catapult “The Chosen One” into the upper echelon of the welterweight division.
James Krause
Record: 19-4
Opponent: Sam Stout
A standout on the regional circuit, Krause gets a second chance to make a first impression in the UFC, filling in for the injured Isaac Vallie-Flagg against Canadian fan favourite Stout on Saturday.
The experienced lightweight competed in the elimination round of The Ultimate Fighter: Live, but failed to make it into the competition after being upset by Justin Lawrence. But that bout doesn’t register on Krause’s official record, and he’s bounced back from that setback to push his winning streak to seven, most recently avenging an earlier loss to Toby Imada at RFA 6 in January.
While he’s failed to take that next step forward in his career a couple times in the past, this pairing with Stout could be where he gets it done. He’ll have a five-inch height and reach advantage on the Team Tompkins product, and has the power to hang with the technically brilliant Canadian on the feet.
If he can put everything together on Saturday night, “The James Krause” could earn himself a permanent home on the UFC roster.
Kenny Robertson
Record: 12-2
Opponent: Sean Pierson
Any time somebody brings something new to the cage, you have to watch to see what he does for an encore.
Last time out, Robertson earned Submission of the Night honours — and a ton of “Who is that guy?” questions — following his slick modified kneebar finish of Brock Jardine at UFC 157 back in February.
The victory was his first in the UFC, and put him on my personal “I’m looking forward to seeing him compete again” list. Four months later, he’s primed to get back in the cage, and finds himself earning some column inches here.
While he’s stepping in against Pierson as a short notice replacement for TJ Waldburger, this is a solid matchup for the blue-collared former Division I wrestler Robertson. Pierson hasn’t competed since September, and his aggressive striking approach should leave plenty of openings for Robertson to duck under and connect on takedowns.
Does he have another slick and creative submission up his sleeve? Can he build on the momentum that comes from winning your first fight in the UFC? Tune in Saturday to find out.
Roland Delorme
Record: 8-1, 1 NC
Opponent: Edwin Figueroa
You can be sure that Winnipeg native Delorme is going to be fired up for this one – fighting at home on the biggest stage in the sport, and looking to rebound from a rough outing last summer in Calgary.
Delorme earned consecutive submission wins to start his time on the UFC roster, including a wildly entertaining, one-round brawl with fellow Canuck Nick Denis. He was on the business end of the explosive offense when he took on Franciso Rivera at UFC 149, but the loss was turned into a “No Contest” when “Cisco” was popped for a banned substance following the bout.
Figueroa has also felt the power of Rivera’s strikes, and is keen to stand and trade, which should result in these two bantamweights combining for an entertaining back-and-forth in front of the pro-Delorme audience at the MTS Centre on Saturday.