While many are proclaiming that Saturday night’s UFC on Sportsnet card will be mainly consumed by hardcore MMA fans, there are a multitude of reasons why I believe every type of MMA fan will enjoy this weekend’s show from Brazil.
Great matchups aside — most of which are forecasted to be high-tempo affairs — here are four reasons why this is a must see event.
Relevancy vs. Rankings
The main event pits TUF Brazil 2 coaches Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Fabricio Werdum against one another. In 2006, these two tangled in Pride with “Big Nog” earning the unanimous decision victory. This time around, something tells me there will be a different result.
These two are separated by just over a year, but the MMA mileage that Nogueira has accumulated is far grander than his opponents. Werdum appears to be a much healthier heavyweight and with his upgraded Muay Thai skills, courtesy of Master Rafael Cordeiro of Kings MMA. The ground game between these two should be a wash and all signs are pointing to this one being a clinch and leg-kicking clinic by Fabricio.
With a win, Werdum will have many options, including knocking on the door for a title shot or at the very least that elusive rematch with Junior dos Santos he’s been waiting for since JDS’ Octagon debut in October of 2008.
In that bout, the virtually unknown dos Santos shocked all of us at the Allstate Arena in Chicago when he landed a devastating uppercut that finished Werdum that evening and triggered the UFC to hand Fabricio his walking papers from the organization.
Nogueira will now try and stop his opponent from getting anywhere near JDS by proving he still has what it takes to tangle with the best of the big boys.
On average, he is a +250 with most bookies heading into this bout, which means the betting public agree that Big Nog is the underdog in this one. But, if history has taught us one specific thing about Antonio, it’s to never count him out. Unless he is knocked out or has a limb broken, he will fight to the bitter end.
Programming alert: Watch UFC on Sportsnet: Nogueira vs. Werdum Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on Sportsnet ONE plus seven preliminary fights starting at 4:30 p.m. ET | TV schedule
TUF Brazil 2 finale
The two welterweights in the co-main event worked their way to co-headlining status by winning their respective bouts via the TUF tournament format.
Leonardo Santos, who I’ve met on numerous occasions, courtesy of his brother Wagnney Fabiano (a former WEC veteran), was Big Nog’s fourth pick during the selection process for his team. To earn his spot in the finale, Santos won his first two bouts via unanimous decision, but lost in the semi-finals to Santiago Ponzinibbio. However, his opponent broke his hand in the bout and was unable to recover in time for the finale, so Santos was given a second opportunity to prove he is The Ultimate Fighter.
But he will now face, William Macario, Werdum’s sixth pick, and who may have started off slow in his first bout, one which he secured via unanimous decision, but he then blazed through the quarters and semis.
“Patolino” scored a first-round TKO in the quarterfinals and a third-round TKO in the semifinals. He’s fast and powerful, and unless Santos can control him, this one could be over quickly. Macario is undefeated for a reason, and if allowed to run freely, he will make a mess in the Octagon.
Who’s The (Brazilian) Man?
That is likely the question both Thiago Silva and Rafael (Feijao) Cavalcante may be thinking with respect to one another. Both of these 205-pound Brazilians are raring to prove that they belong atop the Brazilian light-heavyweight mountain and the first step to proving their case comes with a victory in Fortaleza.
While the summit is currently owned by Lyoto Machida, knocking on the door are Antonio Rogerio Noguiera, Mauricio Rua and Glover Teixiera. To be mentioned in the same breath as their fellow countryman, either Silva or Feijao must make a statement. And if my analysis is correct, Thiago will try and avoid Rafael’s world class ground game altogether — this one has all the makings of a slugfest.
The future is now
That’s my thought when it comes to Erick Silva. A few years from now, when people will be talking about the UFC’s welterweight division and who can challenge the likes of Rory MacDonald, Silva will likely be making his way down the aisle to challenge the Canadian.
Silva burst through the Octagon door winning two of his three fights (well, you can argue he started 3-0 as his loss to Carlo Prater is still being debated to this day). The only bump in the road was that Fight of the Year candidate he had with Jon Fitch.
It was a stellar scrap that went back and forth for fifteen minutes with the American getting the nod by decision, and the young Brazilian being served a hard lesson called a “reality check.” It was the exact litmus test Silva needed to see where he stood amongst the division’s elite.
Now he knows and it’s time to test version 2.0 of himself against a highly skilled wrestler in Jason High. Next to Daniel Sarafian (-450), Silva is the most favoured fighter to win his bout in Brazil. At -410, the public expects him to walk through his American foe. I don’t believe he will steam roll High, but I do believe we will see an invigorated Silva on Saturday night.