After Wednesday night’s UFC on FUEL TV 4 card the middleweight title picture could become a bit clearer as the main event features two of the top 185-pound contenders Mark Munoz and Chris Weidman.
Watch UFC on FUEL TV: Munoz vs. Weidman live on Sportsnet Ontario, East, West and Pacific starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
Here is a look at each of the six main card fights plus what to expect during the prelims:
— Mark Munoz (12-2) vs. Chris Weidman (8-0)
As is the case so often when two high-level wrestlers meet, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this bout be primarily a standup contest. If that turns out to be the case, most would say Munoz has a distinct advantage, but not so fast. Weidman’s standup, although often overshadowed by his wrestling and submission skills, is quite good. In his UFC debut last March he out struck Alessio Sakara, who is one of the best boxers in the division.
Munoz has some of the most powerful ground-and-pound in the sport, but it will be a tough task getting Weidman to the mat. Also, the Filipino Wrecking Machine has been wobbled or dropped by fighters like Demian Maia and Yushin Okami, so if Weidman can use his reach to his advantage it could be a frustrating night for Munoz.
Whoever emerges as the winner will either be in line for a title shot or at least a No. 1 contender’s bout. If Munoz wins convincingly he could easily leapfrog the rest of the middleweight contenders and find himself fighting Anderson Silva in his next outing. Weidman is the most promising prospect in the division and would likely need at least one more win before his name is bandied about in title shot scenarios.
Prediction: Weidman by KO/TKO
— Joey Beltran (14-7) vs. James Te-Huna (14-5)
In what should be a fan-friendly slugfest, Te-Huna will look for his third consecutive win by knockout as he takes on Beltran, who makes his UFC light-heavyweight debut.
After losing four of five bouts as a small heavyweight the UFC released Beltran. But the San Diego native made the smart career choice and dropped to 205 pounds. He picked up a win over Anton Talamante in April to earn another shot in the UFC.
Beltran is a brawler that occasionally initiates a clinch along the cage, while Te-Huna is a more technical brawler that has much-improved takedown defence. If this doesn’t end in a knockout, it assuredly will be an entertaining, and possibly bloody, three-round affair.
Prediction: Te-Huna by KO/TKO
— Kenny Robertson (11-1) vs. Aaron Simpson (11-3)
Simpson, who makes his welterweight debut, was a quality competitor at middleweight but never reached contender status. He hopes to establish himself as a real threat at 170 pounds and an impressive win over Robertson would be a good start.
Robertson made his promotional debut at UFC 126 but was TKO’d by Mike Pierce and let go. However, after a spinning backfist KO of UFC veteran Lucio Linhares in October he earned his way back.
Simpson will pay tribute to his late friend and former Arizona Cardinal Pat Tillman by wearing a No. 42 on his trunks. “I want people who don’t know him to at least give notice to who he was,” Simpson told Yahoo! Sports. “Look him up. Honor his family, his wife, and bring more viewership to his foundation, the Pat Tillman Foundation.”
The former Division 1 wrestling star has gone the distance in five straight bout but look for him to be more explosive at this weight.
Prediction: Simpson by KO/TKO
— Francis Carmont (18-7) vs. Karlos Vemola (9-2)
Georges St-Pierre training partner Carmont looks to remain undefeated in the UFC and extend his winning streak to eight as he takes on Czech powerhouse Vemola. GSP is expected to be in Carmont’s corner during the fight which was a big help in his last bout when he submitted Magnus Cedenblad in April.
Vemola is one of the most physically dominant fighters to come out of Europe in the past few years. His technique isn’t always there but what he lacks in fundamental fluidity he more than makes up for with his strength and power, which was evident in his middleweight debut win over Mike Massenzio in May.
While two current contenders lock horns in the main event, Carmont and Vemola are potentially two future contenders. Vemola will likely look to overpower the Frenchman and use his wrestling to do so.
Prediction: Vemola by decision
— TJ Dillashaw (5-1) vs. Vaughan Lee (12-7-1)
Lee is coming off a thrilling come-from-behind submission win over Norifumi Yamamoto at UFC 144 and Dillashaw is coming off a dominant decision win over Walel Watson in February. Both men are extremely quick, even for the 135-pound division and very skilled on the ground. Lee loves attacking with chokes but with Dillashaw being a member of Team Alpha Male he is well-versed in the art of submission defence and gaining dominant positions.
Prediction: Dillashaw by submission
— Rafael dos Anjos (16-6) vs. Anthony Njokuani (15-6, 1 NC)
Getting things started on the television broadcast is this barnburner of a battle between Dos Anjos and Njokuani. These are two of the most dangerous fighters in the lightweight division and both men always enter the Octagon with an aggressive style, so fans can expect an exciting matchup.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Dos Anjos is coming of a decimation of Kamal Shalorus, where he dropped him with a headkick and then proceeded to tap him out in just 100 seconds. Njokuani topped Canadian John Makdessi at UFC 145 by using his long limbs to pick apart his opponent. He will try to do the same against Dos Anjos.
The native of Rio de Janeiro had success against Terry Etim, a fighter quite similar to Njokuani, so expect him to bide his time and take this fight to the ground when he has the opportunity.
Prediction: Dos Anjos by submission
In addition to the six main card scraps there are five preliminary bouts fans can watch on the UFC’s Facebook page starting at approximately 5:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. PT.
Popular TUF 12 star Alex Caceres, better known as “Bruce LeRoy,” meets former WEC standout Damacio Page at bantamweight. Caceres picked up a win over Cole Escovedo in his 135-pound debut in November, but is coming off a split decision loss to Edwin Figueroa at UFC 143 in a bout where Caceres was deducted two points for illegal groin strikes. Page, meanwhile, has lost three fights in a row — albeit to top contenders Brad Pickett, Brian Bowles and Demetrious Johnson — and likely needs a win to remain in the UFC.
Also on the card, Chris Cariaso makes his flyweight debut against TUF 14 veteran Josh Ferguson; middleweights Andrew Craig and Rafael Natal meet; Marcelo Guimaraes makes his UFC debut against Dan Stittgen; and WEC veteran Rafael Assuncao takes on Issei Tamura in the opening fight of the night..
