Written by Derek Moody, July 7, 2016, at 1:48 a.m. Tweet to: @DerekMoody619
There’s no other week throughout the year with this much attention on mixed martial arts than UFC’s Fight Week. This year’s Fight Week takes place from July 7-13. Fight week makes it nearly impossible for competing organizations to compete with the UFC.
There are 45 UFC fights taking place in a matter of seven days. In those seven days, there will be five title fights including both titles from the women divisions.
Four rematches will coincide and three of them are for titles while the fourth poses as a title eliminator. Two fighters will also be given six figure contracts with a win during The Ultimate Fighter Finale.
Now would be the perfect time to draw interest in the sport if you’re foreign to it. Plenty is going on to entertain and educate regarding MMA like the fan expo in Las Vegas. Fight Week truly is the greatest week in mixed martial arts as no other week comes remotely close.
Rivalries Entering Fight Week
Some of the biggest rivalries in MMA are about to ignite even further. Cormier vs Jones 2, Jedrzejczyk vs Gadelha 2, and Aldo vs Edgar 2 are rivalries that have been brewing for some time now. All three are for titles in which two of the three fighters who lost felt they were robbed.
It’s either redemption in avenging the losses or it’s closure for the victors of the first fights proving it wasn’t a robbery. Cormier and Jones can barely stomach being the same room together, a near fight always ensues.
The same can be said for Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha because they despise eachother. Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva had a similar scenario when they coached TUF. One tries to be polite and the other repeatedly adds fuel to the fire trying to rattle them.
It eventually starts to show in their coaching and how the fighters respond to them. The TUF platform has made Gadelha one of the most liked fighters in a short period of time because of her approach to the artform. Being liked isn’t enough to dethrone the champ, Gadelha will need to successfully earn several takedowns to make this fight go her way or she may see the same result as before.
The Beginning of Ill Will
Newcomer Will Brooks makes his UFC debut as a late replacement to fight Ross Pearson. It’ll be the wrestler vs striker match that we’ve seen a lot of lately which usually favors the wrestlers.
This is a big opportunity for both fighters, there’s a lot on the line as far as rankings and expectations. Pearson has a chance to end the former Bellator Lightweight Champions 8 fight win streak and spoil his UFC debut.
Will Brooks has a chance to prove he is elite by winning on the grandest stage earning him a spot within the top 15. If Brooks can win his debut with a spectacular finish it may leap frog him right into the top 10 possible only a fight or two away from number one contender’s fight.
Former Strikeforce Champion Gilbert Melendez fought for the title in two of his first three UFC fights. Brooks understands nothing is impossible when considering a former champions cross over.
Return of The Beast
UFC 200 marks the return of former Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar as he attempts a second run at MMA. At the moment, he’s under contract as a one and done with the UFC expected to return to the WWE. If “The Beast” somehow prevails against the “Super Samoan” Mark Hunt, he may renegotiate to do a 3 fight contract and make a run at the title. It sounds far fetched but it’s really not because he won the title in his third UFC fight in 2008.
Should Brock Lesnar comes up short on Saturday, which most people are assuming, he’ll most likely close the door on his MMA career. It really comes down to how the fight ends, whether it be a close win or loss versus a devastating win or loss. One thing is for certain, Mark Hunt is always looking to leave his opponent unconscious waking up dazed and confused. The pace of the fight will be dictated by either a Lesnar takedown or multiple heavy Mark Hunt leg kicks.
Under-the-Radar Show Stealers
Aside from the main events on each of the cards, here are a four fights that may actually steal the show based on great match making. Virtually all of these fighters listed below move forward with the intent of knocking the opponent’s head off their shoulders. No one is running or backing down in these fights. It’ll be toe to toe mayhem as these guys are looking for a post fight performance bonus. So expect to see the canvas painted red after these guys step in the Octagon.
- Nelson vs Lewis (Fight Night Dos Anjos vs Alvarez)
- Doo Ho Choi vs Thiago Tavares (TUF Finale)
- TJ Dillashaw vs Raphael Assuncao II (UFC 200)
- Boetsch vs Josh Samman (Fight Night McDonald vs Lineker)
What the Future Holds
It’s noteworthy that Conor McGregor has never defended a title in his career though he’s won several. As a result, the winner of Aldo vs Edgar could end up being the undisputed champion. He has a boxer’s mentality to keep moving up grabbing as many titles as possible.
In order to do that he’ll have to win his next fight convincingly because he’s 0-1 in that weight class. The more realistic weight class for him is 155 but he insists on 170 because the money fights are there. Dating back to UFC 196, it seems Joe Silva was eyeing a future fight between McGregor and George St-Pierre.
It’d benefit the fans both past and present as well as the UFC’s revenue stream. GSP currently shares a record with Michael Bisping for most wins in the UFC with 19. Due to Bisping actively fighting, he could solely own the record with his next win because GSP isn’t quite active yet.
Consequently, a fight between Bisping and St-Pierre for the middleweight title would be an interesting fight that many feel would favor the former welterwight champ. The winner would own the record and stand out from the pack.
Stylistically, the stand up would be a great back and forth battle where Bisping usually flourishes. As of now, all we know is that George St-Pierre is returning to the Octagon and he’s looking for the biggest fights possible.
