5 Reasons to Watch UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Cerrone 2
The final UFC card of 2015 goes down this weekend in Orlando as Rafael dos Anjos defends his UFC lightweight title for the first time against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the main event.
This matchup is also a chance at redemption for Cerrone, whose last loss inside the Octagon came against the Brazilian in 2013.
A long-awaited heavyweight showdown is also on top this weekend when former champion Junior dos Santos takes on Alistair Overeem in the co-main event.
From top to bottom, this card is stacked with top-10 talent, title contenders and up-and-coming prospects, and there are plenty of reasons to tune in on Saturday night.
We're going to give you five good reasons to make sure you're watching FOX UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2 live and free on FOX this weekend.
Cowboy Up
There's always something special about a “Cowboy” Cerrone fight, whether it's his unique weigh-in apparel or his walk to the Octagon to Kid Rock's “Cowboy”. Cerrone has his own way of fighting, and it's usually a brutal blitz of kicks and punches that results in an exciting finish.
Cerrone holds the record for the most finishes in the lightweight division (13) when combining statistics from the UFC and WEC, and he'll look to add one more as he tries to avenge his previous loss to dos Anjos.
This is also Cerrone's first shot at winning a UFC title, and he would love to add some more gold to his team's trophy case following Holly Holm's victory over Ronda Rousey. And with Carlos Condit's title fight against Robbie Lawler in just two weeks’ time, the Jackson-Winkeljohn gym could have three UFC champions by the time Jan. 2 is over.
The Conor McGregor Factor
Conor McGregor defeating Jose Aldo last weekend in just 13 seconds changed the landscape of the featherweight division, and it also dramatically shifted the lightweight contender's race as well, with the outspoken Irishman announcing his intentions of fighting for that belt in the near future as well.
UFC president Dana White has noted that if McGregor goes up to 155 pounds, he would fight for the title immediately against the winner of this fight between dos Anjos and Cerrone. It's undeniable that McGregor is the biggest draw in MMA right now, so either fighter in Saturday night's main event would be crazy not to clamor for a fight with the current featherweight champion in what likely would be one of the biggest bouts for all 2016.
As McGregor says, fighting him is like winning the lottery, and there's little doubt dos Anjos or Cerrone would love to cash in with a big fight against him next year.
A Fight Three Years in the Making
The main event for UFC 146 in 2012 was supposed to be a title fight between then-champion Junior dos Santos and top contender Alistair Overeem, who debuted in the UFC at the close of 2011 and finished Brock Lesnar with strikes in Lesnar's final mixed martial arts fight. The result fell apart after a pre-fight drug test showed Overeem had elevated levels of testosterone. He ended up sitting on the sidelines for several months rather than battle for the title, and the fight never materialized until now.
There's no love lost between dos Santos and Overeem, and both fighters would love to get a win this weekend to move that much closer to a title shot next year. Both fighters hold wins over current champ Fabricio Werdum, so an impressive outing this weekend could yield the winner a much-desired shot at the championship.
It also must be mentioned that Overeem is fighting out the last bout on his UFC contract in hopes of negotiating a big deal, so there's definitely a lot riding on the fight with dos Santos.
Stockton's Finest Returns
It's been more than a year since Nate Diaz stepped foot in the Octagon, and that's far too long to go without a Diaz brother fighting in the UFC. Nate returns this weekend, taking on top five-ranked lightweight Michael Johnson.
Diaz has fallen on harder times, going just 1-3 over his past four bouts, but after a series of injuries and extended periods of time off, the former "Ultimate Fighter" winner is ready to get back in the hunt for a lightweight title shot, and it starts this weekend.
From his mean mugging to his verbal taunting inside the cage, Diaz is always must-see television, and considering he's one of the most popular lightweights on the roster, his return on this card is definitely one of the most highly anticipated moments to come on Saturday night.
Undercard Madness
The four main card fights on FOX are all top notch and feature a slew of competitors planted inside the top 10, but the undercard airing live on FS1 has its share of intriguing storylines and exciting matchups.
At the top of the list is a fight between featherweight finishing machine Charles Oliveira and top 10-ranked lightweight Myles Jury, who drops down to fight at 145 pounds for the first time. Oliveira is coming off a disappointing loss in his last fight, in which he suffered an injury just minutes into the first round that prevented him from battling Max Holloway, while Jury hopes to rebound following a loss to “Cowboy” Cerrone in January.
Also on the prelims, C.B. Dollaway will try to add another victory to his record when he takes on former middleweight title contender Nate Marquardt. Former Strikeforce champion Sarah Kaufman is also back in action as she takes on UFC newcomer and nasty knockout striker Valentina Shevchenko.
There's also a matchup between Josh Samman, who has looked like a beast in his past few fights, and returning middleweight contender Tamden “The Barn Cat” McCrory, who fights in the UFC for the first time since 2009.
All told, the prelims on FS1 are six fights that you don't want to miss and this will be a great lead-in to the main card kicking off at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
