5 Reasons to Watch: UFC Fight Night on FOX Sports 1: Jacare vs Mousasi
It's been almost nine years since the UFC last visited the state of Connecticut, but on Friday night the promotion returns with an insanely stacked card featuring six main card bouts with a slew of top fighters featured on the show.
At the top of the list is the main event pitting No. 4 ranked middleweight Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza against No. 7 ranked Gegard Mousasi in a rematch from a fight the two had in Japan from 2008. The winner of this fight will be on a beeline to the UFC middleweight title so winning and doing so impressively is more important that ever in this upcoming five round showdown.
Also on the card, perennial knockout artist Alistair Overeem looks to show off a new game after training with Greg Jackson and his team for the last few months as he takes on Ben Rothwell in a fight that virtually guarantees a big finish.
With so many huge fights on this upcoming UFC Fight Night card, there are more than enough reasons to tune in and watch, but here's five of them to get you frothing at the mouth in anticipation for this show.
Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Cold
It's been six years since Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza first met Gegard Mousasi while the two middleweights were competing in DREAM in Japan. Back in those days, Jacare was primarily a grappler while Mousasi was the same calm, composed assassin that he is today. The fight didn't last long following a Jacare takedown and then a vicious upkick courtesy of Mousasi, whose heel catapulted through the Brazilian's jaw, knocking him unconscious on contact. It was one of the craziest knockouts to ever happen and a finish for the ages.
Now, Jacare stands on the precipice of a title shot if he can win on Friday night while also looking to avenge his earlier loss to Mousasi. There's no bad blood in this fight despite the way the first one ended. As a matter of fact, Jacare and Mousasi would both call each other good friends, but that all goes out the window when they step into the cage on Friday night. Whether he says it or not, Jacare certainly wants to avenge the first loss, especially considering the rapid and violent way it ended with him laying face down on the canvas with on recollection of what just happened.
Jacare also needs a win to push himself into the conversation to possibly face the winner of Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort. A win for Mousasi elevates him back into the top five and also puts to rest the notion that the first fight ended because of some kind of fluke, lucky kick that he could never land again.
This main event is primed to be one of the best fights of the year. Don't miss it.
Somebody Is Going Down Hard
The heavyweight co-main event pits two of the best finishers in the division against each other as Alistair Overeem returns to action to face Ben Rothwell.
Overeem has been out of action due to injury, but in his time off the former K-1 Grand Prix champion has revamped his training by moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico where he's been working with the team and coaches at Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn's gym. Whether he's sparring with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones or getting grappling tips from Tim Kennedy, Overeem should look better than ever after working with one of the best teams in the world for the past few months.
Rothwell is also looking to prove he can hang with the best heavyweights in the world after bouncing back and forth between wins and losses for a big part of his UFC career. Rothwell is a blue-collar fighter who doesn't do anything fancy, but he hits like a truck and carries two bricks that he calls hands.
Oh yeah and don't forget these numbers -- Overeem has 41 professional fights with only 8-percent of those going to decision. Rothwell has 42 fights with 9-percent ending in decision. In other words, somebody is getting finished in this one and it's going to be glorious.
The Meat vs. The Beast
If Overeem vs. Rothwell didn't do enough to get you excited for a heavyweight fight with explosive potential, then get ready for another powder keg as Matt Mitrione faces Derrick Lewis in Connecticut.
Everybody remembers Mitrione aka 'Meathead' from his season of The Ultimate Fighter, but since that time the former Purdue football player has turned into a quality heavyweight with fast hands and monstrous knockout power. He's a go big or go home kind of guy. He's been to decision only twice in his 10 fight career, and generally speaking Mitrione loves to throw hands and knock people out.
His opponent Derrick Lewis might just be one of the scariest heavyweights on the planet right now and he's only getting better. Since debuting in the UFC two fights ago, Lewis has quickly become one of the most talked about big men in the sport with his freakish power and the kind of ground and pound that even makes Mark Coleman cringe. When Lewis gets an opponent on the mat, he unleashes the kinds of punches that seriously look as if he's about to cave someone's head in as if he's an extra on the new season of 'Game of Thrones'.
The chances that this one goes to decision rests somewhere in the slim to none category and there's probably a risky bet that this one even makes it out of the first round. Don't blink because this one is going to get good in a hurry and then end with a dramatic and resounding thud.
Jiu-Jitsu Class is In Session
If knockouts aren't your thing then the lightweight matchup between Joe Lauzon and Michael Chiesa promises to be a grappler's dream as these two submission specialists throw down on Friday night.
Lauzon is currently tied with Anderson Silva for the most post fight bonuses in UFC history, and he would certainly like to own that record out right with a big finish against Chiesa. Lauzon is dangerous everywhere, but when the fight hits the ground, he might be one of the most aggressive finishers in the sport. He goes for 3.24 submission attempts per fight, which is triple the average of every other fighter in the UFC. Lauzon only has one decision win in the UFC with the other nine fights ending by either TKO or submission.
Chiesa isn't far behind, although he hasn't been in the UFC as long as Lauzon, but he's been equally deadly on the ground. The former Ultimate Fighter winner has gone 4-1 since leaving the reality show with three of those wins coming by way of submission. With his tall frame and equally long arms and legs, Chiesa is like a boa constrictor with the way he can wrap up an opponent like a pretzel as he fishes for the submission.
The first time this fight hits the ground, keep your eyes peeled because these two guys are going to get into some crazy scrambles and it only takes one mistake for this one to get finished.
The Rematch
There may not be a more exciting fighter pound-for-pound in the featherweight division right now than Charles Oliveira so he's always must see TV, but this weekend marks his second fight against Nik Lentz after their first one ended in controversy.
Oliveira met Lentz for the first time in 2011 in a fight taking place in Pittsburgh when both competitors were still at lightweight. Oliveira looked better than ever using a devastating Muay Thai clinch to unload knee after knee to Lentz's face and mixing up his attacks with a series of submission attempts. Not to be outdone, the usually reserved Lentz opened up with heavy punches on the feet and nearly finished his Brazilian counterpart with a guillotine choke in the first round.
The ending, while exciting, also ended with the fight being declared a no contest after Oliveira floored Lentz with a knee strike while the American's knee was still down on the mat. That's a big no-no, but the referee didn't call it at the time and a few seconds after landing the strike, Oliveira tapped Lentz out with a rear naked choke. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission reviewed the fight tape and declared the bout a no contest due to the illegal strike being landed.
Now Oliveira is out to prove he should have won the first time by putting away Lentz again while climbing up the rankings in the process. If the original bout was any indicator, this rematch should be an early candidate for 'Fight of the Night'.
Bonus Reason to Watch: Friday Fights!
Just a reminder this fight card is airing on Friday night and who doesn't like an early start to the weekend? The work week is ending and it's time to relax and watch some epic face punching and what better way to do it than to tune into this card, which promises to be one of the best UFC Fight night shows of the entire year. Don't miss it.
Complete viewing and schedule guide for UFC Fight Night on FOX Sports 1: Jacare vs. Mousasi.
