Here are the 5 best matchups at UFC Fight Night in Vegas
The UFC has a home game Sunday, when it stays in Las Vegas for a UFC Fight Night headlined by exciting bantamweights Thomas Almeida and Cody Garbrandt. The rare Vegas Fight Night features a former title contender, eight ranked fighters, a former champion and plenty of fighters itching to climb the ranks.
According to oddsmakers, there are a bunch of close matchups, but here we run down the five best for fans to keep an eye on when fighters take the Octagon on Sunday night.
The main event features two up-and-coming fighters poised to punch their way to a bantamweight title shot. Almeida, ranked seventh in the bantamweight division, has almost as many wins as he does years on this earth. The 24-year-old has won 21 fights in his professional career, leading his opponent, Garbrandt, to question the validity of his record. But regardless of whom he fought before he entered the Octagon, "Thominhas" has won all four of his fights under the UFC banner, including three straight finishes, and has taken home a post-fight bonus in each of those contests.
Garbrandt, though unranked, is one of the best prospects on the entire UFC roster. The Team Alpha Male product touts a perfect 8-0 record and has been dynamic during his time in the UFC. He enters his matchup with Almeida with a 5-inch reach disadvantage, but what he lacks in arm length, he makes up in power, having finished two of his three UFC fights in devastating fashion.
This an early Fight of the Year candidate.
On paper, the matchup between fourth-ranked bantamweight Sterling and eighth-ranked bantamweight Caraway doesn't appear very competitive. Even oddsmakers have Sterling as much as a -400 favorite.
The New York native is viciously accurate, landing 53 percent of his strikes, and is insanely difficult to hit, as he absorbs just under one striker per minute. He's also pretty slick on the ground, earning his purple belt in BJJ under Matt Serra.
But if there's one thing we've learned during Caraway's UFC career, it's to not count out "Kid Lightning." Since moving over from the WEC, Caraway has won five of his seven fights, including four by submission.
Odds are Sterling is going to want to test his ever improving jiu-jitsu skills against a strong wrestling base. So fans are probably in for an elite grappling affair with the winner likely by submission.
The FS1 prelims main event between McMann and Eye is great for a multitude of reasons. It's a classic striker-vs.-grappler matchup between two of the best women's fighters in the world who are both just a couple wins away from a shot at the title.
McMann took home a silver medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2004 Olympics and is a three-time North American Grappling Association gold medalist. So her desire to make the fight a grind is no mystery.
But seventh-ranked Eye is much better than her 1-3, 1NC UFC record shows. She fought champion Miesha Tate and contender Julianna Pena to a close decision and has looked better each time she's taken the Octagon.
Stephens and Barao both have something to prove.
Barao is making his featherweight debut after losing two title fights to former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw. Barao's power and exceptional striking helped him win 35 of his first 38 professional fights, but it remains to be seen how he'll fair against bigger, stronger fighters in the UFC's 145-pound division.
Stephens needs a win after going 1-3 over his last four fights. Sitting at ninth in the UFC featherweight rankings, Stephens can still go on a run and rise in the ranks, but that has to start Sunday.
Stephens undoubtedly has some of the division's heaviest hands, and Barao will be looking to exchange.
We'll be surprised if the welterweight tilt between Masvidal and Larkin ever hits the canvas. The former Strikeforce competitors both land almost four strikes per minute and combined average only two takedowns a fight. In fact, Larkin hasn't completed a takedown since he beat Robbie Lawler in 2012.
Masvidal, a former lightweight, has a traditional boxing style and will meet Larkin's energetic striking head on as both fighters look to gain their footing in the welterweight division.
Catch all the action from UFC Fight Night in Vegas on Sunday on FS1. Stick with us throughout the weekend results, analysis and interviews with the stars from the big event.
