Three must-see fights at UFC on FOX Chicago
The UFC returns to the Windy City this Saturday for an action-packed card at UFC Fight Night Chicago.
The event is headlined by a women's bantamweight scrap between former champion Holly Holm and seventh-ranked Valentina Shevchenko and features a slew of other ranked fighters and up-and-coming stars for the fans in Chicago.
There are plenty of interesting fights throughout the card, but here are three bouts at UFC Chicago that should have you glued to your seat.
Holm makes her Octagon return four months after suffering her first UFC loss -- a fifth-round submission to Miesha Tate at UFC 196 -- and she'll be looking to return to title contention against Shevchenko.
Shevchenko also suffered her first UFC loss at UFC 196, but proved she belonged among the division's best after earning a hard-fought split decision over Sarah Kaufman and going all three rounds with current champ, Amanda Nunes.
Both fighters are effective on their feet, as Holm, a former boxer, lands an exceptional 3.46 strikes per minute while Shevchenko hits on 54.1 percent of her significant strikes thrown -- both well above the UFC averages of 2.5 and 43 percent, respectively.
This fight has the makings of a classic, stand-up war.
Much like Holm and Shevchenko, lightweights Barboza and Melendez will undoubtedly be looking to brawl come Saturday night.
They represent two of the deadliest strikers in the entire division, with a combined 21 knockouts on their records. And both fighters average fewer than one takedown per fight.
Barboza, who is coming off a win against former champion Anthony Pettis, knows a win over former Strikeforce titleholder Melendez will put him in prime position to challenge for the lightweight belt. Meanwhile, Melendez is eager to gain another shot at current 155-pound king Eddie Alvarez after falling to him via a controversial split decision.
The welterweight scrap between Oliveira and Moontasri could easily be a main card fight on this card, but the UFC has it tucked away as the UFC Fight Pass main event -- and for good reason.
Oliveira and Moontasri are two very talented up-and-coming fighters trying to make a name for themselves in the UFC's competitive 170-pound division.
Moontasri looked fantastic in his first UFC welterweight fight, a first round KO of Anton Zafir at UFC 193, after starting his UFC career at 1-2 as a lightweight. Oliveira, now affectionately known as the "Brazilian Cowboy," ost via submission in his first UFC welterweight fight, but it was a short-notice fight against the always tough "Cowboy" Cerrone.
This is a great opportunity for both fighters to establish themselves in a deep division and inch even closer to the top 15.
