Another Saturday, another Fight Night. A few things about this one are unusual. For one, the broadcast begins at 11 AM (ET), with the main card starting at 1 PM – making it more of a ‘Fight Late Morning/Early Afternoon’. Besides the unusual start time for a US event, there are no Fight Pass prelims: the entire event will be shown on Fox Sports 1. Most importantly, this card is nicely stacked for a Fight Night, especially compared to the last few FS1 events. All of the match-ups are also extremely competitive, at least judging by our rankings.
Main Event: [#4 FW] Chad Mendes vs [#5 FW] Ricardo Lamas
Worth: $15
Why: This is an important fight as the winner is going to be up there with Frankie Edgar as the next contender for the featherweight title after Jose Aldo defends against Conor McGregor. Considering the timing of upcoming featherweight fights, and assuming that Edgar beats Uriah Faber in his next outing, it’s likely that there will be another elimination bout between the winners of these two fights. Which means that if Aldo retains his title, he will have to start on the rematch circuit, and this makes a McGregor win a far more interesting scenario for the featherweight division.
Why am I talking about Aldo – McGregor instead of the fight at hand? Because this fight, and the rest of the division, are overshadowed by the McGregor hype. And all the hype aside, I am not as excited about this matchup as I probably should be, considering how much sense it makes from the ranking and title picture standpoint and that both guys have been on fire save for their losses to the champion. For me this fight just has the feel of a bronze medal contest in the Olympics. Good, but not great.
Fight: [#8 LW] Al Iaquinta vs [#13 LW] Jorge Masvidal
Worth: $10
Why: Al Iaquinta has shown drastic improvement since his stint on TUF, and demonstrated just how dangerous of a fighter he has become with back-to-back TKO wins over Ross Pearson and Joe Lauzon, the latter pushing him into the lightweight Top 10. His opponent Jorge Masvidal has hovered just outside of the elite level for quite some time but is yet to have a break-through performance that would get him into title contention. Both guys are riding 3-win streaks, and both are exciting action fighters, though Iaquinta has shown to be a better finisher in recent fights. This has all the makings of a great scrap, and will solidify the winner’s status as a legitimate prospect.
Fight: [#41 LW] Michael Chiesa vs [#43 LW] Mitch Clarke
Worth: $2.50
Why: Michael Chiesa and Mitch Clarke have one odd fact in common: both hold a submission victory over Iaquinta, despite falling far behind him in rankings. Clarke hasn’t fought since the Iaquinta bout, and I haven’t seen much of him outside of that. But Chiesa can always be counted on for an exciting fight, worth throwing in a few bucks for no matter the opponent.
Fight: [#15 FW] Clay Guida vs [#34 FW] Robbie Peralta
Worth: $1
Why: This is a fight to remain relevant, between an aging gatekeeper and a fizzled prospect. I once had high hopes for Peralta but he has not lived up to my expectations. Guida has also earned a well deserved rep for being an extremely boring fighter in the recent years, despite being more of an action fighter earlier in his career. Here’s a dollar to hoping this fight won’t stink as much as I think it might.
Fight: [#17 FW] Dustin Poirier vs [#39 LW] Carlos Diego Ferreira
Worth: $2.50
Why: After hitting a road block in the featherweight division, Dustin Poirier is taking a page out of Benson Henderson’s book and trying his luck at a higher weight class rather than settle for a gatekeeper-type role. Carlos Diego Ferreira will be welcoming Dustin into the lightweight mix in what should be a fun fight.
Fight: [#66 WW] Alexander Yakovlev vs [#64 LW] Gray Maynard
Worth: $1
Why: The last few years have been rough on TUF 5 veteran Gray Maynard. After winning eight straight in the UFC to earn a title shot, and fighting to a draw in an all time classic bout with then lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, Maynard was knocked out by Edgar in the rubber match. He bounced back – sort of, by winning a very close split decision in an extremely boring fight over Clay Guida, then lost his next three, all by TKO. It appears that Maynard’s chin has gone south, and at 35 his career is likely near the end. Fortunately for Gray, his opponent Alexander Yakovlev is not exactly known for being a hard hitter. He has failed to impress thus far in the UFC, dropping two decisions as a welterweight, and will now try his luck at 155 lbs. It’s a must win, ‘loser leaves town’ type of fight, and I hope this will bring out the best in both opponents. However, hope in one hand, put a dollar in the other, and see which one fills up first?
Fox Sports 1 Card Worth: $32
Event Cost Valuation: $5 (see how I came up with this valuation)
Net Value: $27
Fox Sports 1 YTD Worth: $106.50
Fox Sports 1 YTD Valuation: $35
Net Value: $71.50