Bang for Your Buck: UFC Fight Night 79

Ahh.. another Fight Pass event.  And once again, what could have been a decent card (by Fight Pass standards, at least) got turned into a steaming pile of crap in the weeks preceding the fight, as one after another fighters dropped off the event for various reasons.  First we lost the co-main of Mirko ‘Cro-Cop’ Filipovic vs Anthony Hamilton when Cro-Cop withdrew from the bout with simultaneous reasons of a nagging injury, a decision to retire from the sport, and a failed drug test for HGH.  Then, Thiago Alves, who was scheduled to face Ben Henderson in the main event, also pulled out with an injury.  As a result, the UFC reshuffled a few fights on the card, and were able to salvage the main event.  As for the rest of this card, the most interesting thing about it is that there are now two Dong Hyun Kims on the UFC roster, in the same weight class.  So try not to mix up the established welterweight ‘Stun Gun’ Kim with the debuting welterweight ‘Maestro’ Kim. All right, enough of this nonsence, let’s get on with it.

Main Event:  [#16 WW] Ben Henderson vs [#21 WW] Jorge Masvidal

Worth: $10

Why: This is a fight that just a short while ago we might have seen in the lightweight division.  Former 155 lbs champion Benson Henderson made a move to the welterweight division after two consecutive losses at lightweight, stepping up on short notice against Brandon Thatch at UFC Fight Night 60, and scored a late submission win after working through some difficulties in the early rounds.  For a while Henderson was noncommittal on which weight class he will call home, but it seems that he has finally settled at 170, at least for the time being.

His opponent Jorge Masvidal has also fought at lightweight for most of his career, though he has had a few welterweight bouts on occasion.  He too came out victorious in his first UFC fight at 170 lbs, knocking out Cezar ‘Mutante’ Ferreira in the first round.  With both guys still near their prime, and ranked in the welterweight Top 20 (or close enough to it, in Masvidal’s case), the winner of this bout could earn a Top-10 ranking and make a run for title contendership in the wide open and ultra-competitive division.

Fight:  [#10 WW] Dong Hyun Kim vs [#177 WW] Dominic Waters

Worth: $1

Why: ‘Stun Gun’s original opponent for this card was supposed to be Jorge Masvidal, which should have made for a fun fight.  Alas, Masvidal has been bumped up to face Benson Henderson in the main event, and Kim got stuck fighting… who? Never mind.  If this was the old version of Kim who was content with taking his opponents down, then sitting atop of them and literally doing nothing, I would not valuate this fight at all.  However since Kim evolved into a diverse finisher in his last few fights, I’ll throw in a buck hoping to see a highlight reel something or another.

Fight:  [#41 FW] Sam Sicilia vs [#51 FW] Doo Ho Choi

Worth: $2.50

Why: Sam Sicilia is a fun, fast paced action fighter who will likely never rise above gatekeeper level.  Here, he takes on ‘The Korean Superboy’ Doo Ho Choi, who has 9 T/KOs in 12 wins and was able to score another TKO in his UFC debut.  Dude has serious power for a featherweight, and Sam Sicilia has also been able to put away the majority of opponents he defeated, so don’t expect this fight to go the distance.  Plus, ‘The Korean Superboy’ is one hell of a cool nickname.

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Fight Pass Event Worth: $13.50
Fight Pass Year-to-Date Cost: $109.89
Fight Pass Year-to-Date Value: $-0.49

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