Coming off an excellent UFC 187 Pay-Per-View, Ultimate Fighting Championship has a busy schedule for the remainder of May and June, with a fight card every weekend for the next 5 weeks. Inevitably, this means that the talent will be spread thin among so many events, especially considering the number of stars who fought last week. There are still a few interesting fights on the next upcoming event, so without further ado, let’s take a look at UFC Fight Night 67: Alves vs Condit – broadcast live from Brazil on Fox Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.
Main Event: [#12 WW] Carlos Condit vs [#14 WW] Thiago Alves
Worth: $15
Why: The careers of our welterweight main event participants have followed an oddly similar path. Both are 31 years old and have been fighting professionally for over a decade. Both are Muay Thai stylists with significant fight-ending power in their limbs (though Condit is the more versed of the two in the ground game). Both peaked around 2008, when Condit was the long-reigning WEC welterweight champion, whereas Alves has accumulated seven consecutive wins in the UFC, earning a shot at then champion Georges St. Pierre. One might say that it was all downhill from there for both fighters: Alves was battered for five rounds by GSP in a one-sided affair, after which he managed only a 2-3 record before taking a two year long break from the sport due to injuries. Around the same time, Condit entered the UFC as a part of WEC merger, and had his sights set on the gold but suffered a controversial split decision loss to Martin Kampmann in his Octagon debut. He did eventually earn his shot at St. Pierre, but didn’t fare much better than Alves, losing a decision despite getting a near finish in the fourth round.
In 2015, it’s not exactly clear where either fighter stands in the wide open post-GSP division. Thiago Alves made a successful return after his injury, scoring a decision over Seth Baczynski, then stopping Jordan Mein after overcoming some adversity early in the fight. Condit has been on a layoff of his own, after injuring his knee in a loss to Tyron Woodley, and will be looking to regain his place as a contender. The winner of this fight will be edging into the title picture, alongside Johnny Hendricks and Tyron Woodley. The loser will likely be relegated into the ‘aging gatekeeper’ territory. Either way, this promises to be an exciting battle of two of the most feared welterweight strikers.
Fight: [#10 FW] Nik Lentz vs [#12 FW] Charles Oliveira
Worth: $10
Why: This has been a rematch long in the making. Lentz and Oliveira first met in the Octagon almost three years ago, and the bout ended with a No-Contest due to Oliveira landing an unintentional illegal knee strike to the head of downed Lentz. Outcomes like this usually call for an immediate rematch; however Lentz and Oliveira fought a combined 15 times before they meet again. Though Lentz is slightly ahead in the rankings, Oliveira’s submission game makes him a favorite in the betting odds (and my personal opinion). The winner will solidify a top-10 ranking and continue on a quest towards the championship.
Fight: [#26 LHW] Ryan Jimmo vs [#78 LHW] Francimar Barroso
Worth: $1
Why: Ryan ‘The Big Deal’ Jimmo entered the UFC with a very solid record, on a 16 win streak including victories over several UFC veterans. He made his entrance into the Octagon with a bang, knocking out Anthony Perosh in only 7 seconds. Since then, he has alternated losses and wins, bringing his current UFC record to 3-3. He’s getting a bit of a softball here, as this is likely his last chance to show that he really is a big deal and not just another past his prime prospect whose career fizzled after hitting the big leagues.
Fight: [#4 FLW] Jussier da Silva vs [#5 FLW] Wilson Reis
Worth: $10
Why: It’s odd that this fight ended up on the prelims, considering that it features the highest ranked fighters on the card, and is the most likely fight to produce a near-future title contender. I guess the distinction between the prelims and the main card is just a technicality in this case, since both will be broadcast in a contiguous programing block on FS1; still, the fact that it’s buried so deep in the line-up speaks for the lack of drawing power in the flyweight division. Jussier ‘Formiga’ da Silva was once ranked #1 flyweight in the world, prior to UFC introducing this weight class. Jussier is 4-2 in the UFC with losses to John Dodson and Joe Benavidez; however he is currently riding a 2-win streak and will look to extend it and work his name into the title picture. Bellator veteran Wilson Reis is also on a two-win streak in the Octagon, after splitting his first two fights in the promotion. In what is still a very thin division, the winner of this fight will likely be the next in line for the title after John Dodson (though depending on the timing, they might be bypassed by the quickly rising Henry Cejudo).
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Fox Sports 1 Event Worth: $36
Fox Sports 1 Event Valuation: $5 (see how I came up with this valuation)
Net Value: $31
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Fight Pass Prelims Worth: $0
Fight Pass Year-to-Date Cost: $49.95
Fight Pass Year-to-Date Value: $2.05
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Fox Sports 1 YTD Worth: $200.50
Fox Sports 1 YTD Valuation: $49
Fox Sports 1 YTD Net Value: $151.50