After a rather mediocre (both on paper and in the cage) UFC 190 Pay-Per-View last week, the UFC is following up with a strong Fight Night event. This one has a couple of fights with significance to the divisional Top 10 standings, a few developing prospects, and some fun matchups. All of the main card fights are very closely matched, which is always a good thing. The prelims will be broadcast on Fox Sports 2 and UFC Fight Pass network; however there is not much on the prelims worth writing about, so I will just focus on the Fox Sports 1 main card.
Main Event: [#7 LHW] Glover Teixeira vs [#9 LHW] Ovince St. Preux
Worth: $15
Why: Glover Teixeira has been a big name on the international MMA scene for many years prior to making his UFC debut, which was long delayed due to visa issues. After finally making his way to UFC, Teixeira started off by winning five straight, which earned him a shot at the champion Jon Jones. Teixeira fell short in his bid at the title, and there is no shame in losing to Jones. However he dropped an uninspiring decision to Phil Davis in his next fight, which brought up all sorts of questions about the 35-year-old’s ability to improve his game and adapt to fighting wrestlers at this stage of his career.
Though Ovince ‘OSP’ St. Preux has wrestling as his base, he does not solely rely on it in the cage: OSP has significant KO power and decent submission grappling ability, which makes him a very dangerous opponent for any light heavyweight. The Strikeforce veteran is 6-1 in the UFC, his sole loss an ugly decision to Ryan Bader, and has stopped all but one of his UFC opponents. After knocking out Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua and Patrick Cummins in back-to-back fights, OSP will get an opportunity to rise further in the rankings and work his way up to a contender status. On paper, St. Preux has the skill set to defeat the seemingly fading Teixeira, though Glover’s punching power cannot be counted out. This has all the makings of an exiciting matchup with potential implications for the title picture in the rather shallow 205 lbs weight class.
Fight: [#7 LW] Michael Johnson vs [#14 LW] Beneil Dariush
Worth: $15
Why: Beneil Dariush has become one of the most exciting prospects in the UFC’s stacked lightweight division. After submitting Charlie Brenneman in his Octagon debut, Dariush was stopped by Ramsey Nijem in his next fight, but rebounded by winning four consecutive bouts – culminating with a very impressive decision win over the veteran Jim Miller. Dariush fights often – four times in 2014, and already on his third fight this year, and looks to be improving with every fight.
His opponent Michael Johnson is 8-4 in the UFC, and has also won his four most recent bouts. Johnson is a well rounded fighter who over the past couple of years has quietly established himself as a potential contender. A win here will be worth more for Dariush than Johnson, however both guys are still under 30 and regardless of the outcome of this fight, both should be a force in the division for many more years to come.
Fight: [#20 MW] Derek Brunson vs [#25 MW] Sam Alvey
Worth: $10
Why: This is a good matchup of two middleweights who seem to be coming into their prime. Sam Alvey is riding a streak of three T/KO stoppages after dropping a decision to Tom Watson in his UFC debut; while Derek Brunson rebounded from his loss to Yoel Romero by taking a decision over Lorenz Larkin, and following it up with a quick TKO of Ed Herman. Alvey is quickly becoming a fighter to watch in the division, though Brunson is more well-rounded and has more experience against high level competition, making him a big favorite in the betting odds.
Fight: [#30 HW] Jared Rosholt vs [#31 HW] Timothy Johnson
Worth: $5
Why: A very close matchup from the ranking standpoint, but I have not seen enough of Timothy Johnson in action to predict how he will deal with Jared Rosholt’s controlling, wrestling based style. If Johnson can’t stop Jared’s takedowns, it will likely be a very long three rounds for him as well as the fans.
Fight: [#14 FLW] Ray Borg vs [#40 FLW] Geane Herrera
Worth: $5
Why: In an anemic flyweight division, a matchup between two young prospects is always a welcome sight. 22-year-old Ray Borg is 2-1 in the UFC and 8-1 overall, his only loss a split decision to Dustin Ortiz. 25-year-old Geane Herrera is 8-0, and will be taking a big step up in competition in his UFC debut. Both fighters won most of their bouts by submission, so this should be a good matchup of grapplers.
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Fox Sports 1 Event Worth: $50
Fox Sports 1 Valuation: $5 (see how I came up with this valuation)
Net Value: $45
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Fight Pass Prelims Worth: $0
Fight Pass Year-to-Date Cost: $79.92
Fight Pass Year-to-Date Value: $-14.42
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Cable (FS1/FS2/FX) YTD Worth: $450
Cable (FS1/FS2/FX) YTD Valuation: $85
Cable (FS1/FS2/FX) YTD Net Value: $365