UFC Fight Night 71: Mir vs Duffee will take place in San Diego, California, and features a very solid line-up. Which is a bit surprising considering that it is the third UFC event in 5 days, but I can’t complain. With two very good fights topping the bill, and a few decent bouts scattered through the undercard, I am looking forward to this mid-week event.
Main Event: [#10 HW] Frank Mir vs [#32 HW] Todd Duffee
Worth: $15
Why: After four consecutive losses, most MMA fans including myself thought that Frank Mir’s storied UFC career was pretty much over. But a recent TKO over Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva gave Mir his first win since 2011, a spot in the heavyweight top 10 among several of his contemporaries, and a matchup with one of the very few UFC heavyweights under 30. Todd Duffee was considered a top prospect when he made his UFC debut in 2009, but his career has been hampered by injuries, as he’s fought only 5 times since then. Duffee is 2-0 in his current UFC stint, though nearly two years have passed in between those two bouts. I really don’t know what to expect from this fight, other than a violent finish of some sort.
Fight: [#11 LW] Tony Ferguson vs [#12 LW] Josh Thomson
Worth: $15
Why: On a 5-win streak and the verge of breaking into the top 10, Tony ‘El Cucuy’ Ferguson established himself as one of the most dangerous fighters in the lightweight division. He dominated and submitted Gleison Tibau his last outing, and is now taking on another elder statesman of the division, Josh ‘The Punk’ Thomson. Thomson came to UFC after nearly a decade of calling StrikeForce his home, and stopped Nate Diaz in his Octagon return, but lost back to back split decisions to Ben Henderson and Bobby Green in his two fights since then, and has not won consecutive bouts since 2010. Josh is nearing the end of his career but still represents another step up in competition for the upwardly mobile Ferguson, and an impressive win here will place Tony among the 155 lbs elite.
Fight: [#11 W135] Holly Holm vs [#13 W135] Marion Reneau
Worth: $2.50
Why: Undefeated in MMA, former acclaimed professional boxer Holly Holm entered the UFC amid much fanfare, with the idea of building her up as a potential challenger for Ronda Rousey. While Holm did enough to earn a split decision over Raquel Pennington in her UFC debut, her performance was far from impressive and squashed any talk of a potential Rousey matchup for the time being. Holm will now take on 38-year-old Marion Reneau, who scored an upset submission win over Jessica Andrade in her most recent UFC bout. We’ll find out if Holm’s first UFC performance was due to ‘Octagon jitters’, or if she just isn’t the prospect that she was made out to be.
Fight: [#77 WW] Alan Jouban vs [#131 WW] Matt Dwyer
Worth: $5
Why: I didn’t valuate Alan Jouban’s last fight at UFC 184, but he made a believer out of me with an amazing elbow knockout. I’m curious to find out if he can keep the momentum going.
Fight: [#49 FW] Sam Sicilia vs [#174 FW] Yaotzin Meza
Worth: $2.50
Why: This is a completely meaningless fight in the large scheme of things, but Sam Sicilia is always an all-go action fighter, and I’ve yet to see him in a boring fight. He’s one of the guys whose fights are always worth a couple of bucks, no mater the opponent.
Fight: [#10 BW] Manny Gamburyan vs [#28 FLW] Scott Jorgensen
Worth: $2.50
Why: Time is not kind to aging athletes, and we often see veterans on the tail end of their career trying a weight class change in hopes of extending their tenure. This rarely works out well. Last week, we saw Brad Pickett move back up to 135 lbs after a short and unsuccessful stint as a flyweight, only to become a victim of a highlight reel knockout courtesy of Thomas Almeida. Now Scott Jorgensen, who has rubbed (and sometimes exchanged) elbows with Pickett back in the WEC days, is attempting a similar move. Fortunately for Jorgensen, he is not facing a red-hot prospect like Almeida, but another one of his former WEC colleagues in Manny Gamburyan. It’s a miracle that Gamburyan managed to hold on to his top-10 ranking, despite having very limited success in the division. I won’t put too much stock in the ranking discrepancy; both guys are over the hill but Jorgensen usually puts on a show win or lose, so that’s the best I can hope for here.
Fight: [#30 BW] Rani Yahya vs [#38 BW] Masanori Kanehara
Worth: $2.50
Why: It amazes me that a one-dimensional relic like Rani Yahya has found even moderate success in the modern day UFC. He’s not always the most exciting fighter to watch, but his grappling wizardry is usually worth throwing down a few dollars. With Jorgensen, Gamburyan, and Yahya, this card almost feels like a WEC reunion, and who doesn’t miss the WEC???
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Fox Sports 1 Event Worth: $45
Fox Sports 1 Valuation: $5 (see how I came up with this valuation)
Net Value: $40
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Fight Pass Prelims Worth: $0
Fight Pass Year-to-Date Cost: $69.93
Fight Pass Year-to-Date Value: $-9.43
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Cable (FS1/FS2/FX) YTD Worth: $361.50
Cable (FS1/FS2/FX) YTD Valuation: $73
Cable (FS1/FS2/FX) YTD Net Value: $288.50