After the previous UFC Fight Night card fell short of expectations when two of the main fights were cancelled due to injuries, the UFC soldiers on to the next Fight Night. This one will take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass. This is kind of an odd card as there are no huge fights here, no top contenders or over-hyped prospects, yet almost every fight on the line-up interests me in some way. So even though I didn’t valuate any single fight higher than $7.50, overall they all added up to a seemingly worthwhile event.
Main Card (Fox Sports 1)
Main Event: [#5 MW] Vitor Belfort vs [#10 MW] Dan Henderson
Worth: $7.50
Why: The main event is a battle of two old lions who are no strangers to each other in the ring or the cage. The longevity of these fighters careers is remarkable, and so it’s no wonder that they are meeting for the third time. Their first two fights could not have been any more different from each other. Back in 2006, Henderson defeated Belfort via a wrestling-heavy decision, a boring fight that was for some reason aired twice during the Pride 32 broadcast. Belfort took revenge seven years later, knocking out Henderson with a head kick, a little over a minute into the first round at UFC Fight Night 32. Now they meet again – this time as middleweights, and without Testosterone Replacement Therapy or Performance Enhancing Drugs being used by either fighter, allegedly.
There isn’t much on the line here, with Henderson 1-1 in his most recent run at middleweight and Belfort coming off a quick loss to the champ; however the winning fighter will remain in the top 10 and could be not that far from a title shot, especially if an unexpected injury comes up and calls for a short notice replacement. I just hope that this goes more like their second fight than their first – in terms of entertainment value, not the outcome. Though I suspect that the outcome will also be similar to their second fight.