Last week in Melbourne, Australia, Holly Holm scored a huge upset at UFC 193 when she knocked out the reigning women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, claiming the title with a head kick in the second round. This weekend we’re off to Monterrey, Mexico, for a rather pedestrian Fight Night event on Fox Sports 1. The original main event for this card pitted Kelvin Gastelum against Matt Brown; after Brown pulled out with an injury, Neil Magny once again stepped up as a short-notice replacement. The main card also features a flyweight matchup between Jussier da Silva and Henry Cejudo, which will most likely determine the next contender for Demetrious Johnson’s title. A couple of other so-so fights round out the main card, while the prelims – both the ones on Fox Sports 1 and the ones streamed on Fight Pass – don’t offer anything worth mentioning.
Main Event: [#13 MW] Kelvin Gastelum vs [#21 WW] Neil Magny
Worth: $10
Why: While I would have preferred to see the original matchup of Kelvin Gastelum vs Matt Brown (because who doesn’t love a Matt Brown fight?), the UFC managed to salvage the main event with a fight that’s almost as interesting. Thank Neil Magny, who is becoming the go-to guy for last minute replacements in the welterweight division. Magny did not start his UFC career on a high note, dropping 2 of his first 3 fights, but then went on an unlikely 7 win streak against gradually increasing level of competition. He then took a big step up against Demian Maia, and was dominated on the ground and eventually submitted by a superior grappler. Magny rebounded with a split decision win against Erick Silva and will now attempt to move further up the rankings against a highly touted prospect who is making his return to 170 lbs after a temporary exile from the division.
‘The Ultimate Fighter’ Season 17 middleweight winner Kelvin Gastelum looked like he was on a fast track to contendership, rattling off four straight wins since dropping to welterweight, but had trouble making weight in almost every fight. After badly missing weight for what could have been the #1 contender bout with Tyrone Woodley, and subsequently losing a split decision, Gastelum was banished back to middleweight, where he beat up a way over the hill Nate Marquadt. Somehow, Gastelum convinced Dana White to give him another chance to make 170. And so we end up with quite an interesting fight between two up-and-comers, the outcome of which will propel one of them into the upper echelon of the division. Assuming Kelvin makes weight, of course.
[#4 LHW] 
[#10 LHW] 
[#9 LW] 
[#14 LW] 
[#4 W105] 
[#20 W105] 
