For UFC 192, Zuffa has put together a very strong fight card.  Though this event didn’t receive nearly the amount of hype that some of the cards headlined by Ronda Rousey or Conor McGregor have, I believe this to be the deepest card of the year to date.  This one is certainly worth the price of a Pay-Per-View on paper; the only negative thing I could say about this event is that a few of the matchups have a high likelihood of not living up to the potential – but that’s what you get with competitive matchmaking and wrestler-heavy line up.

Main Card (Pay-Per-View)

Main Event:  (C) [#2 LHW] Daniel Cormier vs [#7 LHW] Alexander Gustafsson

Worth: $22.50

Why: This is a great fight in almost every aspect except for the the fact that it’s for a paper title.  Though the previous champion Jon Jones was stripped of the belt due to his legal issues, he has beaten both Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson, the former more convincingly than the latter. As Jones copped a plea deal and got off with a slap on the wrist (probation and community service), he will likely be back in action soon, which means that the winner of this fight is simply holding the championship belt warm for the true champ.  I am not going to make any predictions for this fight, but I do hope for a Gustafsson win as Gustafsson-Jones II would be far more interesting than Cormier-Jones II.

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Light Heavyweight Championship (205)
[#2/#8DD/#7P4P] Daniel Cormier (16-1-0) vs. [#7] Alexander Gustafsson (16-3-0)
Daniel Cormier is the All-Time #21 ranked Light Heavyweight fighter.
Alexander Gustafsson is the All-Time #15 ranked Light Heavyweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Daniel Cormier (2-1-0)
2015-05-23: W vs. [#3LHW] Anthony Johnson (20-5-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:39 of round 3
2015-01-03: L vs. [#1LHW/#2DD/#1P4P] Jon Jones (21-1-0) via UD (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
2014-05-24: W vs. [#10MW] Dan Henderson (31-13-0) via Technical Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:53 of round 3

Last 3 Fights: Alexander Gustafsson (1-2-0)
2015-01-24: L vs. [#3LHW] Anthony Johnson (20-5-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:15 of round 1
2014-03-08: W vs. [#14LHW] Jimi Manuwa (15-2-0) via TKO (Knee and Punches) in 1:18 of round 2
2013-09-21: L vs. [#1LHW/#2DD/#1P4P] Jon Jones (21-1-0) via UD (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Daniel Cormier 133, Alexander Gustafsson 252
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Daniel Cormier leads 1-0
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Welterweight (170)
[#2/#10P4P] Johny Hendricks (17-3-0) vs. [#4] Tyron Woodley (15-3-0)
Johny Hendricks is the All-Time #3 ranked Welterweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Johny Hendricks (2-1-0)
2015-03-14: W vs. [#9WW] Matt Brown (20-13-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-12-06: L vs. [#1WW/#7DD/#6P4P] Robbie Lawler (26-10-0) via SD (47-48, 48-47, 49-46)
2014-03-15: W vs. [#1WW/#7DD/#6P4P] Robbie Lawler (26-10-0) via UD (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)

Last 3 Fights: Tyron Woodley (2-1-0)
2015-01-31: W vs. [#12MW] Kelvin Gastelum (11-1-0) via SD (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
2014-08-23: W vs. [#10WW] Dong Hyun Kim (20-3-1) via TKO (Punches) in 1:01 of round 1
2014-06-14: L vs. [#3WW] Rory MacDonald (18-3-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Johny Hendricks 203, Tyron Woodley 245
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 2 win(s) against common opposition.
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Light Heavyweight (205)
[#4] Ryan Bader (19-4-0) vs. [*] Rashad Evans (21-3-1)
Ryan Bader is the All-Time #20 ranked Light Heavyweight fighter.
Rashad Evans is the All-Time #7 ranked Light Heavyweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Ryan Bader (3-0-0)
2015-01-24: W vs. [#5LHW] Phil Davis (15-3-0) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
2014-08-16: W vs. [#12LHW] Ovince St. Preux (18-7-0) via UD (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
2014-06-14: W vs. [#40LHW] Rafael Cavalcante (12-6-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Last 3 Fights: Rashad Evans (2-1-0)
2013-11-16: W vs. [*] Chael Sonnen (28-14-1) via TKO (Punches) in 4:05 of round 1
2013-06-15: W vs. [#10MW] Dan Henderson (31-13-0) via SD (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
2013-02-02: L vs. [#16LHW] Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (21-7-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Ryan Bader 252, Rashad Evans 686
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 3 win(s) against common opposition.
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UFC Fight Night 75 will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan and is the finale for the ‘Road to UFC: Japan’ series, which is a re-branded version of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’.  As one might expect, the card is loaded with local talent, and would make for a good Fight Pass event; however September has been a slow month compared to UFC’s hectic summer pace, with Fight Night 75 being the only event this month besides the UFC 191 PPV.   So we end up with a passable main card on Fox Sports 1, and a very weak preliminary card on Fox Sports 2. There was a lone early prelim fight slated for Fight Pass, but with a last-minute cancellation of the scheduled fight between Matt Hobar and Norifumi ‘Kid’ Yamamoto, the top-billed FS2 prelim was moved to FS1 and the Fight Pass bout bumped up to FS2.  Which leaves us with nothing of note on the prelims, so I will just go over the main card.

Main Event: [#15 HW] Roy Nelson vs [NR] Josh Barnett

Worth: $10

Why: This is sort of an odd match-up.  It’s as if the UFC doesn’t really know what to do with either of these heavyweights at the moment, so let’s make them coaches on ‘Road to UFC: Japan’, and have them fight each other in the main event of the finale.  Beyond that the fight makes little sense, and there is not much on the line here, besides maybe the winner holding on to the remaining bit of relevancy.  Roy Nelson is on a two fight skid, and only won one out of his last five bouts, but even with a loss he is likely to get at least one more fight in UFC. His opponent Josh Barnett has not fought in nearly two years, and is 1-1 in his recent UFC stint, with both fights ending by TKO in the first round and not really showing how much Barnett has left in the tank.

We all know exactly what Roy Nelson will do in every fight, so to me the most interesting thing about this one is what strategy will Barnett use against him. Submissions are Barnett’s bread and butter, however Nelson has a very competent ground game.  Even though he completely abandoned it in favor of winging overhand rights and uppercuts, he has gone the distance with Frank Mir and Fabricio Werdum – two of the most dangerous submission experts at HW – and was never in any trouble on the ground despite losing both fights.  So it’s not likely that Barnett will be able to submit Nelson; a knockout is also unlikely as Roy has a solid chin and Josh is not known for his KO power.  The best strategy for Barnett would be to use his ugly yet effective striking to outpoint Nelson, as so many of his opponents have done before.  However, Barnett claims that he wants a finish and not a win on points, and going blow-for-blow with Nelson is generally not a good idea.  My pick here is Barnett by decision – unless he gets caught with a big shot early, or is very out of shape due to ring rust.  What I don’t expect is a particularly exciting fight (barring that possibility of an early KO by Nelson).

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Heavyweight (265)
[#15] Roy Nelson (20-11-0, +189) vs. [*] Josh Barnett (33-7-0, -231)
Josh Barnett is the All-Time #7 ranked Heavyweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Roy Nelson (1-2-0)
2015-03-14: L vs. [#8HW+] Alistair Overeem (39-14-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-09-20: L vs. [#9HW+] Mark Hunt (10-10-1) via KO (Punch) in 3:00 of round 2
2014-04-11: W vs. [*] Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (34-10-1) via KO (Punch) in 3:37 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Josh Barnett (2-1-0)
2013-12-28: L vs. [#7HW+] Travis Browne (17-3-1) via KO (Elbows) in 1:00 of round 1
2013-08-31: W vs. [#10HW+] Frank Mir (18-10-0) via TKO (Knee) in 1:56 of round 1
2013-01-12: W vs. [*] Nandor Guelmino (11-5-1) via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 2:11 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Roy Nelson 196, Josh Barnett 637
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Josh Barnett leads 4-2
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Middleweight (185)
[#5] Gegard Mousasi (37-5-2) vs. [#32] Uriah Hall (11-5-0)
Gegard Mousasi is the All-Time #16 ranked Middleweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Gegard Mousasi (2-1-0)
2015-05-16: W vs. [*] Costas Philippou (13-5-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2015-01-24: W vs. [#9MW] Dan Henderson (31-13-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:10 of round 1
2014-09-05: L vs. [#4MW] Ronaldo Souza (22-3-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 4:30 of round 3

Last 3 Fights: Uriah Hall (2-1-0)
2015-08-08: W vs. [#281MW] Oluwale Bamgbose (5-1-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:32 of round 1
2015-05-23: L vs. [#23MW] Rafael Natal (20-6-1) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
2015-01-18: W vs. [#152MW] Ron Stallings (13-7-0) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 3:37 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Gegard Mousasi 133, Uriah Hall 49
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Gegard Mousasi leads 1-0
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Flyweight (125)
[#8] Kyoji Horiguchi (15-2-0) vs. [#17] Chico Camus (15-6-0)

Last 3 Fights: Kyoji Horiguchi (2-1-0)
2015-04-25: L vs. [#1FLY/#3DD/#3P4P] Demetrious Johnson (23-2-1) via Submission (Armbar) in 4:59 of round 5
2015-01-03: W vs. [#47FLY] Louis Gaudinot (7-4-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
2014-09-20: W vs. [#131FLY] Jon delos Reyes (8-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:48 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Chico Camus (1-2-0)
2015-06-13: L vs. [#5FLY] Henry Cejudo (9-0-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
2014-11-22: W vs. [#58BW] Brad Pickett (24-11-0) via SD (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
2014-05-24: L vs. [*] Chris Holdsworth (6-0-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Kyoji Horiguchi 154, Chico Camus 105
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 1 win(s) against common opposition.
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Light Heavyweight (205)
[#10] Liam McGeary (10-0-0) vs. [#12] Tito Ortiz (19-11-1)
Tito Ortiz is the All-Time #8 ranked Light Heavyweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Liam McGeary (3-0-0)
2015-02-27: W vs. [#14LHW] Emanuel Newton (25-8-1) via UD (48-46, 48-47, 48-47)
2014-09-12: W vs. [#45LHW] Kelly Anundson (9-3-0) via Submission (Inverted Triangle Choke) in 4:47 of round 1
2014-07-25: W vs. [#95LHW] Egidijus Valavicius (28-11-0) via TKO (Punches and Knees) in 2:10 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Tito Ortiz (2-1-0)
2014-11-15: W vs. [#66LHW] Stephan Bonnar (15-9-0) via SD (30-27, 30-27, 28-29)
2014-05-17: W vs. [#27MW] Alexander Shlemenko (51-9-0) via Technical Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 2:27 of round 1
2012-07-07: L vs. [*] Forrest Griffin (19-7-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Liam McGeary 204, Tito Ortiz 308
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Lightweight (155)
[#15] Josh Thomson (20-8-0) vs. [#105] Mike Bronzoulis (18-8-1)

Last 3 Fights: Josh Thomson (0-3-0)
2015-07-15: L vs. [#5LW] Tony Ferguson (19-3-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
2014-07-26: L vs. [#18LW] Bobby Green (23-6-0) via SD (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
2014-01-25: L vs. [#13WW] Ben Henderson (22-5-0) via SD (49-46, 47-48, 48-47)

Last 3 Fights: Mike Bronzoulis (3-0-0)
2015-05-08: W vs. [#157LW] Dave Burrow (13-6-0) via UD (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
2015-02-27: W vs. [#302LW] Jonathan Harris (10-5-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:43 of round 1
2014-11-14: W vs. [#750LW] Justin Reiswerg (8-5-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 4:51 of round 2

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Josh Thomson 66, Mike Bronzoulis 134
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Light Heavyweight (205)
[#5] Phil Davis (13-3-0) vs. [#14] Emanuel Newton (25-8-1)
Phil Davis is the All-Time #17 ranked Light Heavyweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Phil Davis (1-2-0)
2015-01-24: L vs. [#4LHW] Ryan Bader (19-4-0) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
2014-10-25: W vs. [#6LHW] Glover Teixeira (23-4-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-04-26: L vs. [#3LHW] Anthony Johnson (20-5-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Last 3 Fights: Emanuel Newton (2-1-0)
2015-02-27: L vs. [#10LHW] Liam McGeary (10-0-0) via UD (48-46, 48-47, 48-47)
2014-10-24: W vs. [#24LHW] Linton Vassell (15-4-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 0:47 of round 5
2014-09-12: W vs. [#37MW] Joey Beltran (16-11-0) via KO (Spinning Back Fist) in 3:07 of round 3

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Phil Davis 238, Emanuel Newton 204
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 1 win(s) against common opposition.
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Women Bantamweight (135)
[#7] Tonya Evinger (16-5-0) vs. [#15] Pannie Kianzad (8-0-0)

Last 3 Fights: Tonya Evinger (3-0-0)
2015-07-09: W vs. [#25BW] Irene Aldana (5-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:38 of round 4
2014-12-05: W vs. [#64BW] Cindy Dandois (5-2-0) via Submission (Armbar) in 1:23 of round 2
2014-09-06: W vs. [#50BW] Ediane Gomes (10-4-0) via Submission (Armbar) in 3:31 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Pannie Kianzad (3-0-0)
2015-07-09: W vs. [#37BW] Jessica-Rose Clark (5-2-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-11-15: W vs. [#95FLY] Eeva Siiskonen (3-3-1) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)
2014-08-22: W vs. [NA] Megan van Houtum (1-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:17 of round 3

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Tonya Evinger 65, Pannie Kianzad 65
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Women Strawweight (115)
[#6] DeAnna Bennett (7-0-0) vs. [#18] Katja Kankaanpaa (10-2-1)

Last 3 Fights: DeAnna Bennett (3-0-0)
2015-02-27: W vs. [#65SW] Norma Rueda Center (3-2-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
2014-12-05: W vs. [#3FLY] Jennifer Maia (10-4-1) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
2014-09-06: W vs. [#53BW] Michelle Ould (7-4-0) via TKO (Kick to the Body and Punches) in 1:34 of round 2

Last 3 Fights: Katja Kankaanpaa (2-1-0)
2015-04-24: L vs. [#4SW] Livia Renata Souza (8-0-0) via Submission (Triangle Choke) in 3:58 of round 4
2014-09-06: W vs. [#53SW] Stephanie Eggink (4-2-0) via Submission (Brabo Choke) in 2:03 of round 5
2014-05-17: W vs. [#17AW] Alyona Rassohyna (10-4-0) via Submission (Armbar) in 0:49 of round 2

Days Since Last Pro Fight: DeAnna Bennett 197, Katja Kankaanpaa 141
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Women Flyweight (125)
[#35BW] Mariana Morais (9-2-0) vs. [#9] Roxanne Modafferi (17-12-0)
Roxanne Modafferi is the All-Time #13 ranked Women’s fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Mariana Morais (3-0-0)
2014-12-20: W vs. [#101FLY] Marta Souza (2-7-1) via Submission (Armbar) in 2:04 of round 2
2014-12-03: W vs. [NA] Cristina Mejia (1-4-0) via UD ()
2014-11-15: W vs. [#61BW] Stephanie Bragayrac (5-3-0) via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in ? of round 2

Last 3 Fights: Roxanne Modafferi (2-1-0)
2015-04-24: L vs. [#2FLY] Vanessa Porto (18-6-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-12-05: W vs. [#51FLY] Andrea Lee (2-1-0) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
2014-09-06: W vs. [#14FLY] Tara LaRosa (22-5-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Mariana Morais 266, Roxanne Modafferi 141
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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