UFC IS BACK ON SATURDAY! START GETTING EXCITED!
Alright, I had a lot on my hands yesterday - it being May the 4th and all - so Star Wars had my full attention, but now that the Revenge of the 5th is upon us, I'm all fights, baybay! You mothafuckas getting excited yet?! We got fights on SATURDAY! THIS SATURDAY!
Let's talk a little bit about the main card!
Tony Ferguson (-170) vs Justin Gaethje (+160) for the UFC Interim Lightweight Championship - I think it's fair to call this the most anticipated fight on the card pretty much universally. It's no Khabib/Tony, obviously, and many (including myself) are sorta confused by why Dana White and the UFC would risk that fight with this one, but it doesn't change how ridiculous a matchup this is.
Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje are two of the biggest savages the sport has ever seen, neither man EVER puts on a bad fight, and although they're both incredibly well-rounded and complete mixed martial artists, I have a feeling the majority of this fight will take place while both men are on their feet.
I think we're gonna see lots of blood in this one, probably some shit that your kids shouldn't see, and I've already got my shirt off and am flexing at my television in preparation...
Henry Cejudo (c) (-210) vs Dominick Cruz (+190) for the UFC Bantamweight Championship - This is a weird one! Originally, at UFC 250, Henry Cejudo was set to defend his UFC Bantamweight Championship against Jose Aldo, who received that opportunity by eating two straight losses to Alexander Volkanovski and Marlon Moraes. Seriously! Henry Cejudo just decided he wanted the old guy coming off losses and for some reason, the UFC said, "Sure!"
That ain't gonna happen anymore, though, so in stepped former UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz - another fighter coming off a loss that hasn't been in the octagon since late 2016. Again, it doesn't make a lick of sense, but I don't really care. We're literally talkin about Quarantine Fights. I'd watch anyone duke it out in a cage right now.
Cruz made the impossible happen once before in returning from a 2-year-long layoff and winning the UFC Bantamweight Championship in his first bout back - can he do it again?! God, it'd be awesome if he pulled that off, but I don't know. It's all gonna be a matter of how quickly Cejudo adapts to Cruz's awkward "Now-Ya-See-Me, Now-Ya-Don't" footwork and movements. Pulling hard for Cruz but really have no idea what to expect.
Francis Ngannou (-260) vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik (+230) in the Heavyweight Division - Just straight-up fireworks right here. Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik could both take a man's head off with a single punch. I love the idea of throwin em in the cage together and seeing what happens.
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My money is on Francis, but who knows after that buzzer-beater KO Rozenstruik pulled off in his last fight…
Jeremy Stephens (+215) vs Calvin Kattar (-230) in the Featherweight Division - New England Cartel STAND UP! This is another tremendous striking matchup down in the Featherweight (145lb) Division between Calvin Kattar (#9 ranked featherweight in the world) and Jeremy Stephens ("Who Da Fook Is Day Guy?" Guy), and it's a fight I spoke to Kattar about in-depth on My Mom's Basement a few weeks back…
I truly think Kattar could be the next big thing in that division, and definitely favor him over Stephens here. He's got something to prove after that loss to Zabit that everyone wanted to see a couple more rounds in. Picking him by KO here.
Greg Hardy vs Yorgan De Castro in the Heavyweight Division - Every time Greg Hardy fights, we see an absolute shitshow of mixed martial arts on display, usually featuring him breaking rules you didn't even know were breakable rules. If nothing else, I think it'll be a fun experience to livetweet this one. That's sorta the only way I feel about it though! Maybe we get a nice big heavyweight KO to kick the show off? That'd be nice.
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I'll talk about 'em as the week progresses, obviously, but the prelims are STACKED as well…