This UFC Fight Night card in New Jersey this weekend is a really good Fight Night card. It took a big blow when Yoel Romero went down hurt and the UFC could only find Chris Cammozi to come in and replace him against Jacare Souza on the card. That said, the injury has made the title fight even more exciting because a Rockhold win will no doubt vault him into a title shot, now that Jacare won’t be able to get a win over a top opponent.
On top of those two fights we also have Cub Swanson vs Max Holloway, which is a huge fight in the 145 lbs division. Swanson is currently ranked #5 and Holloway is ranked #9, which makes for a very interesting and important fight for both men.
The last fight on the main card is Felice Herrig vs Paige Van Zant, and this is another big fight for the Women’s Strawweight division. Van Zant has quickly become a star in the division even though she only has 1 UFC under her belt. She was signed by Reebok because of her looks, age and marketability in the sport. Because of this there is pressure on her to perform so it will be interesting to see how she does against the seasoned Herrig.
I’m also interested in the Patrick Cummins vs Ovince st Preux fight. We will really get to see which of these guys has a chance to move into the Light Heavyweight elite.
2014 Record: 54-33 for +17.31 units.
2015 Record: 9-14+ for -7.75 units.
Lyoto Machida vs Luke Rockhold
I’m a big believer in Luke Rockhold. I think he will be the first guy to fight Chris Weidman who really has a legitimate shot of dethroning the champ. I’m assuming Weidman easily gets through Vitor Belfort (if that fight ever happens). I think Rockhold will be too much for Machida in this fight. That said, I’m expecting a battle because I have a tremendous amount of respect for the warrior that Machida is. I think the fight will play out similar to the Machida vs Weidman fight though, with Rockhold doing a lot of damage in the process.
Rockhold is 12-1 in his Strikeforce/UFC career with his only loss coming when he got caught by a spinning heel kick against Belfort. That fight was in Brazil and everything was lined up for Rockhold to lose that fight. I truly think that Rockhold is the real deal and deserves a title shot. He beat Jacare Souza and Tim Kennedy for the Strikeforce title and just destroyed Bisping in his last fight. Look for Rockhold to finally get his title shot.
Play: Luke Rockhold -142 @ BetOnline
Chris Cammozzi vs Ronaldo Souza
Souza will likely rip through Cammozzi like he did back in May of 2013 when Souza beat Cammozzi via arm-triangle choke in the first round. That said, I’m not convinced it’s going to be over as quickly as many people think. Yes, Cammozzi will be coming in on short notice, but he does have two finishes since being released from the UFC and his last two UFC losses were split decisions, so it’s not like he was getting dominated in the UFC. I think he might be able to last the 3 rounds with Souza. That said, I’m not placing a bet on this fight because it’s too big a wild card for me.
Play: Dark
Cub Swanson vs Max Holloway
This could very well be the most exciting fight of the night. Both of these guys are killers who like to knock out their opponents.
Holloway has been on an absolute tear since losing a split decision to Dennis Bermudez and a decision to Conor McGregor back in 2013. Since then he’s strung together 5 straight wins, including 3 knockouts and a submission. That said, These wins weren’t over top fighters and this fight with Swanson will really decide whether Holloway jumps up to the elite fighters in the featherweight division or not.
On the flip side Swanson is coming off a loss to Frankie Edgar last November. Before that though Swanson had been riding a 6 fight win streak including W’s over Ross Pearson, Charles Oliviera, Dustin Poirier, Dennis Siver and Jeremy Stephens. These are some ranked opponents at the featherweight division. And Frankie Edgar is an elite fighter so just getting to the fifth round with him is something of an accomplishment.
I like Holloway, but I think this jump might be too much for him right now. I think Swanson takes this fight somehow, but Holloway should be back with a top 10 opponent again next time out.
Play: Swanson -145 @ BetOnline
Felice Herrig vs Paige Van Zant
Van Zant has a lot of pressure on her shoulders right out the gate here in the UFC thanks to her sponsorship deals that she already put together. I think she uses that pressure and comes out with a great performance against Herrig. Van Zant looked great in her first fight, pushing the pressure and I’m sure she has even improved since then. There are a lot of holes in Herrig’s game that a top fighter can exploit. Look for Van Zant to continue her rise with a win here.
Play: Van Zant -140 @ 5Dimes
Ovince Saint Preux vs Patrick Cummins
This fight interests me. Cummins has looked good since his loss to Cormier, but this will be his first big test. I like Saint Preux as a dog here. I think he’s proven himself against top opponents, and coming off a knockout win over Rua he should be in top form. Ryan Bader is somehow beating everyone these days so the loss to Bader doesn’t concern me too much here.
I like Saint Preux a lot as a dog here.
Play: Saint Preux +110 @ BetOnline
Machida • New Jersey • Rockhold • UFC Fight Night