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FIGHT NIGHT 58

5 things to look out for at the UFC’s final show of 2014

‘Tis the season for MMA.

TONIGHT, AT THE Ginásio José Correa in Barueri, Brazil, the UFC will break their record for events staged in a calendar year.

To close out 2014, the promotion will account for a staggering 46th show since 4 January. For those lamenting a lack of combat over the festive-period, bear in mind the incredible January which lays ahead – it should be more than enough to ease your withdrawal-symptoms over the next fortnight.

Granted, this evening’s fare appears far from vintage but so often it’s cards such as this, that have the propensity to pleasantly surprise. 

Here are five talking points ahead of UFC Fight Night 58:

1. Can CB Dollaway pull-off the upset of all upsets in the main event?

Regardless of how impractical they seem, there’s something enduringly appealing about an underdog story.

Every shred of reason and evidence points to former light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida soundly-beating Dollaway in the middleweight headliner.

During his six years in the UFC, Dollaway has never faced an opponent even remotely-close to the standard of Machida. That Machida’s unique karate-based style is notoriously difficult to prepare for, makes Dollaway’s situation feel all-the-more ominous.

UFC - Ultimate Fighting Championship / YouTube

But fortune favours the bold. Dollaway has won four of his last five fights and should carry a considerable amount of confidence going into his first-ever main event bout. Having been a contestant on TUF 8, Dollaway has added a reasonable stand-up-game to his already stellar wrestling and submissions. While his aggressive approach has served him well in the past, to employ it against Machida, one of the greatest counter-strikers in history, would be ill-advised.

To negate Machida’s elusiveness, Dollaway must rough-up him in close quarters – preferably against the cage – and make it an ugly-affair. If not, he’s likely to be picked apart with a relative-ease. In his last fight, Machida lost to champion Chris Weidman thus, to lose twice-in-a-row, particularly against someone of Dollaway’s calibre, would be unthinkable.

2. Renan Barao looks to end a difficult 2014 on a positive note

Barao knows the feeling of being ignominiously turned-over by an underdog better than most. Last May at UFC 173, the then bantamweight champion was expected to dispatch of TJ Dillashaw without breaking a sweat.

Instead, Dillashaw thoroughly dominated Barao over five rounds before defeating him via TKO. In the process, he took his title and snapped a winning streak which had lasted close to a decade. An immediate re-match was set for UFC 177, but the day before the bout, Barao was admitted to hospital due to a difficult weight cut. He was pulled from the card and lost his fight purse.

UFC - Ultimate Fighting Championship / YouTube

By beating Mitch Gagnon, a man 13 places below him in the official rankings, Barao can show that such travails are now behind him. 

3. Patrick Cummins searches for third win on the bounce

Before last February, very few people had heard of Patrick Cummins. Working as a part-time barista, the UFC plucked him from obscurity to face Daniel Cormier on a week’s notice, when his original opponent Rashad Evans fell injured.

Cummins and Cormier had wrestled together at the Olympic training centre, during which time the former claimed to have made the latter cry. The UFC cynically used this to sell the fight and, as expected, Cormier put away Cummins in less than a round. Since then, however, Cummins has defeated Roger Narvaez and Kyle Kingsbury. If the former Penn State wrestler can do likewise against TUF Brazil winner Antonio Carlos Junior, then he’s likely to begin 2015 in considerably-less anonymity.

4. Can Erick Silva finally put successive victories together?

We’ve all met guys like Erik Silva – super talented, freakish-aptitude but a frustrating lack of focus. All four of his UFC wins have been punctuated by losses and some at the hands of markedly-inferior fighters. If he can navigate Mike Rhodes, who has lost both of his UFC outings, then Silva will have successive victories for the first time since August 2011.

Rubén Sánchez / YouTube

5. Daniel Sarafian fights for his job against Antonio dos Santos

There have been exceptions, but UFC employees generally get handed a P45 after a third straight-loss. This fact will not be lost on Sarafian as he steps into the octagon to face debutant dos Santos. With just one win in four since joining the promotion, Sarafin must win, and convincingly so, if wishes to wake up Sunday morning still gainfully employed.

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