IT JUST DOESN’T FEEL the same when there isn’t 4 or 5 local fighters to cheer on in your own back garden along with 9,500 of your mates.
Last week’s UFC Dublin event left an indelible mark on sporting history of Ireland and indeed MMA as a whole but now it’s back to porridge.
As the comedown continues and withdrawal symptoms persist we have to make do with a decent card from San Jose, California but the main event should help ease everyone back to what we have been used to.
Robbie Lawler and Matt Brown promises to be an all-action affair while Anthony Johnson gets the chance to continue his great run of form against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
Clay Guida and Dennis Bermudez will set a frenetic pace in their featherweight match-up while Josh Thomson and Bobby Green get the main card action under way in the lightweight division.
It’s intelligence versus brawn in the main event.
It was hard to envisage these two men facing off with the carrot of a welterweight title shot dangling in front for the winner a few years ago but both men definitely deserve to be at this juncture now.
Brown has won seven fights in a row compiling six KOs and one decision victory while Lawler has had a quick turnaround after KOing Jake Ellenberger back in May.
Brown, who one lost four out of five fights between 2010-11, has bounced back with one of the greatest upturns in fortunes in UFC history to become a legitimate contender in a very stacked division.
The same can be said of Lawler who lost a decision to current champ Hendricks but the incredible power in his hands make him a very real danger to anyone he faces and is a part of what makes this such an exciting match-up.
There is no doubt that not many expected Brown to get as far up the ladder as he has done recently and the consensus is this is as high as he can make it. But it would be wrong to rule him out.
Yes Lawler’s power and excellent striking make him favourite but Brown’s cerebral approach and Octagon intelligence means he has every chance of springing a surprise if he plays it smart and avoids the brawl. The calibre of opponents that Lawler has faced gives him the edge in this one however.
Let’s get ready to Rumble
Hat’s off if you tipped Anthony Jonson to dominate Phil Davis as much as he did when the two met back at UFC 172 in April.
After all the trouble he had making weight in the past that problem was solved when he decided to move up to light heavyweight and made a very impressive return to the UFC with that win.
This time he faces one of the legends of the sport in Antonio Nogueira and he is expected to dominate this fight as much as he did in his last one.
“Little Nog” has been plagued with injuries over these past three years and he has only fought twice since 2011 although they were both wins over Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans.
He has since pulled out of 4 potential fights in that time and his age coupled with the inactivity inside the Octagon means that his chances of winning seem slim.
Johnson looks like a different animal without having to cut weight and after such an impressive performance over Davis and with so many things conspiring against him, there doesn’t seem to be much hope for Nogueira in this one.
Elsewhere, Clay Guida and Dennis Bermudez will go hell for leather as always setting a pace that cannot be sustained when they face off in the featherweight division.
All the epic battles the Guida has been involved in over the years seem to have finally caught up with the fan’s favourite and Bermudez is in prime position to take the win here and move his streak up a notch to seven in a row.
Josh Thomson takes the tag of ‘veteran’ while Bobby Green is the ‘up and comer’ in the first fight on the card. Green is unbeaten and quite well rounded but Thomson is probably the best he will have faced in his career and should inflict Green with his first UFC loss come Saturday.
