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Jose Aldo VS Chan-Sung Jung
The reigning UFC featherweight champion will make his sixth consecutive title defence against Chan-Sung Jung on August 3 at UFC 163.
Aldo (23-1) has been at the top of the 145lb class since 2009, and carried his title with him from the WEC into the UFC, where he continued to prove why he’s one of the top pound-for-pound fighters on the planet with wins over Mark Hominick, Kenny Florian, Chad Mendes, and Frankie Edgar.
‘The Korean Zombie’ (16-3) is well-rounded and dynamic. He made history when he pulled off the first ‘twister’ submission in UFC history when he fought Leanard Garcia in 2011. Many have been suggesting he will be the man to finally dethrone the Brazilian kingpin, and when Anthony Pettis pulled out of the title fight due to an injury, there wasn’t much debate over Chan-Sung being the right man to replace him.
Benson Henderson VS Anthony Pettis
Benson Henderson will fight to avenge his most recent loss when he meets Anthony Pettis in the main event of UFC 164 on August 31.
The ‘Showtime-kick’ was seen around the world, when Pettis launched himself off the cage and dispatched the mid-air head kick, en route to beating Henderson by unanimous decision to claim the WEC lightweight title, in ‘Smooth’s’ home town. Since that fight, Henderson has gone on to dominate the UFC’s 155lb division, capturing the organisation’s crown, and is soon to defend it for the fourth time, this time is Pettis’s home of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Pettis, who was forced out of a title fight at 145lbs with Jose Aldo due to injury, slipped up after his first fight with Henderson and lost a decision to Clay Guida. After that bout, he bounced back and finished Donald Cerrone, Joe Lauzon and Jeremy Stephens. There is no doubt that ‘Showtime’ presents a genuine threat to the 155lb ruler.
Alistair Overeem VS Travis Browne.
Alistair Overeem will have the chance to come back from his first loss since 2007, when he steps into the octagon against top-10 heavyweight contender Travis Browne, at UFC on Fox Sports 1.
The fight will be featured in the co-main event of the first ever show on Fox Sports 1, in a milestone event for the UFC. Both fighters have knockout power, and are bidding for title contention, so it’s reasonable to assume that an exciting performance from one of these fighters on the landmark show could propel the victor onto the champions’ radar.
Both fighters were knocked out at the hands of Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva, but Browne (16-1-1) came back explosively from his first loss by brutally stopping Gabriel Gonzaga in April. Overeem is yet to fight since his February upset defeat to Silva, and will be determined to quickly re-establish himself as a dominant force in the division.
James Brum VS Ruslan Abiltarov
Englishman James Brum will take aim at young bantamweight contender Ruslan Abiltarov at Cage Warriors 58.
Brum, who will be competing in his sixth fight for Cage Warriors, hasn’t lost in almost two years, and has racked up six decision wins since his 2011 defeat to Erik Perez. He will enter the Olympisk Arena in Grozny, Chechnya having recently out-pointed Olivier Pastor at Cage Warriors Fight Night 8.
21-year-old Ukranian, Abiltarov (10-1) has found a talent for finishing fights with submissions, and has done so in half of his victories in the first round. ‘The Predator’ has been making a name for himself overseas, and will be hoping to make an impact in his Cage Warriors debut against a tough opponent with momentum behind him.
Glover Teixeira VS Ryan Bader
Top Brazilian contender Glover Teixeira will have the chance to inch closer to a shot at light-heavyweight gold, when he faces Ryan Bader at the Mineirinho Arena, in the main event of the UFC’s third instalment on Fox Sports 1.
Teixeira is the man many believe has the potential to overthrow Jon Jones at the top of the 205lb division. ‘The Baker’ (21-2) is undefeated in 19 fights, with his last loss coming in 2005. Since joining the UFC last year, he’s demolished Kyle Kingsburys, Fabio Maldonado, ‘Rampage’ Jackson, and most recently picked up a first-round submission win over James Te Huna,
Bader (18-3) has been circling the top ten of the 205lb division for years. The winner of season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter has stifling wrestling and solid hands to go with it. After losing back-to-back fights with Jon Jones and Tito Ortiz, Lyoto Machida stopped him picking up a strong win streak, before Bader returned to winning ways with a Submission of the Night victory over Vladimir Matyushenko in January.
For Teixeira, a win over the two-time All American wrestler would give him the victory over the well-known opponent he’s been searching for. Jon Jones was originally granted a title shot after manhandling Bader and, with Jones expected to waltz past upcoming challenger Alexander Gustafsson, Teixeira’s combination of powerful hands, solid wrestling and elite jiu-jitsu could instantly put him in the title picture if he collects the win in Brazil, on September 4.
