In the past few days I have lost count of the number of times that the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s 25th Fight Night has been described in negative terms. Fight “fans” have given just about every reason in the book why a person should not care about UFC Fight Night 25. However, while it may not present the most exciting names in the sport, some important points should be made about the card.
Trying To Shake Up 170
It’s clear that the welterweight division is in need of some new contenders. While current champion Georges St. Pierre has done a great job in running through so many big names in the sport, it’s a wonder as to who is going to step up as the next big contender. The Jake Shields vs. Jake Ellenberger matchup was created to help answer that question. While it’s very clear that Shields would not get a title shot with a victory, the same cannot be said for the rising Ellenberger. If he can find some way to defeat Shields, especially if it comes by way of a highlight reel stoppage, it would not be surprising to find him right at the top of the contenders list.
Is The Talent Still There?
It has been more than a year since fight fans have seen the charismatic Alan Belcher in the cage. A damaged retina not only forced him away from the Octagon, but almost cost the middleweight his career. He returns against the veteran Jason MacDonald. While many may see MacDonald as a “gimme” fight for the fan favorite, he poses a very tough challenge to Belcher. Ring rust is always a factor when a fighter is removed from action for a significant period of time, and it will be interesting to see how Belcher deals with this situation once the cage door closes.
The Last Great “TUF” Champions
Both Jonathan Brookins and Court McGee are poised to take on tough challenges during UFC Fight Night 25. While McGee faces off against Dongi Yang, and Brookins faces what may be the more difficult challenge in Erik Koch , we may be witnessing the last of the better winners from the Zuffa reality television series. I’ve stated before that the show needs a good shake up if it wants to bring suitable fighters to the Octagon who will rise beyond the gatekeeper status of the recent participants on the show. It will be interesting to see how well these fighters deal with their competitors , and determine whether they will make the expected noise within their respective weight divisions.
The Rebuilding Of Evan Dunham
When Evan Dunham stood in the middle of the cage after his bout against Sean Sherk, many viewers thought they were witnessing the emergence of a new contender to the lightweight title. Instead we witnessed what was the first in a string of bad experiences in the cage for Dunham. In his next fight, he had to feel Melvin Guillard go “Hulk Smash,” and leave him in a heap against the cage. Now he’s forced into a preliminary fight on a Spike TV UFC event against Shamar Bailey. It’s apparent that this bout was set up to place Dunham back on the right track into the contender that he once seemed destined to be.
Even though UFC Fight Night 25 does not have any titles up for grabs, fans should be able to find a way to take something positive away from the event…especially when they do not have to shell out 50 plus dollars for the event. We should consider ourselves lucky, and try to enjoy the fights.
