Knock on wood, but there’s been no significant injuries to UFCon FOX 5 – and right now, on paper, it’s looking like it might be the most
stacked card of the year.
And best of all, it’s free.
MMA fans around the world are in for a treat on December 8 when
UFC on FOX 5 airs live from KeyArena in Seattle, Wash. It’s the UFC’s fifth big
event on FOX, and as such, they have decided to go all out on the card, which
has — up to this point, a half-week out – remained fully intact, save for a scratched heavyweight bout between Lavar Johnson and Brendan Schaub, which was to main event the FX portion of the prelims.
In the main event of the evening, UFC lightweight champion
Benson Henderson puts his title on the line when he takes on former “The
Ultimate Fighter” winner Nate Diaz in a five-round showdown. There’s no
question this is one of the most-anticipated bouts of the year, with Henderson
and Diaz consistently putting on some of the most exciting fights you’ll ever
see inside the Octagon. Pitted against one another, this match is sure to be a
barnburner.
In the co-main event, Alexander Gustafsson fights his toughest
test to date when he fights former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio“Shogun” Rua in what should be a three-round war. Gustafsson has been on a roll
in the light heavyweight division, and if he can take out Rua there’s no
question he’s ready for a fight with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
Conversely, Rua needs to prove that he’s still a viable contender, and should
he knock off the much-hyped Gustafsson, it would be a huge feather in his cap.
A third big fight feautures former UFC lightweight and
welterweight champion B.J. Penn coming out of retirement to take on youngster
Rory MacDonald. Penn is one of the all-time greats of the sport, but MacDonald
is a young lion, making this an extremely intriguing matchup. Should MacDonald
get past Penn, it would reinforce the comparisons to UFC welterweight champion
Georges St-Pierre, but should Penn win, it would show he’s not done yet. This
should be an excellent fight, and the fact it’s the third fight on the main
card speaks volumes about the depth of this fight card.
Also on the main card, Mike Swick meets Matt Brown in a
welterweight bout between two resurgent veterans. And there’s also a stacked FX undercard.
There’s no doubt in my mind that UFC on FOX 5 is the best UFC card of 2012, and
the fact that there were no injuries to any of the main card fighters is
nothing short of astonishing, considering what the UFC has gone through this
year.
There’s still a week to go until the event, and you
never know a fight will happen until the last minute these days, but all signs
are pointing to another grand and memorable UFC on FOX event. And, speaking as
a fan, that can only be a good thing.
