First and Worst is an ongoing series for MMARatings.net, where every week Adam will make his pick for the best and worst newly-announced fight of the past week (Monday to Sunday). If you’d like to see any additions to this series, hit him up on Twitter @MMAdamMartin.
First: Alexis Davis vs. Rosi Sexton, UFC 161
My pick for the best fight announced this past week is the upcoming women’s bantamweight bout between Alexis Davis and Rosi Sexton at UFC 161, which takes place June 16 at MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The fight will make history, as it will be the first UFC women’s bout to take place outside of the U.S, and it is expected to open up the PPV main card of UFC 161.
Although some will wonder why this fight is on the main card of the stacked UFC 161 event, it deserves it. The Canadian Davis is one of the top 10 bantamweights in the world, is currently riding a two-fight win streak in Invicta FC, and has won four of five overall in Invicta FC and Strikeforce, with her only recent loss coming via majority decision to top-ranked Sarah Kaufman. She is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.
As for Sexton, she is a Bellator veteran and has won three straight fights in the UK-based Cage Warriors promotion. Sexton is a longtime veteran of the sport, and is a BJJ brown belt as well as a black belt in Taekwondo. Sexton, who is also a columnist for Fighter’s Only magazine, is an excellent ground fighter, and going up against another ground ace in Davis, this fight has the makings of an all-time classic.
The UFC did very well here in booking this bout. This should be an excellent fight, and another one that really puts the women on the map.
Worst: Raphael Assuncao vs. Vaughan Lee, UFC on FUEL TV 10
My pick for the worst fight announced this past week is the upcoming bantamweight bout between Raphael Assuncao and Vaughan Lee, which takes place at UFC on FUEL TV 10 on June 8 in Fortaleza, Brazil.
I don’t like this fight because it simply doesn’t make sense. Assuncao is currently ranked in the top 10 of the division and is coming off a huge win over Mike Easton at UFC on FOX 5. Since dropping to 135 pounds, Assuncao is 3-0 in the UFC, and he should be fighting the top guys in the division.
And that’s certainly not Lee, who, although underrated, is not even close to the top 10 of the division. Sure, he defeated Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto at UFC 144, but he hasn’t impressed since then, with a submission defeat to TJ Dillashaw at UFC on FUEL TV 4 and a boring decision win over Motonobu Tezuka at UFC on FUEL TV 7.
Assuncao vs. Lee could end up being fun, but it’s kind of a waste of Assuncao at this point. He should be fighting one of the top 10 fighters, like Michael McDonald or Brian Bowles, and not Lee, who should be fighting lower-ranked guys like George Roop or Kyung Ho Kang. I don’t know why this is the matchup the UFC insisted upon, and hopefully they prove me wrong and it’s a competitive fight, but I just don’t see it.
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UFC 161: Evans vs. Henderson is due to take place on June 15, 2013 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
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UFC on FUEL TV 10: Nogueira vs. Werdum is due to take place on June 8, 2013 at Ginásio Paulo Sarasate in Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC on FUEL TV 10 will be.
