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: Travis Browne vs. Alistair Overeem, UFC Fight Night 26
My pick for the best fight announced this past week is the upcoming heavyweight bout between Travis Browne and Alistair Overeem, which takes place on August 17 at UFC Fight Night 26. With the heavyweight division lacking in title contenders, the winner of this bout could very well be right behind Junior dos Santos in the chase for Cain Velasquez’ heavyweight crown.
I love this fight, and I actually suggested it in a recent Fight Fixin’ column because I believe it will be very exciting and makes a lot of sense in regards to the division. Both Browne and Overeem were approaching the top of the heavyweight ladder, but both were finished by Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and dropped down a few pegs. Therefore, it makes a lot of sense to match them up against one another, and see who is truly a title contender and who is a pretender.
This bout is likely to provide a brutal knockout win for whoever lands the harder strike first, and I’m truly excited for what is the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 26. Although Overeem is a great striker, Browne is very heavy-handed and his chin is better than Overeem’s, so don’t be shocked if we see a big upset here, and see a new star in the heavyweight division emerge because of it.
Worst: Roy Nelson vs. Stipe Miocic, UFC 161
My pick for the worst fight announced this past week is the upcoming heavyweight bout between Roy Nelson and Stipe Miocic, which takes place next month at UFC 161. Nelson is taking the fight on three weeks’ notice after Miocic’s original opponent, Soa Palelei, was pulled from the card for undisclosed reasons, while this will be Miocic’s first fight since last September.
I don’t like this fight, and the reason I don’t like it is because it’s a mismatch. Although Miocic is a talented fighter, he was knocked out by Stefan Struve of all people in his last outing, and now he’s taking on one of the heavyweight division’s hardest punchers in the form of Nelson. To me, even though Nelson is taking the fight on short notice, this fight seems like a mismatch, and I’m not exactly sure why the UFC booked it.
My guess is that after the injury to Renan Barao, the UFC 161 card needed some more star power, and Nelson was brought in to help prop up the event’s main card. It seems strange that Palelei was pulled from the card for no apparent reason, but if you consider the fact that the UFC needed to add another big name to satisfy those in Winnipeg who bought tickets, then it begins to make sense.
The fight will likely produce another highlight-reel KO from Nelson, and if that’s the case, it could prove to be disastrous for Miocic’ career, because it would be very hard for him – or any fighter, for that matter — to bounce back from two straight knockout losses. And that’s the main reason why I don’t like the fight, because they are sacrificing a young fighter’s career just so the fans can see more carnage.
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UFC Fight Night 26: Shogun vs. Sonnen is due to take place on August 17, 2013 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC Fight Night 26 will be.
UFC 161: Evans vs. Henderson is due to take place on June 15, 2013 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC 161 will be.
