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: Donald Cerrone vs. Evan Dunham, UFC 167
My pick for the best fight announced this past week is the upcoming lightweight tilt at UFC 167 between Donald Cerrone and Evan Dunham, a fight I expect to be a highly-entertaining barnburner that could be on the short list for “Fight of the Year” when it’s all said and done.
The first thing I like about this fight is that both fighters are coming off losses to the same fighter, Rafael dos Anjos. It’s rare that the timing would work out that a matchup like this could be possible, but it did in this case and I’m happy, because this fight has the makings of an all-out war between two of the best standup fighters in the division.
With Dunham, you have one of the most underrated lightweights in the world getting a chance to break into the top 10 once again if he can take out Cerrone. And in the case of “The Cowboy,” a win over Dunham would be huge at this point of his career, as many believe he is on a decline, despite being only 30 years of age.
Although I recommended in a recent Fight Fixin’ column that I wanted to see Dunham fight Benson Henderson, I think this fight against Cerrone makes more sense, and I’m glad UFC matchmaker Joe Silva was smart enough to book it.
UFC 167 looks extremely stacked right now, and hopefully even more awesome matches are added to the docket in the upcoming weeks and months for the UFC’s 20th Anniversary event.
• Donald Cerrone vs. Evan Dunham
Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.
Worst: Mark Hunt vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, UFC Fight Night 33
My pick for the worst fight announced this past week is the upcoming heavyweight tilt between Mark Hunt and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, a bout which is set to headline UFC Fight Night 33 in Australia.
This isn’t a bad fight per se, but the reason I think it’s the worst matchup announced this past week is because it’s been set as a five-round main event despite the fact it’s not likely to go past the first. That, to me, makes it a sort of waste, and I would have preferred if a lighter-weight fight would have been the main event, since those typically go to decision.
Instead, we’re going to have two mammoths thrown in the cage for 25 minutes, and like I said, I don’t think it lasts past five minutes. But if it does, for some reason, go the full five, then I expect a sloppy battle of attrition in rounds three to five, and I don’t think that’s what anyone’s paying to see.
I understand that Hunt is a big draw in Australia and it makes sense to put him in a featured fight, but I can’t help but wonder why the UFC was so adamant about putting him against a guy with a poor chin in a five-round main event. That’s why this fight is my pick for the worst fight announced this past week.
• Mark Hunt vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva
Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.
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UFC 167: St. Pierre vs. Hendricks is due to take place on November 16, 2013 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC 167 will be.
UFC Fight Night 33: Hunt vs. Bigfoot is due to take place on December 7, 2013 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. (Due to the time differences, the event will air on December 6 in the United States.)
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC Fight Night 33 will be.
So basically your worst of the week is the UFC's policy that it has to be the main event that is 5 rounds because the fight is damn good.