UFC 165 hits the Air Canada Centre on Saturday with a lot on the line on the main card. The event is capped off by two title fights. Jon Jones defends his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against top contender Alexander Gustafsson, and Renan Barão defends the UFC Interim Bantamweight Championship against Eddie Wineland. The other three main card bouts offer a lot as well. This is what’s at stake on Saturday:
Pat Healy vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
Healy defeated Jim Miller, but the win was changed to a no contest after post-fight drug testing came back positive. He dropped to #10 in the UFC Rankings, and he will meet one of the toughest up-and-comers in the division in the PPV’s opening bout.
The winner of this bout will jump up into the title talk. He will not earn a title shot, but he’ll have the chance to grab a contender’s bout. Without question the winner will move up significantly in the top 10.
As the lightweight division seeks new challengers, this fight is set to do just that.
• Pat Healy vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
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Costa Philippou vs. Francis Carmont
Philippou was once ranked as high as #5 in the middleweight division by the UFC, but inactivity has dropped him to #7 prior to this bout. He had the chance to welcome Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza to the UFC at UFC on FX 8, but an injury forced him off the card. Now he takes on a tough fighter in Francis Carmont with much less on the line.
This is Carmont’s chance to enter the top 10. For Philippou, he needs to win in order to keep his place. He is not too far off from a very big middleweight bout, but a loss would be devastating to what he has built for himself thus far.
The importance of the bout is a step back for Philippou, but there is still plenty at stake for the potential challenger.
• Constantinos Philippou vs. Francis Carmont
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Brendan Schaub vs. Matt Mitrione
The UFC has been pushing this fight on the web for some time. The promotion is stressing the fact that they were once friends, but now are enemies.
It has to, because there isn’t much on the line.
Neither fighter is in danger of being cut, and neither is in any position to move into the rankings. What’s at stake is the chance to pick up a second straight win. That’s all
• Matt Mitrione vs. Brendan Schaub
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UFC Interim Bantamweight Championship: Renan Barão vs. Eddie Wineland
Whereas the UFC has somewhat succeeded in promoting Schaub vs. Mitrione, they have failed for the second most important fight on the card.
The UFC Interim Bantamweight Championship fight isn’t even on the poster.
With Dominick Cruz still sidelined, this could turn into the undisputed title very soon. That raises the stakes just a bit. The winner would turn his attention from welcoming Cruz back to the Octagon in a unification bout to looking at the new challengers who are moving up in the division.
Title fights are easy for us to determine what’s at stake, but the interim tag makes this one a little different.
• Renan Barão vs. Eddie Wineland (Interim Bantamweight Championship)
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UFC Light Heavyweight Championship: Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson
We know the title is at stake, but so is a legacy.
With another successful defense of the strap, Jones will become the leader in 205-pound title defenses. He is currently tied with Tito Ortiz. He may already be considered the greatest light heavyweight, but grabbing this record will cement it.
Gustafsson has a chance to shock the world. Virtually no one is giving him a chance, in spite of the UFC’s best effort to promote his size. That is a credit to Jones’ dominance. Gustafsson can ruin the illusion, win the title, and sideline the small talk of superfights that are still on the table.
Jones’ legacy can take a big step forward at the Air Canada Centre.
• Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson – UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
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UFC 165: Jones vs. Gustafsson is due to take place on September 21, 2013 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC 165 will be.
