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: Lyoto Machida vs. Mark Munoz, UFC Fight Night 30
My pick for the best new fight announcement of this past week is the upcoming middleweight bout between Lyoto Machida and Mark Munoz in the main event of UFC Fight Night 30. This fight could very well see an impressive victory by the winner earn him a crack at the 185-pound title.
The fight came together as a result of an unfortunate injury, as Brit Michael Bisping pulled out of the fight with Munoz with an eye injury, and Machida was shifted from his UFC Fight Night 31 main event bout against Tim Kennedy to the fight with Munoz so the Manchester, England card would have a suitable main event.
The fact that Machida vs. Munoz is happening now means we won’t have to see that awful Kennedy vs. Machida matchup, and that’s something I’m happy about, as I was absolutely dreading that fight. Now, instead of seeing what would have been a grind of a fight against Kennedy, we’ll get to see Machida square off against Munoz, in what should be a more exciting, and way more meaningful, matchup between two great fighters.
I’m excited about this fight on the whole, but I’m especially intrigued by Machida’s cut to middleweight, as he’s never competed there, and will now be taking on one of the top guys in the weight class in Munoz. Will his body be able to handle the cut? I’m not sure, but we will find out next month.
• Lyoto Machida vs. Mark Munoz
Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.
Worst: Nam Phan vs. Takeya Mizugaki, UFC Fight Night 33
Question: What is a UFC bantamweight’s reward for a 5-2 record in the Octagon?
A date with a former featherweight who is 2-4, evidently.
I was scratching my head earlier this week when the UFC announced that borderline top 10 bantamweight Takeya Mizugaki would be taking on former featherweight Nam Phan at UFC Fight Night 33, and I’m just as confused about this matchup now as I write about it. The fight just doesn’t make much sense, and is one of the oddest matchups the UFC has booked in a while. That’s why it’s my pick for the worst fight announced last week.
In Mizugaki, you have a fighter who is on the bubble of title contention at 135, and who is coming off of his biggest win in the UFC, a decision nod over hotshot prospect Erik Perez at UFC Fight Night 27. After that win, which was his third in a row, some were calling for Mizugaki to step up and get a fight against a top contender to really see where he stands, and I didn’t disagree with those who said that.
But instead the UFC is giving him Phan in what will be the TUF 12 alum’s official bantamweight debut after a failed career as a featherweight. Phan hasn’t fought in nearly a year, and is coming off a beating at the hands of Dennis Siver at UFC on FOX 5. It’s very likely that he’ll be cut with another loss, despite his ability to put on fan-friendly fights. And that’s why I don’t understand why the UFC is giving him a guy so high up the ladder when he honestly hasn’t earned the opportunity.
This matchup between Mizugaki and Phan will likely lead to an exciting fight, but at the end of the day, making entertaining bouts is only part of the equation when determining if a fight announcement is good or not. Another is rewarding guys for winning by giving them bigger fights. And, for some reason, the UFC just isn’t doing this with Mizugaki, because Phan is a big step back from Perez, and this fight just doesn’t make sense.
• Nam Phan vs. Takeya Mizugaki
Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.
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UFC Fight Night 30: Machida vs. Munoz is due to take place on October 26, 2013 at Phones 4u Arena in Manchester, England.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC Fight Night 30 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.
