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: Alex Caceres vs. Sergio Pettis, UFC on FOX 10
My pick for the best new fight announced this past week is the upcoming bantamweight bout at UFC on FOX 10 between Alex Caceres and Sergio Pettis. Caceres is 4-1 with 1 no contest since dropping down to the bantamweight division, while Pettis is currently undefeated at 10-0, including a 1-0 mark in his UFC career. Both of these fighters are flashy strikers with excellent submission ability, so this matchup has a good shot at winning “Fight of the Night” at the stacked UFC on FOX 10 card coming up next January in Chicago.
Although I feel like Caceres is getting a bit of a step down here since he’s taking on a UFC newcomer, Pettis is the top prospect in the division, so if Caceres wins it will be big for him. As for Pettis, defeating Caceres in his second UFC bout would allow him to fast-track himself up the ladder and get closer to the 135-pound title shot he covets.
This is a really intriguing matchup between two great martial artists with similar backgrounds and styles, and I feel like we’re all in for a treat when it goes down. I can’t wait for this fight, and when it wins FOTN, don’t forget I called it first.
• Alex Caceres vs. Sergio Pettis
Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.
Worst: Luke Barnatt vs. Mats Nilsson, UFC Fight Night 37
My pick for the worst fight announcement of the past week is the upcoming middleweight bout at UFC London between TUF 17 star Luke Barnatt and UFC newcomer Mats Nilsson. This will be a hometown fight for the undefeated Barnatt, who is from nearby Cambridge, while Nilsson hails from Sweden.
I understand why the UFC booked this fight – it’s essentially a showcase fight for Barnatt – but I don’t like it at all because I feel like Barnatt is getting an unnecessary step down, while Nilsson is getting an undeserved step up.
In Barnatt’s last outing at UFC Fight Night 30, he was matched up against the rising Andrew Craig. Barnatt entered that fight as the underdog, and most, including me, believed he was being set up to lose in devastating fashion, but he proved the betting public wrong, as he was able to rock Craig at multiple points during the fight before sinking in a fight-ending rear-naked-choke submission on the floor.
Craig was ranked in the top 30 before that fight, and when Barnatt defeated him, he took his place in the rankings. Or so that’s the way things are supposed to work, because instead of getting a step up against someone like Tim Boetsch or CB Dollaway, Barnatt is instead getting a step down, and fighting a brand new UFC fighter in Nilsson.
I’m sure that Nilsson will end up making this fight more competitive that most think, but I just feel like he hasn’t earned a fight with a top 30 fighter yet. I’d understand if he was taking the fight on short notice or something, but considering all the middleweights out there without fights, I don’t like this matchup at all, even though it will likely accomplish the UFC’s goal of showcasing Barnatt in front of his hometown crowd.
• Luke Barnatt vs. Mats Nilsson
Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.
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UFC on Fox 10: Henderson vs. Thomson is due to take place on January 25, 2014 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC on Fox 10 will be.
UFC Fight Night 37: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa is due to take place on March 8, 2014 at the O2 Arena in London, England.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC Fight Night 37 will be.
