On Saturday night, the UFC hits the United Center in Chicago, Illinois for UFC on FOX 10, a card which in all honesty hasn’t garnered the most attention from casual fans and media. But hidden within this mediocre card are some fights with major implications, and some prospects who are eager to prove that their hype is just. These are the top 5 reasons to watch UFC on FOX 10:
1. Sergio Pettis
Being the sibling of a high-profile fighter isn’t always a sign that you’ll be a star — for every Nate Diaz there’s a Nick Serra, and for every Jim Miller there’s a Mark Hughes — but with Sergio Pettis, the talent is apparent. From day one he has been surrounded by the best of the best, the team at Roufusport have honed and nurtured the younger Pettis since he was a child, and he is now finally on the verge of realising his talents.
During Pettis’ run in the minor leagues, he showed both composure well beyond his years and versatility, demonstrating acumen both standing and on the canvas. Standing opposite him in the Octagon will be Alex Caceres, an exciting fighter himself who is sure to test Pettis to his limits.
• Alex Caceres vs. Sergio Pettis
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2. Wineland’s Return
One thing that always perplexes me about the UFC is its penchant for putting people who just fought for the world title on the prelims in their next fight. Not only is this moronic, it also renders all the marketing effort the promotion put into hyping said fighter for the title shot pointless. Regardless, it is going to be very interesting seeing Eddie Wineland back in the cage. Wineland wrapped up his WEC career with four straight victories before dropping his first two UFC fights — to Urijah Faber at UFC 128 and to Joseph Benavidez at UFC on Versus 5 — only to bounce back and earn himself a bantamweight title shot.
After knocking out Scott Jorgensen inside of two rounds at UFC On FX 3 and outboxing Brad Pickett at UFC 155, Wineland was granted a matchup with Renan Barao at UFC 165. Unfortunately, he ended up on the receiving end of a drubbing by the 135-pound phenom, and it will certainly be interesting to see how he bounces back against Yves Jabouin, Wineland’s striking is certainly amongst the best in his division, and I think we can be certain of an all out war in this fight.
• Eddie Wineland vs. Yves Jabouin
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3. Cerrone + Martins = Guaranteed Violence
Donald Cerrone is an interesting fighter. Some nights he seems like the best in the world, and on others he looks like a mediocre fighter more suited to a Bellator prelim. The thing with Cerrone is that although he’s one of the most talented fighters in the world, he is often his own worst enemy. Against Nate Diaz at UFC 141, he psyched himself out before the fight had even began, which made the already unenviable task of facing a top 5 fighter nearly impossible.
With Cerrone, it’s clear that he usually excels against mid-level fighters, as in his UFC career thus far, he has dominated anyone outside of the top 10.
Facing Cerrone on Saturday night is Adriano Martins, a fighter with a penchant for standing and banging, something which I’m sure Cerrone will oblige him in. Martins’ muay thai is vicious, but he has yet to face a fighter at the level of Cerrone, and it appears that the UFC might have thrown him into the deep end against “Cowboy.” Expect this fight to take place mainly on the feet, which will allow Cerrone to showcase his superior striking before submitting the Brazilian later in the fight.
• Donald Cerrone vs. Adriano Martins
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4. Gonzaga’s Renaissance
It’s been almost 7 years since Gabriel Gonzaga shocked the MMA world with his brutal headkick knockout of fan favorite Mirko Cro Cop. In the following years, Gonzaga’s career was like a rollercoaster, as he lost against top-tier talents and defeated low-level ones before being dominated by Brendan Schaub at UFC 121, which led the UFC to hand the former number one contender his marching papers.
It seemed like it was all over for “Napao,” as the Brazilian bruiser contemplated retirement. However, he decided to give it one more try, and after years of neglecting his jiu jitsu in the cage, he returned to his roots, first submitting Porter Parker in the Reality Fighting Championship, then returning to the UFC to submit two more foes. The only roadblock he has faced thus far since his return to the UFC is Travis Browne, who knocked him out in the first round of their TUF 17 Finale bout, but since then he has bounced back with a 17-second knockout, and a another first-round knockout to boot.
On Saturday night, Gonzaga will be fighting the talented Stipe Miocic. Though it seems as of late that Gonzaga has been unflappable with his relentless offence, it will be interesting to see how he deals with Miocic’s speed, and ultimately, whether his renaissance is only temporary.
• Stipe Miocic vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
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5. Bendo’s Back
They say a fighter learns more in defeat than he does in victory, and I believe this just may be the case for Benson Henderson. During Henderson’s title reign, he seemed to be on another level and impossible to put away, until he faced his old adversary Anthony Pettis at UFC 164. Pettis, whose defeat of Henderson for the WEC Lightweight Championship was his last loss, once more had Henderson’s number, as he forced Henderson to tap via armbar in the first round.
Prior to Henderson’s defeat against Pettis, he had looked like a man possessed in the UFC. From the moment he debuted in the Octagon, he has looked to make a statement. Henderson won his first 3 fights in dominant fashion, setting up a title shot in Japan at UFC 144 against Frankie Edgar. After a close 5 rounds, Henderson got the nod, and thus began his reign as UFC lightweight champion. Following that night, Henderson defended that belt three more times before falling to the fighter known as “Showtime.” Since his loss, he has gotten married and has refocused his efforts towards proving he’s back against Josh Thomson,and returning to his winning ways.
I honestly believe that we’ve yet to see the best of Henderson, and I think Thomson, who has had his “worst camp ever,” will be but a stepping stone in Henderson’s return to the top. Don’t get me wrong; Thomson is certainly a dangerous fighter, but I feel Henderson will have the advantage wherever the fight goes, and should win this bout easily.
The 11-fight UFC on Fox 10 slate may not be filled with intriguing fights from top to bottom, but the card still does have some intrigue. There are five interesting stories to pay attention to going into the card, and in an “expect the unexpected” sport like mixed martial arts, there’s no telling how many more talking points we’ll have by the time the night is over.
• Benson Henderson vs. Josh Thomson
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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.
