UFC 171 will see the crowning of a new UFC welterweight champion. #1 ranked contender Johny Hendricks takes on #3 ranked Robbie Lawler on Saturday for the vacant UFC Welterweight Championship that Georges St. Pierre left behind. The 13-fight card features other welterweight scraps that will help shake up the division in the new year. This may be the most significant card in the first quarter of 2014. Many fights have something riding on the outcome, and that is what we will take a look at. This is what is at stake in Dallas this weekend.
#13 Raquel Pennington vs. #9 Jessica Andrade
This battle in the women’s bantamweight division could send the winner into title contention.
Jessica Andrade is 1-1 in the UFC, but she looked fantastic in her last outing against Rosi Sexton. She was fighting someone more her own size in that fight, and the natural flyweight shined. This bout against Pennington will help Andrade prove she can take on the true bantamweights of the division.
“Rocky” Pennington is a strong, hard-hitting woman. After failing to win The Ultimate Fighter she rebounded with a dominant decision win over Roxanne Modafferi.
Pennington will try to show how much she has improved since the show. A win would put Pennington in the UFC’s top 10, but Andrade is fighting for more. A win for Andrade will put her in a much bigger fight later in 2014 with contender status on the line.
• Raquel Pennington vs. Jessica Andrade
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Kelvin Gastelum vs. #14 Rick Story
This fight will elevate the winner in this stacked division. Gastelum is fighting to take Rick Story‘s spot in the rankings, and Story will try to move up with his second straight win.
Kevin Gastelum has looked fantastic since coming off The Ultimate Fighter, but Story is no easy out. Story, at one time, had a six-fight win streak, including wins over Johny Hendricks and Thiago Alves. Since that time, however, he has gone 2-4.
A win for Story gives him two in a row for the first time since that win streak in 2011, and puts him back in the swing of things. Which fighter can take that next step up into the UFC’s rankings?
• Kelvin Gastelum vs. Rick Story
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#6 Jake Shields vs. #12 Hector Lombard
This is one of the most interesting bouts on the card from a stylistic perspective — Shields’ fantastic ground acumen vs. Lombard’s judo and brute strength.
Jake Shields is fighting for title consideration. The former title challenger is 2-0 since returning to the division with a win over a top five ranked opponent (Demian Maia), and he is undefeated since 2012. The list of defeated fighters on his resume is very long, and that gives him a credible argument for being next in line if he can add Lombard to that list.
Hector Lombard will want to take Shields’ spot in the top 10. He made a thrilling welterweight debut last October at UFC 166 with a KO over Nate Marquardt. Another performance like that will put his name right in the mix. He is a scary individual at 170 pounds.
The rankings would suggest that neither will earn a title shot by winning at UFC 171, but at the very least, their names would be batted around.
• Hector Lombard vs. Jake Shields
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#15 Diego Sanchez vs. Myles Jury
Diego Sanchez is ranked in the top 15 of the UFC’s organizational rankings, but this fight is about relevance for the former title contender.
In recent years he has been relegated to fighting on the middle of the card. If he can get back on the winning track by taking out up-and-comer Myles Jury, he can start making one more run towards the gold.
For Jury, this fight is about making his name off of Sanchez. Jury has had several quality performances in the Octagon, but this is a chance to beat one of the more recognizable figures in the UFC. Jury can help his brand awareness with a victory on Saturday.
• Diego Sanchez vs. Myles Jury
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#2 Carlos Condit vs. #11 Tyron Woodley
As the #2 ranked welterweight contender, Carlos Condit should be fighting for a title shot at UFC 171. However, as we know, nothing like that is guaranteed in the UFC. That is why Condit needs to put a stamp on Woodley in Dallas.
Tyron Woodley needs this fight to show he can compete against the division’s elite. In Strikeforce, he showed promise before Nate Marquardt took his title. In the UFC, he has a 2-1 record that includes an incredibly lackluster performance against Jake Shields that ended in a loss.
Condit has a potential title shot on the line, and Woodley has his credibility as a top welterweight at stake. That is a lot of added pressure for each fighter in this fight, and we will see who rises to the top in the card’s co-main event.
• Carlos Condit vs. Tyron Woodley
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UFC Welterweight Championship: #1 Johny Hendricks vs. #3 Robbie Lawler
What is at stake in the main event? The world championship. Which electric knockout artist will claim the gold and be known as the best welterweight fighter in the world? That is what we will find out in the main event.
Hendricks dropped a contentious decision against GSP last year, and he can try to erase that memory with a win on Saturday. Lawler will try to cap off a long career by finally capturing UFC gold.
Everything these two want is up for grabs. All they have to do is take it. UFC 171 will see the crowning of a new king.
• Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler (UFC Welterweight Championship)
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UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler is due to take place on March 15, 2014 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC 171 will be.
