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: Robbie Lawler vs. Jake Ellenberger, UFC 173
My pick for the best fight announced this past week is the upcoming welterweight battle at UFC 173 between heavy-handed contenders Robbie Lawler and Jake Ellenberger. The matchup became possible after an injury to Tarec Saffiedine shifted Ellenberger off of UFC 172 and Lawler stepped up to take the fight just a few weeks after his five-round title fight war against Johny Hendricks at UFC 171.
Right now, the UFC welterweight division is wide open. There is no clear-cut #1 contender to Hendricks, who is currently injured, and so this fight between Lawler and Ellenberger could produce the next title challenger, should the win come in impressive fashion. And in a fight between Lawler and Ellenberger, two veterans who have 18 knockout victories each to their name, it’s very, very likely that someone’s head is gonna roll.
I was never a fan of the Saffiedine vs. Ellenberger matchup, and I never understood why the UFC rebooked it after it was originally scrapped at UFC Fight Night Singapore due to an injury to Ellenberger. And now, it’s an injury to Saffiedine that nixes the bout yet again, but just like last time when we get to see a great fight between Saffiedine and Hyun Gyu Lim, the fans lucked out, because we are going to get a superior fight between Ellenberger and Lawler.
UFC 173 wasn’t looking good following the withdrawal of Chris Weidman and the cancellation of his middleweight title defence against Lyoto Machida, but with the addition of Lawler vs. Ellenberger and Renan Barao vs. TJ Dillashaw for the UFC bantamweight strap in the main event, the card is now once again a must-watch event.
• Jake Ellenberger vs. Robbie Lawler
Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.
Worst: Sergio Pettis vs. Yaotzin Meza, UFC Fight Night Albuquerque
My pick for the worst new fight announced this past week is the upcoming bantamweight bout between Sergio Pettis and Yaotzin Meza at UFC Fight Night 42 in Albuquerque, a matchup that will take place on the preliminary card of that fight card. It’s a matchup I really despise, and I wish the UFC didn’t book it. I’ll explain why.
I know Pettis is 20 years old and the UFC doesn’t need to rush him, but the thing is, they already did, and now the promotion is trying a “rebuild” when it’s not even necessary. “The Phenom” defeated Will Campuzano in his Octagon debut at UFC 167 last year, and the UFC decided he was due for a massive step up, so he took on Alex Caceres earlier this year at UFC on FOX 10. And while he was eventually submitted with just 20 seconds left in that bout, prior to the submission, he was extremely competitive with Caceres, and could have possibly won the fight, had it made it to decision.
Caceres is one of the top bantamweights in the world, and Pettis made the fight with him extremely competitive, despite much less experience against top fighters. And while he did lose, he showed tremendous skill during the fight and shouldn’t have to take such a huge step down to fight Meza, who is 1-2 in the Octagon, and who is clearly one of the lowest-ranked bantamweights on the roster after losing to grinder Chico Camus in his last bout.
This is a mismatch of epic proportions designed to get Pettis a win and get his confidence back. But the thing is, I don’t think he lost any confidence at all after the Caceres fight, which, by the way, was Fight of the Night at UFC on FOX 10. If anything, the loss to Caceres is the kind of loss that will push Pettis towards even more greatness – think of his brother Anthony’s shocking loss to Clay Guida – and I expect him to show in this fight with Meza why he was the favorite going into the fight with Caceres back in January.
Look for Pettis to be a massive favorite over Meza this June, and look for him to get a highlight-reel knockout in a fight that is one of the easiest to call of all the upcoming bouts scheduled for future UFC events.
• Sergio Pettis vs. Yaotzin Meza
Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.
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UFC 173: Barão vs. Dillashaw (formerly UFC 173: Weidman vs. Machida, UFC 173: Weidman vs. Belfort) is due to take place on May 24, 2014 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC 173 will be.
UFC Fight Night 42: Henderson vs. Khabilov is due to take place on June 7, 2014 at the Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC Fight Night 42 will be.
