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: Demetrious Johnson vs. Ali Bagautinov, UFC 174
My pick for the best new fight announced this past week is the upcoming UFC flyweight title bout between champion Demetrious Johnson and challenger Ali Bagautinov, a five-round fight that will headline UFC 174 this June in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
I’ve seen a lot of criticism towards this matchup on social media, but I don’t understand where’s it coming from. Johnson has shown over his last five fights that he is the #1 flyweight fighter in the world, while Bagautinov has proven himself to be a top contender with three straight wins at 125 pounds in the UFC. While I do expect Johnson to emerge as the winner of this contest like everyone else does, I do think that Bagautinov’s combination of punching power and Sambo makes him a formidable foe for Johnson, and I expect these two to put on a great show for the fans.
For some reason there is this negative stigma associated with “Mighty Mouse,” and for some reason people are under the impression he is boring, which is far from the truth. In Johnson’s last three fights, he has won “Knockout of the Night,” “Submission of the Night,” and “Fight of the Night,” and he’s definitely proven himself as an exciting champion. Bagautinov, meanwhile, has one knockout win, and two more decisions over tough competition, thus far in the UFC, and overall, I’ve been happy with his fights. So if you put these two together in the cage, I just don’t see how it could be a boring fight.
Maybe some people aren’t happy that two flyweights are headlining a UFC pay-per-view card, but in my opinion, Johnson has “graduated” from FOX and deserves to headline a PPV card. As for Bagautinov, is he really any less of a credible challenger for a UFC belt than guys like Patrick Cote and Thales Leites, who have headlined PPVs in the past? Absolutely not, and in fact, he has a good shot at pulling off the upset this June. I for one am looking forward to seeing it, and I don’t mind paying $60 to do so.
UFC 174
• Demetrious Johnson vs. Ali Bagautinov (UFC Flyweight Championship)
Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.
Worst: James Te Huna vs. Nate Marquardt, UFC Fight Night 43
My pick for the worst new fight announced this past week is the upcoming middleweight bout between James Te Huna and Nate Marquardt, a five-round non-title fight that will headline UFC Fight Night 43 late June in New Zealand. With Te Huna coming off of two-straight stoppage losses and Marquardt having lost his last three in a row, this is an important fight for both men, and each needs to get a victory to stay in the UFC.
On its own, this is a decent scrap – but for a preliminary card. As a main event for an entire show, though? Ummm, I don’t think so. Yeah, Marquardt is a longtime veteran, and Te Huna is usually in exciting fights, but the fact these two are coming off a combined five-straight-losses means this is absolutely a no-no for a main event of a fight card. Heck, it’s not even co-main event worthy.
My thinking is the UFC is trying to get Te Huna a win in his middleweight debut over the chinny Marquardt, who has been brutally knocked out in his last two fights, and they’re trying to get him a win in his home country of New Zealand. Will their plan work, though, or will it backfire? We’ll have to wait and see, but I’m not expecting ticket sales to be good for this card at all, and I really feel like the New Zealand fans are getting the short end of the stick here. Without having true local star Mark Hunt available to headline the card due to injury, the UFC should have postponed this event until further down the 2014 calendar. But obviously the UFC’s plan for global domination can’t be slowed down due to injury, and thus this is the main event fans are left with.
UFC Fight Night 43
• James Te Huna vs. Nate Marquardt
Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.
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UFC 174: Johnson vs. Bagautinov is due to take place on June 14, 2014 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC 174 will be.
UFC Fight Night 43: Te Huna vs. Marquardt is due to take place on June 28, 2014 at the Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC Fight Night 43 will be.
