UFC on FOX 11 Prelim Fighters Nurmagomedov and dos Anjos Battle For Main Card Respect

By Adam Martin

There are 94 lightweight fighters on the official UFC roster, but only two of those 155-pounders are currently riding five-fight winning streaks in the promotion. They are Khabib Nurmagomedov and Rafael dos Anjos, and the two lightweight studs will be fighting each other at UFC on FOX 11 this weekend in Orlando, Florida, in a pivotal fight in what is arguably the promotion’s most talent-rich division.

It’s a pivotal fight because the winner of this matchup could very well lay claim to the next title shot in the lightweight division after TUF 20 coaches Gilbert Melendez and Anthony Pettis go to war this December. With Benson Henderson having two losses to the current champ, Josh Thomson coming off a loss to Henderson, Nate Diaz sitting out due to a contract dispute, and TJ Grant indefinitely out with post-concussion symptoms, there is a legitimate need for a new contender in the UFC lightweight division, and the winner of “The Eagle” vs. “RDA” would certainly be an intriguing title contender as both men are extremely skilled mixed martial artists who both bring a lot to the table.

But while this fight between two fighters with solid followings has massive stakes at 155 pounds, apparently it wasn’t massive enough for the UFC head brass to be put on the main card of this weekend’s giant UFC on FOX 11 event. Instead, Nurmagomedov vs. dos Anjos is the “main event” of the FOX Sports 1 preliminary card, a good spot to be for sure, but nothing like opening the main card on big FOX.

Taking a look at the main card of UFC on FOX 11, we have Travis Browne vs. Fabricio Werdum in the headliner, which is fine, and Miesha Tate vs. Liz Carmouche in the co-headliner, which makes sense because the ladies are a big draw right now. There’s also a lightweight matchup between Donald Cerrone (who dos Anjos beat in his last fight, by the way) and Edson Barboza that is destined for Fight of the Night on the main card, so it also makes sense to put on the main card. Then there’s a middleweight bout between Yoel Romero and Brad Tavares, which, in my opinion, is misplaced as a main card fight.

UFC on Fox 11

• Yoel Romero vs. Brad Tavares

Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.

I don’t get it. Was the fact that Romero was losing his last two fights to Ronny Markes and Derek Brunson before mounting third-round comebacks that impressive to matchmaker Joe Silva and the rest of the UFC brass? Were Tavares’ last five decisions over fighters ranked outside the top 15 really impressive enough to warrant this main card spot?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of both Romero and Tavares. Both are great fighters, and both deserve respect from the fans and media. But based on their accomplishments inside the Octagon, and due to the fact they are both actually ranked in the top 10 of their weight division, Nurmagomedov and dos Anjos should have gotten the opening main card spot, not Tavares vs. Romero, who are not ranked in the top 10 and who are far from a title shot in the deep UFC middleweight division.

Now, I doubt Joe Silva, Dana White, Sean Shelby, and the other decision makers at the UFC had an easy time setting the lineup for this stacked FOX card, and the decision to put Tavares vs. Romero on the main card over Nurmagomedov vs. dos Anjos was likely a very difficult call for the UFC to make. But I believe they made the wrong one, because instead of having a new lightweight star born in front of the FOX audience in a division in dire need of fresh legitimate contenders, the UFC instead decided to showcase a middleweight fight between two guys in the top 15, but not anywhere near the top five of their respective division. And to me, anyways, it’s a wasted opportunity.

I don’t know why the UFC decision makers passed on Nurmagomeov and dos Anjos for the main card, but a fight between two studs that is destined for greatness shouldn’t be a preliminary card bout while a fight that is likely to be a grind in Tavares vs. Romero is a main card bout. Hopefully the next time we see the winner of the bout between Nurmagomedov and dos Anjos he is on the main card, and hopefully, with a decisive win on Saturday night at UFC on FOX 11, the victor of the fight earns more respect from the UFC.