First and Worst: Week of June 16 – June 22, 2014

By Adam Martin

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: Jacare Souza vs. Gegard Mousasi 2, UFC 176

My pick for the best new fight announced this past week is the upcoming middleweight rematch at UFC 176 between Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Gegard Mousasi. The event takes place August 2 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, and the bout will serve as the co-main event to the evening’s headliner of Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes 2.

Souza and Mousasi first met in DREAM in 2008, in a memorable bout which Mousasi won via a first-round upkick knockout. Since then, both fighters have been absolutely sensational, with Souza going 10-1 with 1 NC and Mousasi going 11-1-1 over stints in the UFC, Strikeforce, and DREAM. Right now, both men are ranked in the top 10 of the UFC middleweight division, and a big win at UFC 176 is going to put the winner very close to a title shot at 185 pounds.

The first fight did end by knockout obviously, but it was kind of a funny knockout, so it will be interesting to see how the rematch plays out. Mousasi was on his back when he threw the kick at Souza’s face and knocked him out cold, but what would have happened had Jacare been able to dive into the guard and start working his brilliant ground game? It’s an interesting dynamic, and it’s possible we’ll get to see how that plays out in the rematch.

Another thing that’s intriguing is that while Mousasi has always been known as a guy with great standup skills, in the last few years, Souza has dramatically improved his striking as well. So if this fight stays on the feet, it’s not for certain that “The Dreamcatcher” has the advantage there, whereas the first time they fought, it was clear that Mousasi had the striking edge.

Whether this fight takes place on the feet or on the ground, though, this should be a great fight, and I can’t wait for it to go down this summer.

UFC 176

• Gegard Mousasi vs. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza

Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.

Worst: Joe Ellenberger vs. James Moontasri, UFC Fight Night 44

My pick for the worst new fight announced this past week is the upcoming lightweight bout between Joe Ellenberger and James Moontasri, which takes place this Saturday at UFC Fight Night 44 at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. It will be the first fight on the main card.

This isn’t a terrible fight or anything on its own, but the circumstances which led to it being made are why I’m rating it as the worst fight announced this past week.

Anyone who has been following Ellenberger’s UFC tenure knows it’s been difficult for Jake’s brother to get a fight. He was set to make his debut this past April at UFC 172 against Yancy Medeiros, but at the last second his opponent was changed to Vagner Rocha, who then pulled out the day before the fight. Ellenberger, who was left without an opponent at that point, was taken off the card.

The UFC then booked Ellenberger to fight at UFC Fight Night 44 against Frank Trevino, but there was a switch on the card and Trevino was removed and replaced by Johnny Case. Then Case had an eye exam issue and was removed and replaced by Bryan Barberena. Then, for whatever, reason, Barberena was taken off the card and switched with James Moontasri, who will now fight Ellenberger this weekend, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Phew. See what I mean? Crazy, right? I’ve never seen a UFC newcomer have such a hard time getting someone to fight him as I have with Ellenberger, and I wonder why that’s the case. Hopefully the fight with Moontasri is a fun one, but I just hope in the future, guys who sign up to fight Ellenberger go through with it, because at this point it just seems like guys are trying to avoid him, and I don’t understand why.

UFC Fight Night 44