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: Charles Rosa vs. Sean Soriano, UFC Fight Night 59
My pick for the best new fight announced this past week is the featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night 59 between prospects Charles Rosa and Sean Soriano. The card takes place January 18 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, and Rosa vs. Soriano will take place on the preliminary portion of the card.
This isn’t a blockbuster fight, it’s not a title fight, and it doesn’t mean anything as far as the rankings go. However, I think it’s a great matchup between two young guns looking to stick around the UFC, and I think it’s going to prove to be a sleeper Fight of the Night candidate when it’s all said and done.
Rosa recently won a share of Fight of the Night for his three-round battle against Dennis Siver, a fight where he clearly lost but was very competitive in — and he took that fight on a week’s notice. Now, with a full training camp in tow, I think the top prospect fighting out of American Top Team is going to look to show UFC matchmakers and fans just what he’s all about, and as someone who has had his eye on Rosa for a while, I for one am excited.
As for Soriano, he is 0-2 in the UFC and the Blackzilian is going to need to beat Rosa to stick around. The highly-touted prospect took on Tatsuya Kawajiri in his UFC debut nearly a year ago on short notice and was submitted, but there’s no shame in losing to a vet like that. However, he then took on another prospect in Chas Skelly and was completely dominated for three rounds. Soriano still has potential, but he hasn’t shown it so far in the UFC, and he’ll need to look impressive against Rosa if he wants his stock to stay up.
Both fighters have a lot of pressure on them going into this fight, as a poor performance could see either fighter cut, but I’m thinking with that pressure on them, both men are going to have great performances. I expect nothing less than a three-round war when these two take each other on this coming January in Boston.
• Sean Soriano vs. Charles Rosa
Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.
Worst: Thiago Tavares vs. Nik Lentz 2, UFC Fight Night 60
My pick for the worst new fight announced this past week is the featherweight fight at UFC Fight Night 60 between veterans Thiago Tavares and Nik Lentz. UFC Fight Night 60 takes place February 14 at 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado, and it’s likely Tavares vs. Lentz finds its way onto the main card.
This is actually a rematch of the pair’s first fight at UFC Fight Night 20, a fight that ended in a draw after Tavares kicked Lentz in the groin and was deducted a point by the referee. Had the point not been taken away, Tavares would have won a split decision, but with the point deduction it was a majority draw.
The thing about this rematch is that the first fight wasn’t anything special, and in fact was quite boring. Yes, that fight was at lightweight and it was a few years ago, plus both men have improved since then, but both fighters’ base is still grappling, and both are the kind of fighters that push each other up against the fence. I fully expect that to happen in this rematch, and that’s why I don’t really like it, because I think it will be boring.
I also feel like this is an unfair step down for Lentz. Remember, he was just scheduled to fight Charles Oliveira at UFC Fight Night 44, but Oliveira pulled out of the fight with an illness at the last second. The UFC opted not to re-book a rematch, instead giving Oliveira a fight with top-15 ranked Jeremy Stephens at the TUF 20 Finale, and pairing up Lentz with the unranked Tavares. To me, it’s a step down because Lentz wasn’t the one who got sick, and Tavares isn’t ranked. To me, the pairings should have been reversed.
Unlike many, I actually enjoy watching Lentz fight, but I think the style matchup here with Tavares is going to lead to boredom for 15 minutes, and I’m not looking forward to this fight at all.
• Nik Lentz vs. Thiago Tavares
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UFC Fight Night 59: McGregor vs. Siver is due to take place on January 18, 2015 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC Fight Night 59 will be.
UFC Fight Night 60: Henderson vs. Thatch (formerly UFC Fight Night 60: Brown vs. Saffiedine, UFC Fight Night 60: Thatch vs. Thompson) is due to take place on February 14, 2015 at 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC Fight Night 60 will be.
