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: Adriano Martins vs. Rustam Khabilov, UFC Fight Night 61
My pick for the best new fight announced this past week is the upcoming lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 61 between Adriano Martins and Rustam Khabilov. The card takes place February 22 in Porto Algere, Brazil, and this exciting fight is expected to be on the main card.
This is an excellent matchup between two up-and-coming lightweight contenders. Martins has looked excellent in the UFC save for a knockout loss to top contender Donald Cerrone, while Khabilov has more or less looked exceptional, save for eating a knee and then getting choked out by Benson Henderson in his last fight, a fight he was winning up until that point.
I am expecting great things when these two step into the cage next February. For Martins, he will be fighting at home in Brazil and will look to feed off of the crowd’s energy to get the victory, while Khabilov will be fighting in hostile territory, and a win in that scenario would show that he’s indeed a top contender. Martins looked like a world beater in his last fight, dispatching Juan Manuel Puig in easy fashion, so for Khabilov to beat him would be really showing a lot about where he stacks up compared to the rest of the division.
UFC Fight Night 61 is looking like it will be a very solid fight card, as it’s headlined by a light heavyweight bout between Glover Teixeira and Rashad Evans, and fights like Martins vs. Khabilov can only strengthen the undercard.
• Rustam Khabilov vs. Adriano Martins
Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.
Worst: Derrick Lewis vs. Ruan Potts, UFC 184
My pick for the worst new fight announced this past week is the upcoming heavyweight bout at UFC 184 between Derrick Lewis and Ruan Potts. The card takes place February 28 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, and this fight is expected to be on the preliminary card.
Yes, this fight should provide a highlight-reel knockout for Lewis, but what’s the point? We have seen through Potts’ first two UFC fights that not only is he lacking in offensive skill, but he also has a weak chin. He was knocked out in the guard by Soa Palelei in his debut, and in his second fight he was taken down, punched in the body, and finished by Anthony Hamilton with ease. He is not a UFC-caliber fighter, and I have no idea why the UFC kept him around for a third fight, let alone put him into an awful matchup against Lewis, who is a far superior fighter.
Lewis was knocked out by Matt Mitrione in his last fight, but in his first two UFC bouts he showed great knockout power in dispatching Guto Inocente and Jack May in the first round of both bouts. I was surprised he lost to Mitrione, but after Mitrione’s recent KO over Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC on Fox 13, it’s really not a bad loss at all. The UFC matchmakers clearly like Lewis and want to get him an easy win over a guy like Potts so they can hype him up, that much is obvious.
But again, what’s the point? There are a lot of fights the UFC books where most of them can really go either way, but this one is so lopsided that I would honestly be shocked if Lewis lost. Potts just isn’t good enough to be at this level, and while Lewis definitely disappointed against Mitrione, he’s still a solid heavyweight fighter who should be fighting someone a bit higher up the food chain.
There will likely be a highlight-reel knockout in this one, but like Potts’ last fight in California against Hamilton, I don’t think this one is going to end well at all for him, and I expect the UFC to cut him from the roster as soon as it’s over.
• Derrick Lewis vs. Ruan Potts
Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.
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UFC Fight Night 61: Mir vs. Bigfoot (formerly UFC Fight Night 61: Evans vs. Teixeira) is due to take place on February 22, 2015 at Gigantinho Gymnasium in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC Fight Night 61 will be.
UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano (formerly UFC 184: Weidman vs. Belfort) is due to take place on February 28, 2015 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC 184 will be.
