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: Joseph Benavidez vs. Henry Cejudo, UFC 191
My pick for the best new fight announced this past week is the upcoming bantamweight bout at UFC 191 between Joseph Benavidez and Henry Cejudo. The event takes place September 5 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Benavidez vs. Cejudo will likely open up the PPV card.
This is an amazing fight, and the winner of this bout likely will face the winner of John Dodson vs. champ Demetrious Johnson for the next title shot at 125 lbs. Benavidez has proven time and time again he’s the second-best flyweight in the Octagon behind Johnson, while Cejudo has shown in his performances so far inside the Octagon that he is a legitimate prospect who has championship potential.
This is a tough fight to call. Benavidez is definitely the more well-rounded, proven fighter, but Cejudo has amazing wrestling and his striking is improving constantly as well. So it’s an interesting fight. We have seen Benavidez taken down and controlled by better wrestlers before, but with his submission prowess, anytime his fights hit the mat he is a threat to score a submission.
Ultimately, I feel like Cejudo’s wrestling is just too dominant, but at the same time, I’m not super confident in him. Benavidez is a threat anywhere the fight goes, so I think he’ll make it close, but I do think Cejudo is going to be the next man to fight for the belt, and I’d be excited if that was against Johnson, who up until this point has faced nearly no adversity in his UFC career.
• Joseph Benavidez vs. Henry Cejudo
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Worst: Ray Borg vs. Geane Herrera, UFC Fight Night 73
My pick for the worst new fight announced this past week is the upcoming flyweight bout between Ray Borg and UFC newcomer Geane Herrera. The fight takes place at UFC Fight Night 73, which goes down August 8 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, and it’s expected to be a preliminary bout.
This is another fight that Sean Shelby put together that I just don’t understand. Borg is one of the brightest prospects at 125 lbs, and he’s looked fantastic in the UFC so far, going 2-1 with two submission wins over Shane Howell and Chris Kelades, and a close split decision loss to Dustin Ortiz. He may be young, but he has shown incredible skills in the Octagon — especially in the grappling department – and I figured he would be fighting someone ranked in the top 15 after being so impressive in the UFC.
Instead, the UFC is giving him Herrera, who hasn’t fought in the UFC yet and who overall has fought a bunch of cans on the regional circuit. Herrera seems like a solid prospect, so I don’t understand why the UFC would want to throw him in the cage with a killer in Borg. It’s just a very rough UFC debut, and considering there is still a month left until this card, I figured the UFC would have no problem finding an opponent.
I do think this fight has the potential to be exciting, but again, I don’t like the matchmaking because you’re burning out a prospect. I’m expecting Borg to roll here, but hopefully Herrera can hang in the fight and learn something from the loss. I’m not counting on it, though.
• Ray Borg vs. Geane Herrera
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UFC 191: Johnson vs. Dodson 2 takes place on September 5, 2015 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC 191 will be.
UFC Fight Night 73: Saint Preux vs. Teixeira takes place on August 8, 2015 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC Fight Night 73 will be.
