UFC: May Has Some Big Fights In Store For Fans

By Adam Martin

Let’s face it, the UFC has had a rough start to 2017. For various reasons, the promotion’s three pay-per-view events — UFC 208, UFC 209, and UFC 210 — were disappointing to fans, and while a few television cards did live up to expectations, overall, the first third of 2017 was a bust for the UFC. Thankfully for the UFC, the first third of the year is now over, and the promotion — as well as fight fans — can now look forward to what should be a fantastic month for mixed martial arts.

The big card is of course UFC 211. This is one of the most stacked pay-per-views in quite some time, and it should really be an amazing night of fights headlined by the UFC heavyweight title rematch between champion Stipe Miocic and challenger Junior dos Santos. These two heavyweights previously met in 2014 with JDS earning a close decision win in a “Fight of the Night” performance, and the rematch should be just as entertaining. Both JDS and Miocic are legit top-five heavyweights, and this fight is going to be amazing.

The co-main event is also a title fight, with UFC Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk defending her belt against Jessica Andrade. Jedrzejczyk has been unstoppable in the UFC and in her career, as she carries a perfect 13-0 record into this fight with a 7-0 UFC record and four straight title defences to her name. However, if anyone in the division is going to test Jedrzejczyk on the feet, it’s Andrade, who is like a female version of John Lineker. She is a super aggressive fighter with a high-paced striking attack and iron chin, and she should be able to give Jedrzejczyk a lot of problems in a great strawweight title fight.

Also on UFC 211 is a probable welterweight title eliminator between Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia. Most feel Maia should already have a title shot, on the heels of a six-fight win streak, but the UFC wants him to first get by Masvidal, who is coming off of a big KO win over Donald Cerrone. In addition, a featherweight fight pits Frankie Edgar against Yair Rodriguez, who could very well get the next 145 title shot if he can take out the former lightweight champ Edgar. And this isn’t even mentioning the ridiculously-fun lightweight matchup between Dustin Poirier and Eddie Alvarez or the sleeper featherweight contest between Chas Skelly and Jason “Fight of the” Knight. As you can tell by my enthusiasm, I truly believe this is one of the best cards the UFC has ever put together, and I would be very surprised if it turned out to be a dud.

There are actually only two UFC cards in May, with UFC 211 being the first and UFC Fight Night 109 being the other. This is also a great card, especially one for television, as the main event is a fantastic five-round light heavyweight fight between Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira. With 205 being as shallow as it is, don’t be surprised if the winner of this fight gets a title shot at some point. The co-main event is also a light heavyweight bout, as it sees prospects Misha Cirkunov and Volkan Oezdemir doing battle. Both men are ranked UFC light heavyweights, and the winner of this important bout will likely get a top-five opponent in his next outing, which would put him one additional win away from a title shot.

Between UFC 211 and UFC Fight Night 109, there’s a lot of quality MMA coming up this month, especially in the UFC. The promotion had a tough start to 2017 but has a chance to pick up a lot of momentum with these two cards. It’s also worth mentioning that the UFC’s main competitor Bellator has a nice card coming up, Bellator 179, featuring a main event between Rory MacDonald and Paul Daley that has the potential for fireworks. Basically, it’s a good time for the sport, and after a rocky opening to 2017, this month promises to bring a positive change.

UFC 211: Miocic vs. Dos Santos 2 takes place May 13, 2017 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

UFC Fight Night 109: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira takes place May 28, 2017 at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden.