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: Julie Kedzie vs. Germaine De Randamie, UFC on FOX 8
My pick for the best fight announced this past week is the upcoming women’s bantamweight bout at UFC on FOX 8 between Julie Kedzie and Germaine De Randamie, which will mark the UFC debuts of both women.
Both fighters are extremely high-level strikers. Kedzie, who is also a color commentator for Invicta Fighting Championships, is one of the most recognizable faces in women’s MMA, and has been ranked among the top 10 for a decade, while De Randamie was a muay Thai kickboxer who has since transferred her skills nicely into MMA.
The fans at KeyArena in Seattle, Washington (as well as those watching on FOX around the world) will surely get their money’s worth with this fight, which is sure to provide either three rounds of back-and-forth excitement, or one very memorable knockout. Plus, one can expect that the winner will move into title contention in the very thin UFC women’s bantamweight division.
Worst: Paulo Thiago vs. Michel Prazeres, UFC on FX 8
The worst fight announced this past week is the welterweight bout between Paulo Thiago and Michel Prazeres, which takes place at UFC on FX 8. Prazeres, who is making his UFC debut, is filling in on short notice for an injured Lance Benoist, while Thiago fights for the first time since a decision loss to Dong Hyun Kim last November at UFC on Fuel TV 6, his fourth loss in his last five fights.
I admit I don’t know much if anything about Brazeres, but I can’t imagine this is a very fair matchup. After all, even though Thiago is on a losing skid, he is a longtime veteran of the Octagon, and he’s defeated fighters such as Josh Koscheck and Mike Swick during his UFC run. Prazeres, on the other hand, is undefeated at 16-0, but he’s fought only four times in the past six years, including only twice in the past three years, and he’s never fought an elite fighter. Considering Thiago has been much more active during that time period as well, this seems like a very difficult UFC debut for Prazeres.
It’s possible that Prazeres could surprise all of us and continue his undefeated streak, but I really do think this is the UFC trying to set Thiago up with a winnable fight because he’s a big name in Brazil, and they can’t afford to have him on a losing streak since he’s very popular in South America.
However, it is a win-win situation in a sense, because if Prazeres pulls off the upset over Thiago, the UFC will have a new prospect to market, and if Thiago wins, then they can continue to sell him as a star in Brazil, even though he’s past his prime. Still, though, of all the new UFC fights booked this past week, Thiago vs. Prazeres is the least intriguing.
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UFC on Fox 8 is due to take place on July 27, 2013 at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington.
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UFC on FX 8: Belfort vs. Rockhold is due to take place on May 18, 2013 at Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC on FX 8 will be.
