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UFC Fight Night 133 – the UFC's first show to take place in the state of Idaho takes place tomorrow night, and for a Fight Night show it’s a surprisingly deep card, filled with intriguing fights all the way from the Fight Pass prelims to the main event.
While most people will be focused on the return of former Heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos in the main event, there’s a lot more to love about this card, including the returns of 3 former title challengers. Here are five things to watch for at UFN 133.
#1 The debut of Blagoy Ivanov
Very few fighters get to main event a show in their first UFC outing, but Bulgaria’s Sambo expert Blagoy Ivanov will be joining that list when he faces off against former champ Junior dos Santos tomorrow night.
Ivanov is bringing a wealth of experience into his UFC debut, as he was the former WSOF Heavyweight champion and hasn’t lost since a Bellator fight in 2014 with current UFC contender Alexander Volkov.
Ivanov is a naturally bigger man than JDS even if he isn’t quite as chiselled, and with the Brazilian having struggled with grappling-based fighters who can also strike in the past (see his fights against Stipe Miocic and Cain Velasquez) this could well be a good match for the Bulgarian.
It’s not like he has anything to fear, after all he’s a man who in 2012 recovered from being stabbed in the heart, and before that he received press for defeating the legendary Fedor Emelianenko in Combat Sambo.
Right now there seems to be a changing of the guard at Heavyweight, Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem both lost recently to up and comers, JDS could well be the next legend to go down at the hands of a relative newcomer. Watch this space.
#2 The return of Chad Mendes
It’s been almost three years since we last saw Chad Mendes in the Octagon – the former Featherweight title challenger was suspended by USADA for a positive PED test following his knockout loss at the hands of Frankie Edgar in December 2015, and this weekend sees his big return.
The UFC haven’t thrown him a softball either, he’s facing Myles Jury, a well rounded fighter who has won his last two contests.
In his prime, his powerful wrestling game combined with an improving, dangerous kickboxing arsenal would’ve given Mendes a comfortable advantage in a match like this, but coming off so long on the shelf, it’s hard to tell exactly what he’s got left in the tank, particularly as he’s 33 years old now and was knocked out in his previous two fights prior to the suspension.
Jury will be seeing this fight as a chance to claim a major scalp in terms of reputation, and given we’ve seen the likes of Carlos Condit, Jake Ellenberger and Thiago Alves go down against up-and-comers this year, Mendes could be in for a tough ride.
If he comes back with a vengeance, then he’s likely an instant title contender. This is a can’t miss fight at 145lbs.
#3 The last chance saloon for Cat Zingano
Current UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes has won her last 7 fights, most of them in violent fashion. So you’d be forgiven for forgetting exactly who handed her the last defeat on her ledger.
It was Cat Zingano, but unfortunately ‘Alpha’ hasn’t exactly seen a lot of success since. That victory came in September 2014 and she’s only fought three times since, losing to Ronda Rousey in her title challenge, and then being outpointed by Julianna Pena and Ketlen Vieira.
It is notable however that she was never out of the Pena and Vieira fights despite clearly losing on the score cards, and more to the point - this weekend’s fight marks the first time she’s managed to fight more than once in the same calendar year since 2010.
An incredibly talented, tough and aggressive fighter, she’s also been racked with injuries and is now 36 – meaning questions are to be asked about how much she’s got left to offer.
This fight with Marion Reneau – actually older than Zingano at 41 probably represents the last chance saloon for Zingano.
Win and she’s instantly back in the title picture, as Reneau is on a 4-fight unbeaten streak and is considered a bona fide contender, but lose and the calls for retirement will surely be heard. Zingano's back is to the wall, but as she’s one of the most likeable fighters on the UFC roster, hopefully she can pull out the win.
#4 The continuing development of Sage Northcutt
Sage Northcutt has become somewhat maligned by fans and fellow professionals alike simply due to his hefty payout and push from the UFC brass, and quite frankly, that isn’t really fair.
Sure, the 22-year old isn’t close to being a title contender at 155lbs or 170lbs, but nobody’s ever called him that, and when low UFC payouts are such a big talking point, how can you really begrudge someone like Northcutt being paid well?
In reality ‘Super Sage’ is a strongly developing prospect, and while he didn’t look great in his last fight, he arguably could’ve lost a decision to Thibault Gouti in February. He’s clearly still finding his feet in the Octagon and had definitely made some notable improvements - mainly in his offensive wrestling game.
Now training with Team Alpha Male on a full-time basis, we can probably expect to see more major improvements from Northcutt this weekend. He’s a fantastic athlete and learning from the likes of Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez will help any fighter.
In Zak Ottow he’s facing a very beatable opponent – ‘The Barbarian’ folded under the strikes of Jingliang Li in his last outing, and the same could be possible when he faces Northcutt.
#5 There’s a possible contender on Fight Pass!
The UFC’s choices when it comes to bout order are always somewhat questionable – particularly on Fight Night cards, and there’s a major oversight on tomorrow’s show - namely the fact that one Jennifer Maia is making her debut buried on the Fight Pass prelims.
The Brazilian has been ranked as the world’s top Flyweight fighter for some time now, and tomorrow will be her chance to throw her name into the hat of contenders for Nicco Montano’s UFC title.
A classic Chute Boxe fighter who brings wild aggression and a violent striking game into the cage, Maia is a former professional boxer who also holds a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and has almost as many submissions on her ledger as she does knockouts.
She’s also got some impressive names on her resume – from Roxanne Modafferi to current Straw-weight top contender Jessica Andrade.
Liz Carmouche – a former title challenger at Bantamweight – is the woman standing in her way in Boise, and while ‘Girl-Rilla’ is more proven in the UFC, she’s also on the downswing of her career and lost her last fight in disappointing fashion.
If Maia can debut by stopping her, then she should be instantly elevated to a higher spot in the UFC’s newest division – even if not many people will be watching.
