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UFC on FOX 17 closes out a successful 2015 for the company with its Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos defending his beltWith the recently implemented and stringent USADA testing, Jon Jones’s unfortunate car-gate incident, Nick Diaz’s ludicrous suspension and the Irish takeover of the UFC all propping up what has been a topsy-turvy year for the company outside of the octagon, UFC on FOX 17 yields an exciting array of fights that promise to close out an unpredictable year of results inside of it in style. Featuring fights that each have the potential to steal the show on the night, the main event in the Lightweight division between wildly popular challenger Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone and a champion eager to cement his standing in Rafael Dos Anjos is also likely to entail much relevance for the UFC and its biggest star Conor McGregor, going forward.Not to be outdone, the heavyweight clash on the card finally pits one of the UFC’s most potent knock-out artists in Junior Dos Santos against Alaistair Overeem, an appetizing match-up between two pure strikers that could have come to pass on two instances earlier, had the Dutchman not defaulted on both occasions. However what is undoubtedly shaping up to be a testy encounter between Nate Diaz and Michael Johnson, further stoked by an altercation after the open workout session, could well end up being the fight of the night given neither man’s proclivity to retract their words or their steps in the lead up to their encounter.With the action kicked off by Randa Markos and UFC debutant Karolina Kowalkiewicz, in what can also be expected to be a hard-fought encounter to set the ball rolling for the night’s proceedings, UFC on FOX 17 has all the markings of being a juicy card for the fans to sink their teeth into and close out what has already turned out into a hugely eventful year for the company on a tasteful note.
#1 Randa Markos vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz
With the opening fight on the UFC on FOX cards generally associated with being barnburners, the showdown between Randa Markos and undefeated Polish debutant Karolina Kowalkiewicz has every chance of living up to the hype and setting the tone for the fights to follow. Randa Markos, despite her unimposing demeanour, is as tough as they come and is one of those fighters that inevitably draws her opponents into scraps rather then let them settle into establishing their rhythm and gameplan.
Facing her is Polish debutant Karolina Kowalkiewicz, with a thus far unblemished record of 7-0, who seems to primarily be a striker but is also comfortable on the ground given that 2 out of her 7 victories have come via submission. How she deals with the tendency of Markos to always be in the face of her opponents and take them down may eventually end up deciding the direction in which the pendulum of the fight swings.
Understandably since this is her UFC debut, Kowalkiewicz enters the contest as a wildcard, but to be matched up against someone of the heart of Randa Markos could yet serve to either kickstart her UFC career in impressive fashion or sideline her from the onset. While Markos stood out for her grit in the Ultimate Fighter show, we cannot merely consign her just as a tough fighter given that she has started training at the Tristar Gym under the able tutelage of Firas Zahabi for the last few months.
Expect improvements in the stand-up department from Markos in addition to her natural ground game and wicked arm-bar, which should make for an interesting fight against Kowalkiewicz to say the least, as the opening header of the UFC on FOX 17 card.
Prediction: Randa Markos via Armbar
#2 Michael Johnson vs Nate Diaz
This fight had every stylistic indication of being an all-out war, even before either fighter started sniping at each other and stepping on the other’s toe in an attempt to gain a mental edge before the showdown. Add to the mix the fact that one of the fighters is a Diaz brother, earmarked equally for their erratic behaviour as well as their propensity to never back down during a fight, and we can all agree that this particular encounter is like a box of fireworks, begging for the slightest spark to ignite it.
The altercation between Michael Johnson and Nate Diaz just after the open workouts may have well been that spark, meaning that fight fans are likely set to witness a rambunctious showdown between the two on Sunday(India). While Johnson heads into the contest the favourite, especially considering the year-long layoff that Diaz is coming off after the loss he suffered to current champion Dos Anjos, writing off Nick Diaz’s chances in this fight would be nothing short of folly.
With both fighters possessing an almost bottomless gas tank, expect a furious pace to the fight right from the get-go, with Johnson’s consummate wrestling as pivotal to his chances in winning this fight as could be Diaz’s ability to maintain range and reel off those slick and effortless boxing combinations. While Johnson’s power advantage could undoubtedly test Diaz’s iron chin, the fight may actually come down to whether Diaz can negate Johnson’s wrestling and keep the fight as a stand-up war. However given Diaz’s ability to work magic off his back owing to his dexterity in Jiu-Jitsu, this fight promises to be competitive wherever it goes and could likely be the front-runner for fight of the night honours.
Prediction: Michael Johnson via Split Decision
#3 Junior Dos Santos vs Alistair Overeem
The clash between these two heavyweight strikers has been set-up twice before, only for Alistair Overeem to be pulled from the card once for failing a drug test and the second time citing leg injury. Thankfully, and just in the nick of time given that this is the last UFC fight for Overeem before his contract runs out, two of the heavyweight division’s pure strikers finally come together for their long awaited showdown, as far as fight fans are concerned.
Given that Dos Santos took a tremendous beating twice at the hands of Cain Velasquez and how punishment-prone he looked in the war he waged against Stipe Miocic, the year long break and a change of camps to the American Top Team may have served Cigano well in retrospect as he certainly seems to be chipper leading up to this fight. Alistair Overeem on the other hand is fighting for his UFC future, surely adding extra incentive going into the fight for the Dutchman to prove his worth to the company.
With both fighters preferring to keep the fight standing, though excelling in different aspects of the striking game, this fight could ultimately boil down to which fighter can manage distance better and establish his will on the fight. While the hand speed and knock-out power advantage undeniably goes to the Brazilian, Overeem’s highly technical knee striking to the body could affect the fight in a major way if he manages to fight in the clinch and not let Dos Santos establish striking range where he can then free his arms.
Expect Overeem to be techical with his kicking as well in order to maintain range and Cigano to try and wade inside to land that devastating overhand right that has accounted for almost every notable scalp in the division thus far.
Prediction : Junior Dos Santos via T.K.O
#4 Donald Cerrone vs Rafael Dos Anjos
Donald Cerrone has never been one to follow the rigours or tight-knit schedules that other fighters studiously adhere to come fight-week, and the approach he has adopted leading up to his first ever title shot in the UFC has unsurprisingly been no different. With him also being emotionally invested in delivering the UFC belt to his grandmother who is on her final stretch, this upcoming fight against Rafael Dos Anjos could well showcase the best of the Cowboy that we have ever seen; or the worst.
If Donald Cerrone mentally folds like he appeared to have done on the face of Nate Diaz’s trash talk and incessant pressuring during their fight, a primed and motivated Rafael Dos Anjos with a chip on his shoulder to prove his worth as a champion of note in the UFC could realistically be the Cowboy’s toughest test till date, both stylistically and mentally.
Having already lost to the champion once, Donald Cerrone has to figure out a way to off-set a tried and tested formula that Dos Anjos has at his disposal to both negate Cerrone’s kicking game and to find openings for his right hook from the southpaw stance that he employs. Having started off as a jiu-jitsu fighter, it bodes omniously for Cerrone that this well-rounded version of Dos Anjos may be the best fighter he has ever faced till date, especially considering how the champion ragdolled Anthony Pettis, another fine exponent of kicking, in March.
However, it is note-worthy that ever since his loss to Dos Anjos, Cerrone has embarked on a 8 fight win streak in the UFC against substantial opposition, including the likes of Edson Barbosa, Jim Miller and Benson Henderson, and heads into this title fight with massive amounts of momentum on his side. With a wildly popular and carefree challenger looking to make a statement of intent up against a champion looking to construct his legacy, Donald Cerrone vs Rafael Dos Anjos 2 certainly promises to deliver on its pre-fight hype and stamp the punctuation on what has been a stellar year of growth for both the sport of MMA and indeed, the UFC.
Prediction : Rafael Dos Anjos via Unanimous Decision
