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Now that we’ve seen a resolution of sorts to UFC 175′s Chael Sonnen/Wanderlei Silva/Vitor Belfort debacle, let’s turn our focus back to the in-cage attractions, shall we?
Saturday’s UFC 174 headliner, flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson (19-2-1 MMA, 7-1-1 UFC) and challenger Ali Bagautinov (13-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC), will never be the caliber of salesman as the now-retired Sonnen. You won’t, however, catch them in a testosterone scandal – fingers crossed – or watch them blur the lines between pro-wrestling and MMA.
As of late, our sport has been a soap opera. Meanwhile, these guys just fight. And if you’re a fight fan, as UFC President Dana White frequently exhorts, you should like that just as much.
Johnson, for one, has done his job in the cage. After catching flak for excessively bobbing and weaving, the flyweight champ answered critics this past December when he knocked out Joseph Benavidez for his second straight stoppage. He’s putting on better fights, and now, it’s time for the fans to vote with their dollars.
On Saturday, “Mighty Mouse” punches the clock for his first pay-per-view headliner, which takes place at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena and is the promotion’s first trip to the city in three years. Johnson’s starring role at UFC 174 comes at an interesting point in the UFC’s business, a period that could generously be described as a transitional phase for stars. With another one now forced to hang up his gloves, the roster of proven draws gets a little bit smaller. For the flyweight champ, the shoes to fill get bigger.
Bagautinov is a strong competitor, having won three straight fights since his debut in the UFC’s flyweight division, but he’s largely unknown to all but hardcore fans. His run includes a victory over the heavy-handed Jon Lineker, who looked like one of the more significant threats to Johnson’s crown. But the wrestling that the Dagestani fighter used to overcome Lineker isn’t likely to be an advantage against the champ, and so he’s a significant (+450) underdog coming into Saturday.
Elsewhere on the main card, which airs on PPV following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass, the one fight that offered immediate significance to the welterweight division appears to have been downgraded. Rory MacDonald (16-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) vs. Tryon Woodley (13-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) isn’t guaranteed to produce the next title contender, as a bout between Robbie Lawler and Matt Brown has jumped the line, according to the UFC.
Despite losing a little luster due to the hullabaloo surrounding TRT, next month’s UFC 175 event remains the biggest showpiece of the mid-year mark. UFC 174 is an appetizer to the main course.
Get your napkins out; here are 10 reasons to watch UFC 174.
1. Building a dynasty
The air gets rarer as you stretch beyond a trio of UFC title defenses. Only nine fighters in the UFC’s 21-year history, including notables such as Chuck Liddell and Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre, have consecutively defended their belt on at least four occasions. Johnson could join that exclusive club if he gets past Baugatinov, and he’s heavily favored to do so.
2. Next title challenger
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It’s a slim chance that the next flyweight contender gets decided on Saturday night, but all indications point toward John Dodson getting a rematch with Johnson, who beat the title hopeful in early 2013. Johnson apparently isn’t keen on the bout, but his former opponent is the one of the winningest flyweights in the division and recently dominated onetime title challenger John Moraga. A few well-directed inquiries at the event’s post-presser could get the ball rolling.
3. Close enough
When MacDonald vs. Woodley was signed in April, a runoff in the welterweight division came to a head with the pair of standouts. But unfortunately for them, that ample time worked against them. In May, Brown delivered a triumphant victory over Erick Silva, and Lawler stopped Jake Ellenberger. Suddenly, MacDonald and Woodley’s wins over Demian Maia and Carlos Condit, respectively, didn’t look as impressive. Now, it seems they are bound to wait a little longer for their ultimate opportunity. Maybe, though, that motivates a “Fight of the Year” performance that bucks the UFC’s plans to pit Brown vs. Lawler for the next shot.
4. Wrestler vs. slugger
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Light heavyweight Rafael Cavalcante (12-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is not a guy who likes to go to the scorecards. In fact, “Feijao” has never done it, win or lose. The Brazilian either finishes his opponents with fists or gets finished. Now, he faces an interesting challenge in Ryan Bader (16-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC), who has the wrestling skills to keep him grounded for 15 minutes – if he uses them. Bader isn’t immune to heavy-handed strikers, so it’s a question of who asserts himself more effectively.
5. Return of ‘Pitbull’
In 2005, Andrei Arlovski (21-10 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was the face of the UFC’s heavyweight division – a fast-handed Belarusian with sneaky leglocks and a mouthguard with fangs. Dual losses to Tim Sylvia signaled the end of his title run, and upon leaving the promotion for greener pastures, a string of four losses, including three by vicious KO, wrecked his career.
Arlovski, though, didn’t give up. He rebuilt himself in smaller, yet notable, promotions and amassed a 6-1 record. A good relationship with the UFC gave his managers an opening to pitch the fighter, and now he’s getting what’s likely his last chance to cap off a long career. Expectations are low for “The Pitbull” when he meets Brendan Schaub (10-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC), who’s younger but may not be faster when it comes to hand speed. Schaub could turn this into a wrestle-fest, but Arlovski could pull off the upset with a well-placed right hand.
6. ‘TUF: Brazil’ winner drops weight
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Daniel Sarafian (8-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) blew through the middleweight bracket on the inaugural season of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil,” but his fortunes changed following an injury that kept him from the finals. After going 1-2 at 185 pounds, the Brazilian is trying his hand at welterweight, where he’ll meet Kiichi Kunimoto (16-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC), whose UFC debut was spoiled by the illegal elbows of Luiz Jorge Dutra Jr. The Japanese fighter, of course, is looking for a second chance, and Sarafian may be getting his last one to keep his UFC job.
7. Tristar vs. Sikjitsu
Montreal’s Tristar gym has, of course, helped produce several UFC standouts and one all-time great in former champ Georges St-Pierre. Despite previous controversy, Spokane, Wash.’s Sik-Jitsu Fighting Systems is a little engine that could, turning out fighters such as Michael Chiesa, Sam Sicilia and Juilianna Pena, whose injury brought the gym some bad press. Two women’s bantamweight standouts from the respective gyms, Valerie Letourneau (5-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Elizabeth Phillips (4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), hope to do their teams proud in their UFC debuts.
8. ‘Hulk’ and the bruiser
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Bantamweight Mike Easton (13-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) was throughly outclassed by T.J. Dillashaw in his most recent fight, but you would think the fact that Dillashaw is now the champ is something of a mitigating factor for “The Hulk,” who’s lost his past three. Regardless, Easton badly needs a win, and striking specialist Yves Jabouin (19-9 MMA, 4-3 UFC) is likely to make him work for every point.
9. Everything heals
“TUF: Nations” vet Kajan Johnson (19-10-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) fell prey to season winner Chad Laprise’s heavy hands, suffering a broken jaw in the show’s semifinals. Now, the lightweight gets what’s perhaps a less strenuous challenge with the uneven Tae Hyun Bang (16-8 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who lost to Mairbek Taisumov in his octagon debut.
10. Undefeated bantamweight prospect
Michinori Tanaka (9-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has logged time with Team Alpha Male as a bantamweight and is undefeated in nine fights, having finished all but two of his opponents. A submission specialist, he needs to get Roland Delorme (9-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) to the mat in order to make his UFC debut a successful one.
For more on UFC 174, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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