THE UFC RETURNS to the UK this weekend and while the main event is an all-American affair, there are plenty of British fighters on the card to have a look at.
For once, UK and Irish fans will be able watch a live event at a reasonable hour and, in addition to seeing Chris Leben and Mark Muñoz take to the octagon in the main event, will have an opportunity to follow the progress of British duo Brad Pickett and Terry Etim.
Best of British
The UK and Ireland’s MMA scene has grown immeasurably of late, so it’s exciting to see some of the brightest prospects from that pool of talent being offered an international stage on which to showcase their ability.
With the dominance of North and South American fighters on the UFC roster, shows like this weekend’s in Birmingham can provide a good platform for European fighters to try and gain that all-important UFC contract.
Brad Pickett will be looking to emulate the likes of Michael Bisping and Rob Broughton, who won in front of their home crowd the last time the UFC was in the UK, when he takes on top prospect Renan Barão.
Since losing his first professional bout, Barão has gone on to develop a 26-fight winning streak, one of the longest in MMA. But despite being favourite to win with most bookmakers, this is an obvious step up in class for the 24-year-old.
Pickett has more skills in his locker than his Brazilian counterpart and the support of a partisan home crowd should spur the London native on to a hard-fought decision victory.
First five-round non-title fight in UFC history
Trust Joe Silva and Dana White to pick a matchup that more than likely won’t go the distance to be the first five-minute non-title fight in the organisation.
Fresh off the back of his 27-second KO of Wanderlei Silva, perennial slugger Chris Leben looks to continue his mini career revival against “The Filipino Wrecking Machine,” Mark Muñoz.
The fact that it is now a 25-minute bout will no doubt suit Munoz and his game-plan will revolve around trying to wear Leben down and test his occasionally questionable fitness level.
However, “The Crippler” proved last time out that he still has that deadly one-punch KO power in his hands and, as ever, will come out swinging for the fences.
Such a strategy could suit Muñoz, of course; he might back off and let Leben tire himself out before shooting for the takedown. However, should the Californian fail to immediately bring his man to ground, he risks falling foul of Leben’s brawling ability.
Finely poised though the fight is, Muñoz is by far the better wrestler and I don’t think Leben capable of evading his take-downs. Expect the “Wrecking Machine” to bring proceedings to a premature close.
Best of the rest
Unbeaten Swedish fighter Papy Abedi has been handed what must surely rank as one of the toughest opponents to fight a UFC debutante in recent memory. The 33-year-old is scheduled to face Thiago Alves.
The Brazilian, who has lost three of his last four fights, albeit against opponents of undeniable pedigree, is looking to claw back some of his previously fearsome reputation.
Abedi is a well-known and well-respected fighter in Europeans circles, but he has it all to do against Alves. I think the man they call “Pitbull” will get back to winning ways here.
In what looks another clear mismatch, Edward Faaloloto faces off against tall English lightweight Terry Etim.
When UFC 90 visited London in 2009, Etim finished his opponent within ten seconds, much to the delight of the home fans. He should win this fight just as easily.
