MAIN CARD (FOX Sports 1)
Michael Bisping vs. Thales Laities
Evan Dunham vs. Ross Pearson
Joseph Duffy vs. Ivan Jorge
Joanne Calderwood vs. Cortney Casey
Leon Edwards vs. Pawel Pawlak
Leonardo Mafra vs. Stevie Ray
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX Sports 1)
Paddy Holohan vs. Vaughan Lee
Ilir Latifi vs. Hans Stringer
Mickael Lebout vs. Teemu Packalen
Paul Redmond vs. Robert Whiteford
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass)
Marcus Brimage vs. Jimmie Rivera
Chris de la Rocha vs. Daniel Omielanczuk
Which fighters have the most at stake?
Michael Bisping
Time is of the essence for Michael Bisping. The 36-year-old British Middleweight may have reached the last leg in his quest for a shot at a title fight (Although, I’m sure if you were to ask Bisping, he would strongly beg to differ). The Middleweight division has changed drastically since Bisping first stepped into the division in 2008. Back then, The Anderson Silva era was in full effect, and everyone in the division was competing for second best. Recently, Silva was dethroned and widely talented plethora of fighters are trying to establish their dominance, by taking down the new 185 Champion, Chris Weidman.
For Bisping the key to this fight against Thales Laities, is to do what he does best: point fight. If “The Count” can keep control of this fight, and grind his way into the later rounds, there is no reason his hand will not be raised when the final bell rings. On the other hand, Michael Bisping has to keep control his confidence, and not get to aggressive with his striking. Thales Laites is very heavy handed, and one wrong move could spell disaster against a fighter with one punch knockout power (Laties has knocked out 2 of his last 3 opponents).
If “The Count” finds himself out for the count, it would mean Michael Bisping has lost 3 of his last 5 fights; also known as a death sentence in the UFC.
Thales Laities
With a win at UFC Fight Night, Thales Laities could very well put his name into the hat with the other UFC fighters jockeying for a shot at contention in the talent packed Middleweight division.
Once upon a time, the Brazilian Ju-Jitsu black belt was a top contender who competed against Anderson Silva for the Middleweight Championship at UFC 97. This fight was easily the worst fight of both men’s careers. Shortly after his loss to Silva, Laities suffered a decision loss to Alessio Sakara, and the UFC decided they had seen enough and no longer wanted Thales Laities. He was cut one fight after he squandered his chance at the title.
Luckily for Laties, he bounced back with an impressive 6-1 stint in outside promotions. Ultimately, the UFC turned a blind eye to his performances in 2009 and welcomed him back to the octagon with open arms. Since his return to the UFC, the Brazilian has been a true force to be reckoned with. He has notched a 4-0 record and is coming off of a dominating submission win over Tim Boetsch.
Defeating Michael Bisping has been the door to compete for a title shot for many in the Middleweight division (just ask Sonnen, Belfort, and Rockhold). Therefore Saturday’s fight could be Laities’ most important fight in years, as he looks to rewrite his UFC history.
Ross Pearson
Ross Pearson’s MMA career has been up-and-down to say the least. The former TUF 9 winner has comprised a 5-4-1 record in the UFC cage since 2011. The biggest thing at stake now for “The Real Deal” is how to stay relevant.
Pearson is an exciting fighter who is coming off a huge Knockout victory over Sam Stout at UFC 185. Ross Pearson will not be fighting for a title any time soon, and a loss Saturday probably will not get him cut. But at this point in Pearson’s career, finding his way out of mediocrity and into the top 10 is a must for the Alliance MMA fighter.
Fighter to watch
Teemu Packalen
Following Jake Mathews’ withdraw, due to injury, Teemu Packalen is making his UFC debut against Mickael Lebout (13-4) on short notice. Teemu is an excellent up-and-coming fighter who has been undefeated since 2012 and has never had an opponent force him into the third round. At 6’1 Packalen is an extremely tall Lightweight. He uses his length to his advantage with superb takedowns and has an established ground and pound game.
Packalen still needs polishing and will grow with time as he continues to fight against high-caliber competition. He may be Finnish but his UFC career is just getting started. See what I did there?
Bottom line: Teemu is an excellent ground fighter. 5 of 7 of his wins have come by submission. He’s a solid striker who looks to pepper his opponent with punches and kicks to set up the take down.