If there’s one thing that can be said about the UFC, it’s that the world’s leading mixed martial arts promotion can really put on a fight. In the aftermath of losing 3 important fights in the calendar year, the UFC has managed to scramble and essentially piece together a card or cards that may not have the star power of Conor McGregor or Khamzat, it definitely scratches that mixed martial arts itch. We were supposed to get Robert Whittaker versus Khamzat Chimaev on the 22nd of June, but since the Chechen seems to have pulled out with serious illness, the opportunity goes to the man who’s only ever lost to Chimaev, Ikram Aliskerov. While fans might think that Robert Whittaker’s getting up pretty much a raw deal here, and in many ways, he is, this also is a chance for a legend to give a young up-and-comer his opportunity to shine. Ikram possesses skills that could cause problems for Robert Whittaker, like good lateral movement. The guy can strike very well; Has incredible judo takedowns. He is very heavy on top and possesses a wicked submission game to boot. It’s an uphill climb for Robert Whittaker, who’s been a mainstay in the top five at middleweight in the UFC for years now. His only losses came to Dricus DuPlessis and Israel Adesanya. He’s beaten the who’s who of the middleweight division in the UFC and has carved a path for himself as one of the top talents of his generation. This could be the last chance for Robert Whittaker to earn a title shot against whoever the next middle-weight champion is, and he should definitely fight like it is.
No Conor? Give us Poatan!
Another huge matchup in the wake of Conor McGregor’s withdrawal from UFC 303 is that we get Alex Pereira versus Jiří Procházka 2. The first fight was a real banger that saw Pereira knockout Jiri in the second round. And although Alex eventually got it done, he still had a few problems with Jiri’s relatively unorthodox style. Punches coming in from weird angles and kind of flummoxed him for a little bit. But at the end of the day, the nasty leg kicks from Alex paid dividends and you could see Procházka trying to fight Southpaw while he’s an orthodox fighter and was having real trouble trying to gauge the distance. Sure, it might not. It might not be the barn burner that everybody’s expecting, but we’re getting a title fight and we’re getting to see Alex Pereira cement his place as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of his generation. In the words of Michael Chandler, he’s here for a good time, not a long time. If it’s violence you’re looking for. This is definitely a fight that’s going to have it in spades. You can also check out their first fight below!
Ulberg has a chance to shoot up the rankings
And finally, we’ve got Anthony Smith going up against Carlos Ulberg. Anthony Smith is replacing Jamahal Hill, who recently lost to Pereira by brutal knockout in the first round and was looking to make a comeback against Carlos. While it may not have been the smartest fight for him to take since Carlos is an incredibly accurate and powerful striker. It showed that Hill was not looking to rest on his laurels. He’s looking to get back into the cage and looking to make a statement. For Ulberg, this is a chance to crack the top five of the light heavyweight division and who knows, if he wins this fight, it could lead straight to a title shot since there are few legit contenders in the division. There is Jan out there, as well as Magomed Ankalaev, but all in all, if Ulberg does beat Jamal Hill or well now, Anthony Smith, it could line him up for a big fight against the top five of the division and maybe even title shot.
If there’s one thing that can be said about the UFC is that they’re able to salvage a bad situation. This comes after the Fight Incorporated documentary that premiered on Roku. It showed that these guys operate on a relatively different level than all other mixed martial arts promotions. I don’t think there’s anybody that can catch them at this point. They’ve turned the business around and essentially secured it to the point where right now they’re the leading mixed martial arts organization in the world.
