5 Reasons to Watch UFC 185
The best lightweight fighter on the planet only fought once in 2014. It lasted six minutes, 53 seconds.
Rightfully so, the world wants more of Anthony Pettis as he takes another step in his journey toward becoming the best lightweight in the history of the sport.
Saturday night's fight may not last as long, but Pettis and No. 1 contender Rafael dos Anjos look to occupy the Octagon for as long as their bodies and minds will allow in the main event of UFC 185 in Dallas.
The former pines to retain his crown. The latter looks to usurp the king.
Luckily for fans and their pocketbooks, Saturday's UFC 185 isn't just about the main event—this one is worth every pretty penny. Read on and click through the slides as we list the five reasons to watch UFC 185.
A Gold Medalist Continues His Climb Back to the Top
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Having won a gold medal in both the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Henry Cejudo has made quite a name for himself as an athlete.
Since making the transition from the mat to the cage, Cejudo has won a solid seven fights—the last of which came by way of unanimous decision inside the Octagon at UFC on Fox 13 against Dustin Kimura. Three months later, that victory has earned the former Olympic medalist a huge step up in competition.
He will now fight the 10th-ranked flyweight on the planet in Chris Cariaso.
Cariaso is just one bout removed from arguably the biggest fight of his life: a loss to champion Demetrious Johnson, undeniably the best fighter the 125-pound division has ever seen.
A win against the former title contender surely puts Cejudo within the Top 15 of the UFC's rankings; a win against a relatively known flyweight puts Cariaso one step closer to the top of a shallow division.
A Giant Will Fall
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Both of UFC 185's heavyweight fighters come into this bout having only won two of their last five contests. Such is the norm for most heavyweights not named Cain Velasquez.
Alistair Overeem is fresh off a TKO victory over Stefan Struve, while Roy Nelson is one fight removed from a knockout loss to Mark Hunt—Nelson's first knockout loss since he fell face-first on the mat against Andrei Arlovski back in 2008.
It may be premature to deem Big Country's once-impermeable iron chin a part of history (especially because he had his block knocked off by one of the heaviest hitters in the sport), but it wouldn't come as a surprise to see him take a nap at the hands of the Dutch heavyweight.
He's a large man, and he hits hard.
Having lost 10 fights by knockout (three of which have come within the last two years), Overeem could suffer a knockout loss of his own at the hands of Nelson.
He's also a large man, and he also hits hard.
Don't leave the screen, folks—this one shouldn't last long.
A Welterweight Slugfest
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Matt Brown played host to a seven-fight winning streak before running into current champion Robbie Lawler. Johny Hendricks was riding a similar winning streak of his own (minus that Georges St-Pierre bout that he "lost") when he met Lawler.
Both gave good efforts. Both fighters lost to Lawler.
Now, as Lawler readies for his first title defense against Rory MacDonald at UFC 189, Brown and Hendricks face off for another opportunity at Ruthless and the title he holds so dear.
Hendricks can't afford to give another effort like he did in his first and only title defense against the champ; he has to pick his head up and move forward.
Luckily for fans, Brown doesn't know how to do anything else but move forward. For better or worse, The Immortal swings for the fences and hopes his opponent drops before he does.
This one should be fun—lots and lots of fun.
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A Young Queen Defends Her Crown
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Carla Esparza ran through just about every opponent the The Ultimate Fighter 20 house had to offer. With a dominant performance against Rose Namajunas in the season finale, Esparza earned the UFC's inaugural strawweight crown.
She was, without a doubt, the best fighter in the tournament.
Standing across the Octagon from Esparza in her first title defense is a woman who didn't partake in the reality show, though. A six-time muay thai world champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk steps into the cage with an undefeated 8-0 record.
Already having fought twice under the bright lights that only Dana White and the Fertittas can offer, Jedrzejczyk might have the advantage coming into this one.
That said, it might be tough for the challenger to unseat the queen and the seemingly impeccable wrestling pedigree she brings with her.
It's Finally Showtime for the Lightweight Journeyman
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Though they come much more often on the college basketball court than they do inside the Octagon, March tends to play host to a wealth of Cinderella stories.
Saturday may just play host to one more, and his name is Rafael dos Anjos.
The Brazilian fighter—having long journeyed through the UFC's lightweight ranks—first made his Octagon debut back in 2008, when he suffered a TKO loss to Jeremy Stephens. His subsequent appearance the following year wouldn't offer Dos Anjos much more, as he lost a unanimous decision to Tyson Griffin.
The next six years would bring plenty of ups and downs for the now-30-year-old fighter. The last two years, however, offered enough ups to guarantee Dos Anjos a shot to trade his journeyman label for the most coveted moniker of all: champion.
In his way stands the most dangerous lightweight on the planet: With 15 finishes in 18 victories, Pettis poses dozens of problems for the hopeful contender.
Whether Saturday night's main event creates a new chapter for the challenger or just another paragraph for the incumbent champion remains to be seen.
All we can do now is wait.
Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report MMA. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University's student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec, and a programming intern at Fox Sports San Diego. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA.
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