UFC 149 Fight Card: Favorites for the Fight-Night Awards

Despite injuries and opponent changes, the show must go on, as UFC 149 is finally here.

Among the fighters on the card are heavyweight strikers Cheick Kongo and Shawn Jordan; Hector Lombard, who is making his UFC debut; and Urijah Faber and Renan Barao, who are fighting for the interim UFC bantamweight title.

While some may think that this card is a bit lackluster, there are still some exciting moments that can come from it. Here’s a look at the fighters who could take fight-night awards.

Submission of the Night

There’s really a toss up for who could take the Submission of the Night honors.

While some may see the Faber vs. Barao bout ending by submission, the bout between Brian Ebersole and James Head may be the one to watch for.

I could see this fight getting to the ground and both fighters trying to scramble for submissions.

Ebersole does have a ton of experience, though, and I believe he will get the advantage on Head. He can pull off a spectacular submission and win his second fight in a month’s time.

Knockout of the Night

Two fights that fans are expecting to end in knockouts are Cheick Kongo vs. Shawn Jordan and Hector Lombard vs. Tim Boetsch.

While a heavyweight battle is always one that can end quickly, I believe the Lombard-Boetsch fight will be the one that's most memorable.

Boetsch has gone 3-0 since moving to middleweight and will be fighting the toughest challenge of his MMA career in Lombard.

Along with not losing in 25 fights, Lombard has 17 KO victories.

While Boetsch can hit hard and is coming off of a TKO victory over Yushin Okami, I believe this will be Lombard’s night—his UFC debut—to make a huge impact.

Fight of the Night

While most of the card has been changed around, I still believe the main event could be one of the best fights of the year.

Although it’s not Cruz vs. Faber 3, Faber vs. Barao is still a fight that fans should look forward to.

The storyline, of course, is Faber getting another chance at UFC gold against a guy who has not been defeated in over 20 fights.

Barao may have the skill to put Faber out, but Faber may have enough strength and speed to make it a long night for the Brazillian.

I expect this fight to be close and go to the judges. I just hope they can get it right.