UFC on Fox 13: 7 Reasons to Watch Dos Santos vs. Miocic Fight Card
We are in the midst of a UFC deluge, with fight cards seemingly every weekend. It is hard to tell them apart.
But on Saturday night, the promotion returns to network television with a slew of intriguing fights. The main event features a promising heavyweight prospect taking on a former UFC heavyweight champion. A mercurial lightweight returns to the Octagon after a lengthy contract dispute kept him on the sidelines. A former heavyweight kingpin makes what could be his last stand in the UFC, and the first contender for the new strawweight championship could be decided.
There is a lot to like on the latest UFC on Fox card. Let's take a look at some of the reasons you should make time in your busy schedule to watch it.
Is It Stipe Miocic's Time to Shine?
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Stipe Miocic has endured a long, arduous road up the UFC's heavyweight ladder. He made his promotional debut back in 2011 as an undefeated fighter, bringing natural athleticism and a background in both Golden Gloves and Division I wrestling. In short, he was the perfect prototype for the next generation of UFC heavyweights.
Outside of a September 2012 loss to Stefan Struve, Miocic has remained perfect. The UFC has handled him appropriately, never throwing him to the lions, and he has responded by becoming its most interesting heavyweight prospect.
But with all prospects, the time eventually comes when they must be kicked out of the nest, to see if they can fly on their own. This Saturday, Miocic receives a stern kick on the backside when he faces former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos.
Miocic will either fly or fall to earth. If he beats Dos Santos, he's in the upper stratosphere of the heavyweight division and will be discussed as a future contender for either Cain Velasquez or Fabricio Werdum. If he loses, he goes back to the middle of the pack.
It is an important night for Miocic, to say the least.
The Return of Nate Diaz
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Out since November 2013 due to a contract dispute, the Octagon return of the younger Diaz brother is one of the most interesting storylines on this card.
In his last fight, Diaz beat Gray Maynard; prior to that win, he'd lost consecutive fights to Benson Henderson and Josh Thomson. But Diaz is one of those fighters where wins and losses don't really matter all that much. What matters is having him in the Octagon at all, because he is entertaining and different.
He faces a stern test in Rafael dos Anjos, who is coming off the performance of his career in finishing Henderson. The odds are against Diaz, but he's overcome the odds before. And again, wins and losses don't matter in the grand scheme of things. Not when it comes to Diaz. He is there to entertain, and that is exactly what you can expect on Saturday night.
Stefan Struve's Return
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That Stefan Struve is coming back to the Octagon at all is a minor miracle in and of itself. It was discovered in August 2013 that the 7'0" heavyweight suffered from a leaking aortic valve and an enlarged heart. His career should rightly be over.
He attempted to return in July but fainted in the dressing room hours before he was scheduled to face Matt Mitrione. Doctors pulled him from the card due to an elevated heart rate.
But Struve is back, again, and this time he faces Alistair Overeem. Struve's ability to overcome what should have been a career-ending injury cannot be undersold; if he makes it into the Octagon for the fight, it will be a successful night.
And Struve still has plenty of career ahead of him. He's just 26 years old and has been in the UFC since 2009. A win over Overeem would help send him on the right path, and perhaps we will see Struve fulfill the potential so many saw in him back when he made his UFC debut against Junior dos Santos.
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Overeem's Last Stand
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Calling Alistair Overeem the biggest bust in UFC history sounds mean, but it might also be true.
Overeem wrecked the overmatched and sickly Brock Lesnar in his 2011 UFC debut. Since then, he's lost three fights and won just one. All of his losses have come by knockout. Whispers about his chin being gone abound, and a switch in training camp (he moved to Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA) didn't help him beat Ben Rothwell.
Put simply, Overeem needs a win here. He can still make something of himself in the UFC, but he has to beat Stefan Struve in order to do so. A loss to Struve would almost certainly see Overeem cut from the UFC, and he would go down as one of the biggest busts in the history of the promotion.
That is not the legacy he wants. Whether he can avoid that legacy remains to be seen.
Gonzaga vs. Mitrione: A Guaranteed Knockout?
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I hate saying "guaranteed knockout" in regard to any fight, because that almost always means the opposite: a slow, boring, grappling-based fight that does not live up to expectations.
But Gonzaga vs. Mitrione? That should live up to the billing.
Both men hit like freight trains. Gabriel Gonzaga is a world-class jiu-jitsu player, but he's won most of his biggest career fights by knockout. And Matt Mitrione, the former football player, hits hard. Just ask Shawn Jordan or Derrick Lewis, Mitrione's last two victims.
I suspect we'll see some heavyweight violence between Gonzaga and Mitrione. If we don't, and the fight ends up being a boring grappling-fest, you know who to blame (me).
The First Strawweight Contender?
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On Friday night, The Ultimate Fighter 20 draws to a close with the tournament finals in Las Vegas, and one woman will walk away as the first UFC strawweight champion. One of the four remaining semifinalists—Rose Namajunas, Carla Esparza, Randa Markos or Jessica Penne—will go down in history as the first to capture UFC gold in the new division.
On Saturday, we might see the first contender for that belt decided in Phoenix. Claudia Gadelha, the undefeated Brazilian many consider to be the best strawweight in the world, faces undefeated Joanna Jedrzejczyk on the UFC on Fox 13 card, and the winner will be in prime position to challenge for the new championship.
The timing is perfect, and both Gadelha and Jedrzejczyk are deserving. It will take time to build up the new strawweight division; fans won't be familiar with the new champion or the challengers just yet. But featuring Gadelha and Jedrzejczyk on Fox Sports 1 is the perfect way to introduce them to the UFC's audience, and building up the winner as the first strawweight title challenger is the best way to make them seem important.
Henry Cejudo Makes His UFC Debut (Finally)
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After an aborted attempt to make flyweight, former Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo finally makes his debut.
Cejudo signed with the UFC in July. He was scheduled to face Scott Jorgensen in August, but medical issues on the day of weigh-ins forced him to withdraw from the fight. UFC President Dana White told the media that Cejudo's history with poor weight cuts meant he either had to move up to bantamweight or leave the UFC.
Thankfully (for the fans, at least), Cejudo decided to move up, and he faces Dustin Kimura on Saturday night. Cejudo has long been discussed as one of MMA's premier prospects. Now, it's his time to deliver on that promise.
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