5 Reasons to Watch UFC on Fox: Machida vs. Rockhold
April is scheduled to play host to four UFC events.
Saturday's showcase—headlined by a middleweight clash between former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold—at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, is arguably the most exciting of the quartet.
Featuring eight different top-10 fighters spanning across four different divisions on the main and preliminary cards, UFC on Fox: Machida vs. Rockhold is sure to be a card worth watching.
Not sold on it just yet? Scroll on to see why tuning in to this group of fights will be a Saturday afternoon well spent.
A Litmus Test for Patrick Cummins
1 of 5
He came in to fight the former Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix champion and one of the top UFC light heavyweights in the promotion on short notice. Suffice it to say, Patrick Cummins didn't stand much of a chance when making his UFC debut against Daniel Cormier.
Since then, Cummins has made mincemeat out of anybody to step into the cage with him. First came the TKO victory over Roger Narvaez, then came the wrestling clinics against a tired Kyle Kingsbury and an overmatched Antonio Carlos Jr. He's looked impressive against lesser opponents, that much is certain.
But he won't have an innately lesser opponent on Saturday—he'll face off against a fellow rising light heavyweight in Ovince Saint Preux.
Last time out, Saint Preux shocked much of the world (particularly the Brazilian crowd in attendance at the Ginasio Municipal Tancredo Neves in Rio de Janeiro) by taking care of Shogun Rua in just 34 seconds.
Boasting a height, reach and experience advantage, Saint Preux appears to have the upper hand on the former two-time NCAA Division I All-American. But that's just it, Cummins is a former two-time NCAA Division I All-American, and that poses huge problems for Saint Preux and the suspect takedown defense he displayed against Ryan Bader last August.
Paige VanZant Could Earn Her Stripes...and Her Reebok Sponsorship
2 of 5
Understandably so, Paige VanZant has skeptics. A lot of them.
The 21-year-old Team Alpha Male female only has four fights to her name, one of which has come inside of the Zuffa-owned cage. She didn't partake in The Ultimate Fighter 18 and yet is one of the more popular fighters the UFC's women's strawweight division has to offer.
Oh, and she's one of only a handful of fighters—including Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor, to name a few—to have the Reebok logo featured on her shorts. She's quickly becoming a part of the who's who in the MMA world, and some people have a problem with that.
Alas, she'll have an opportunity to earn all of that praise and her top-10 ranking come Saturday night when she stands across from TUF 18 alum Felice Herrig.
Will VanZant be able to silence all of her critics with a dominant win? My Magic 8-Ball says it's doubtful. Still, it should be fun to watch as the drama unfolds.
A Step Up for Max Holloway
3 of 5
Max Holloway is good at his job. So good that his only three losses have come against fighters who currently author a combined 48-10 professional record (one of which was a split-decision loss, by the way). Those fighters? Conor McGregor, Dennis Bermudez and Dustin Poirier.
At 33 years old, Holloway didn't have much of a chance to prove his worth as a mixed martial artist before stepping under the brightest lights in MMA. He only had one year of professional fighting experience before he got that highly sought-after phone call. He was 3-0.
Five years and 12 fights later, and Holloway's managed to build a pretty solid name for himself. A name solid enough to warrant a fight against his native division's fifth-ranked fighter: Cub Swanson. A win should put Holloway much closer to a Jose Aldo-held title. The same can hardly be said if McGregor wins in July, though.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Jacare Gets a Second Helping of Camozzi
4 of 5
It wasn't supposed to be this way.
Saturday night's co-main event was supposed to help offer some clarity to the jumbled 185-pound title picture. No. 1-ranked Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza was supposed to take on the fast-rising No. 6-ranked Yoel Romero, effectively eliminating one of the two fighters from any championship fights for the foreseeable future.
But Romero's hurt now and dreams have all since been shattered.
In for Romero is Chris Camozzi, an unranked middleweight currently riding a four-fight losing streak. It's not exactly a match years in the making. What makes this fight against Jacare even less appealing is the fact that Camozzi's losing streak started two years ago when the UFC was still on FX. His opponent? Jacare.
The first time Camozzi stepped into the cage with Souza, he only lasted three minutes and 37 seconds. Hopefully the second time around lasts a little bit longer. Or maybe we'd be better off seeing the fight finish in less time.
In all seriousness, we just want Souza to be victorious and healthy after this one.
The Main Event
5 of 5
Unlike its co-main, this one genuinely feels like a bout years in the making.
The second that Lyoto Machida bid farewell to the division that once made him a champion, MMA pundits all across the land started to see many of their hypothetical middleweight matchups find a glimmer of hope. Fights like Machida vs. Chris Weidman, Jacare Souza, Vitor Belfort and Anderson Silva became more possible than ever.
Also on that list of dream matchups is a bout with Luke Rockhold.
And what better timing, really. Machida is ranked second in the UFC's middleweight division, while Rockhold has a firm grip on his No. 4 standing.
Times are good for both fighters, but we'll only be able to say that for one of the two men after Saturday night. The winner likely gets the champion (whomever it may be come UFC 187). The loser, having lost two of his last five, takes a hard tumble.
Are you watching? I'm watching.
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.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
