UFC on Fox 21 Results: 5 Burning Questions Heading into UFC Fight Night 93
UFC on Fox 21 is in the books. The results are as follows (c/o Bleacher Report's very own Craig Amos):
UFC on Fox 21 Main Card
- Demian Maia def. Carlos Condit, submission (Round 1, 1:52)
- Anthony Pettis def. Charles Oliveira, submission (Round 1, 1:49)
- Paige VanZant def. Bec Rawlings, knockout (Round 2, 0:17)
- Jim Miller def. Joe Lauzon, split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Prelims on Fox Sports 1
- Sam Alvey def. Kevin Casey, TKO (Round 2, 4:56)
- Kyle Bochniak def. Enrique Barzola, split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
- Alessio Di Chirico def. Garreth McLellan, split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Felipe Silva def. Shane Campbell, TKO (Round 1, 1:13)
Prelims on UFC Fight Pass
- Chad Laprise def. Thibault Gouti, TKO (Round 1, 1:36)
- Jeremy Kennedy def. Alex Ricci, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Next up? UFC Fight Night 93.
The UFC's abandonment of Fox Sports 1 and bolstering of Fight Pass continues! While FS1's Fight Night cards have largely featured exciting-yet-unknown up-and-comers, Fight Pass Fight Night events have been featuring established names. This one is no different.
Andrei Arlovski. Josh Barnett. Alexander Gustafsson. Ryan Bader.
While much of the card features the usual mashup of local (well, European) talent, there are plenty of relevant names to tune in for, and plenty of relevant names that have burning questions to discuss.
Can Rustam Khabilov Regain His Footing?
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The Fight: Rustam Khabilov vs. Leandro Silva
The Real Fight: Rustam Khabilov vs. Fans' Short Memories
The Stakes
In 2013, Rustam Khabilov looked like legitimate championship material. Khabilov suplexed Vinc Pichel into the ether, injured Yancy Medeiros doing the same and took a clean decision win off of respected veteran Jorge Masvidal. Then Benson Henderson stopped his hype train's momentum dead.
Khabilov is quietly racking up wins in 2016, but needs to do something spectacular to jump start his career again. A dominant win over Leandro Silva would be a great way to do that.
The Question
Can Rustam Khabilov Regain His Footing?
Analysis
It's been quite the fall for Khabilov. He tumbled from a main event spot at Fight Night 42 down to the preliminary card just two fights later. In the process, Khabilov has been completely forgotten about over the past two years.
The Dagestani has amazing chain wrestling skills and, as evidenced by his win over Masvidal, is capable of hanging with top-level lightweights. There are few fighters that he can't potentially beat.
Still, the lightweight division requires two things to stand out: flashiness and winning streaks. If he can take Silva to Suplex City, it will go a long way toward revitalizing his career. If he loses, it's an absolute catastrophe.
Is Ilir Latifi for Real?
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The Fight: Ryan Bader vs. Ilir Latifi
The Real Fight: Ilir Latifi vs. Awkwardly Timed Losses
The Stakes
33 year-old Ilir Latifi has an amazing opportunity on his hands. After three years of working against unheralded competition, "The Sledgehammer" has a bona fide top-10 opponent in front of him in Ryan Bader. If he can defeat the veteran, he should leap directly into the top-10.
The Question
Is Ilir Latifi for Real?
Analysis
It's hard not to love Latifi. In the cage, the dude is a monster. He's built like a tank and he fights like one, he'll explode or run over ill-equipped opponents.
Out of the cage, he has a magnetism to him that shines through the UFC's lack of promotion. He turns heads when he walks into a room, and has real personality which is apparent even at humdrum press events. Oh, and there's that one picture of him riding a horse on a beach. That's pretty great.
The UFC may not know it, but they have somebody special on their hands in Latifi. If he can break down the door to the top-10, they may finally wake up to that fact.
What Will Happen to Poor, Poor Ryan Bader?
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The Fight: Ryan Bader vs. Ilir Latifi
The Real Fight: Ryan Bader vs. The UFC's Status Quo
The Stakes
In 2015, Ryan Bader had his sights trained on a light heavyweight title shot. With four wins in a row, attention-grabbing press conference smack-talk (warning, NSFW language) and no other contenders lined up for a title shot, a bout with the newly crowned champ Daniel Cormier seemed like an inevitability.
Then, he was passed over for Alexander Gustafsson. Not long after, he made the terrible career decision of quietly accepting a fight with Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, which he lost via an embarrassing first-round knockout.
Now, several months removed from that loss, he has taken a profound step downward and faces an unranked up-and-comer on the undercard of a throwaway Fight Night card.
The Question
What Will Happen to Poor, Poor Ryan Bader?
Analysis
Poor, poor Ryan Bader. That poor man...
Under different circumstances, Bader would be doing fine these days. Under different circumstances, Bader would have demanded his release from the UFC after they let Gustafsson cut him in line for a fight at UFC 192. Under different circumstances, fighters such as Bader would have managers to prevent them from being herded into high-risk, no-reward fight.
But here he is. Bader's fighting in the midcard of an event in Hamburg, Germany after having a life-changing opportunity unceremoniously taken from him.
This is a lemon of a situation for Bader, and there's no way to make lemonade.
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Will Alexander Gustafsson Be Able to Bounce Back?
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The Fight: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jan Blachowicz
The Real Fight: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Losing It All
The Stakes
With losses to Jon Jones, Anthony Johnson and Daniel Cormier to his name already, Alexander Gustafsson falls into an awkward spot in the light heavyweight pecking order. Still, the division is shallow enough and Gustafsson's popular enough that he's never too far out of the title picture.
That, however, could change if he loses to Jan Blachowicz.
The Question
Will Alexander Gustafsson Be Able to Bounce Back?
Analysis
Gustafsson's strong performances against Cormier and Jones have largely preserved his elite status in the division, but his career since September 2013 has been defined by two things; injuries and losses.
However, both of those things have been mostly forgiven by fans and UFC decision makers. He gets a mulligan for the injuries because his frail back and shoulder have caused far less trouble than Jones' and Rumble's lack of impulse control (warning, NSFW language). The losses, too, are largely forgotten because he has never looked bad, even in defeat.
That's likely to change though if he can't take out Blachowicz.
While Blachowicz is a solid fighter with crafty striking and good finishing skills, he is unknown to casual fans and stands well outside the top-10 rankings. A loss would cast serious doubt about where Gustafsson is in his career, and how much potential for success still remains. He can't let that happen.
Which Veteran Will Keep Their Relevance Alive?
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The Fight: Andrei Arlovski vs. Josh Barnett
The Real Fight: Andrei Arlovski, Josh Barnett vs. Father Time
The Stakes
Josh Barnett and Andrei Arlovski have been in the fight business for a long time. They both possess real skills that have translated to the heavyweight championship and have held up over time.
That said, at ages of 38 and 37, their days in the sport are numbered. And with both coming off of ugly losses, they need to return to the win column in order to maintain their credibility near the top of the division.
The Question
Which Veteran Will Keep Their Relevance Alive?
Analysis
Not much else to say. It's a situation fans have seen many times in the past and will see many more times in the future. While both men can take a loss and expect their jobs to be secure, they can't hope to hold onto their spot in the top-10 and enjoy potential main event status.
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