UFC on Fox 27 Preview: 3 Can't-Miss Fights
UFC on Fox 27, which goes down Saturday from Charlotte, North Carolina, is not the typical "big Fox" UFC card.
Even when the undercard is as thin as Bucket Family soup, a huge main event comes through to paper things over. December's UFC on Fox 26, for example, was topped with Robbie Lawler and Rafael dos Anjos. Chris Weidman and Kelvin Gastelum headlined UFC on Fox 25 in July.
Not to say Saturday's card doesn't have any decent fights. It does. The main event is a rematch between Brazilian jiu-jitsu finisher Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and local wrestle-boxer Derek Brunson. It's fine. It really is. It just doesn't get the blood flowing. It doesn't help that there aren't many obvious Easter eggs buried farther down the slate.
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There are good things here, though. You just have to look a little harder when the name value doesn't smack you in the face.
That's what we're here to do. Not smack you. I mean, we're here to help you find the best fight. These are the three you can't miss in Charlotte.
Middleweight
Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (24-5) vs. Derek Brunson (18-5)
Odds (courtesy of OddsShark): Souza -154, Brunson +134
Airs on: Fox
It's been a few years since savvy fans considered Souza a BJJ specialist. As elite UFC fighters must, Jacare picked up new arts to match those he'd mastered, adding ferocious kickboxing to his arsenal (a naturally tough chin doesn't hurt, either). He's 38 years old now, but then again his only two losses in the UFC came to Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker.
Brunson has won two straight and seven of nine to reach this point. His foundation is wrestling (he competed collegiately at the D-II level), but his stock in trade these days is the knockout. Brunson's power, particularly in his left hand and left leg, simply overwhelms people, regardless of phase. Of the aforementioned seven wins, six came by first-round knockout. That is pretty good.
And it would be even better if he hadn't messed around and caught flash knockouts of his own against Romero and Whittaker. At the same time, flattening a diminished Lyoto Machida in under three minutes doesn't exonerate him from those missteps. Has his fight IQ continued to grow, crowding out the misplaced aggression that worked against him in the past?
It's a matter of who's going to impose his will early. Although Souza prefers a longer distance when striking in open space, both these men like it against the fence and on the ground. Souza's jiu-jitsu excellence may all but neutralize Brunson's willingness or ability to hit takedowns. That said, Brunson has a very pronounced power edge.
The close odds indicate the uncertainty of this bout. What seems likely is that this will hit the mat at some point under some kind of circumstance. At that point, Brunson will have a hard time controlling the action against the BJJ champion. God help him if he ends up on his back. That will be the difference. A very entertaining fight ends when Jacare eats.
Souza, submission, Rd. 2
Welterweight
Drew Dober (18-8) vs. Frank Camacho (21-5)
Odds: Dober -175, Camacho, +150
Airs on: Fox
There are two elite prospects on this card: welterweight Gregor Gillespie and featherweight Mirsad Bektic. Neither face major tests, at least on paper. Dober and Camacho are not as well regarded but have plenty to offer their division and each other in this contest.
Fresh off a knockout of Josh Burkman, Dober isn't flashy, but he's not afraid to brawl and can end it anytime with his power. What's more, those thudding strikes can sometimes help people overlook a solid fight IQ.
Camacho? Well, he's just about exactly the same, with better speed and a bit less power. In his last fight, a split-decision win over Damien Brown, Camacho earned Fight of the Night honors—but lost out on the $50,000 bonus because he missed weight.
Camacho didn't get the rematch he wanted but will have a chance to repeat that performance with an equally willing dance partner in Dober.
It's a pick 'em fight, but give me the motivated underdog. Camacho's three-inch reach (73" to 70") may be enough to get him over the edge on points if nothing else.
Camacho, unanimous decision
Lightweight
Vinc Pichel (10-1) vs. Joaquim Silva (10-0)
Odds: Pichel -112, Silva -108
Airs on: Fox Sports 1
It's easy to forget that Pichel is 35 years old despite his relatively thin record. Thanks to extended spaces between fights (including three years off at one point), fans mostly remember him for getting suplexed by Rustam Khabilov.
He's more than that, though. Pichel has dynamite in his hands and concrete in his chin. He has eight pro wins by knockout, with his only pro loss coming to Khabilov.
Silva is an underrated prospect, overlooked since his semifinal loss in The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4 in 2015. He has well-rounded skills, however, with a more diverse striking arsenal than Pichel, who tends to rely on straight boxing. Another close fight, give this one to the younger, fresher, more complete fighter.
Silva, unanimous decision
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