Will a Contender Emerge from UFC Fight Night 30?
Saturday afternoon the UFC makes its first appearance on the fledgling Fox Sports 2 with its UFC Fight Night 30. With a number of mediocre fight cards taking place over the weekend, on paper the UFC appears to have the best of the bunch. But similarly to its predecessor in the Fight Night timeline, UFC Fight Night 29, this card is void of top matchups where a true number one contender may emerge.
However, there are several fighters who have the ability to move themselves up the ranks towards contender status.
Mark Munoz & Lyoto Machida: With a win, each fighter moves rather close to a title shot. However, there are caveats for each. Because he was thrashed by Chris Weidman, Munoz would need Anderson Silva to regain the title in order for him to even be considered a top contender. Even though Munoz and Silva are friends and have trained together, a fight between the two has been never been out of the question. That is not the case for Machida and Silva as they have both maintained they would never fight one another. But with a decisive victory over Munoz, and if Weidman retains his title in December, Machida could catapult himself to the top of the middleweight ladder.
Jimi Manuwa: The man is 13-0 with 13 stoppages. While his “finish” of Cyrille Diabate was a bit of a gift, his record is still very impressive. His dismantling of Kyle Kingsbury was a savage display of violence. If Manuwa has another exciting performance, he certainly would be worthy of a top ten opponent in the near future. Top contender status is never far away in a division as shallow as light heavyweight.
John Lineker: Lineker has been putting on a striking clinic in his last few bouts and has dispatched quality flyweights in his wake. Assuming he can make weight, he is a force in the division. It is feasible to imagine that with another thrilling finish over Phil Harris, Lineker could find himself in line for a title shot. Flyweight is a blossoming division and rather than continue to recycle challengers the UFC may see fit to introduce a new contenders to the title mix.
While this weekend may not contain the biggest names in the sport, there are still plenty of exciting and meaningful fights set to take place. Oh yeah, and the fact that they are all free doesn’t hurt.
About the Author (Author Profile)
I reside in Boston MA and am pursuing my dream of writing about MMA. I am very passionate about the sport and helping to continue its growth. Follow me on Twitter @TyGuyMMASubscribe
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