At the top of this card is a matchup meant to clear some of the logjam at the top of the UFC lightweight title picture. The rest of the title contenders not named Frankie Edgar or Benson Henderson are in limbo right now while those two prepare themselves for their rubber match later this summer. Meanwhile, Anthony Pettis, the last man to defeat the current champ (Bendo), set himself back with a loss to Clay Guida this past June and is working himself back into the picture so that leaves Nate Diaz and Jim Miller to square off in Saturday night’s main event in a de facto #1 contender spot.
As if fighting for a potential title shot weren’t enough, these two will be going into the cage knowing that millions are watching LIVE on national TV. Talk about pressure. It’s a good thing these guys thrive under this type of situation so expect them to go balls out to win in this one. They won’t be able to help themselves. That’s just the way they fight and exactly why they were chosen to headline their card.
Joining those two at the top of the main draw are three other perfectly matched pairs that should produce some potentially painful endings if all things go according to plan.
The co-headlining fight will be one to pay attention to for Texas fight fans as it features DFW’s own Johny Hendricks (Team Takedown) returning for the very first time since defeating former #1 contender John Fitch via one-punch knockout this past December in one of the most spectacular finishes of the last year if not one of the fastest ones at a whopping 12 seconds. Taking him on this time is former longtime Fitch teammate and fellow former #1 contender Josh Koscheck.
Hendricks may have shocked the MMA world in his last fight but he won’t be going in as that much of a surprise this time around.
“I know there’s a lot riding on this fight – I think for both of us,” Koscheck mentioned just last week on the UFC on FOX media call. “The winner goes on to a nice path toward the title shot, and the loser goes who knows where. So there’s a lot at stake for this fight, and I’m ready to roll.”
As for Hendricks, he’ll be going into this pivotal contest as confident as ever. “The bigger the fight the better I come out,” said the former 2x NCAA wrestling champion leading up to Saturday night.
All in all, this definitely has the makings of a great fight.
As for the other two fights set for network broadcast, they too should set up some future contenders.
The third bout of the evening features the guy nobody wants to fight in the middleweight division – Rousimar Palhares.
The stocky Brazilian has won 7 out of 9 bouts since joining the UFC back in 2008 with losses only to perennial top contender Dan Henderson and one-time “Great” Nate Marquardt. He’s since won three in a row since his last loss and remains as dangerous as ever with perhaps the best leg attacks in the entirety of the division.
Taking him on will be the Elvis-tattood Alan Belcher, a longtime veteran who only recently came back after a year-long layoff due to emergency eye surgery. A black belt himself, Belcher specifically called for the matchup against Palhares and is looking to prove that he and not his opponent should be the one to watch out for at the top of the 185 lbs. division.
Completing the FOX card is an exciting heavyweight tilt between hard-hitters Pat Barry and Lavar Johnson. Not much to say about these men except for the fact that they both hit really, really hard. As in, fans should expect the winner of this bout to contend for knockout of the night honors. Kudos to the UFC for picking this one as the opening bout of the night as it should set the tone for the casual fans tuning in to stay glued to the event.
Check out the full card then comment your picks on our TXMMA Facebook Page. Who knows, we might give away a custom TXMMA t-shirt or a future grappling tournament registration to the person who gets the most right so make sure to get your picks in.
We’ll post our own on TXMMA on Thursday morning.
UFC on FOX 3 – Full Fight Card
Main card (FOX)
Lightweight bout: Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller
Welterweight bout: Josh Koscheck vs. Johny Hendricks
Middleweight bout: Rousimar Palhares vs. Alan Belcher
Heavyweight bout: Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson
Preliminary Card (Fuel TV)
Lightweight bout: Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Johnson
Flyweight bout: John Dodson vs. Tim Elliott
Welterweight bout: John Hathaway vs. Pascal Krauss
Flyweight bout: Louis Gaudinot vs. John Lineker
Lightweight bout: Danny Castillo vs. John Cholish
Featherweight bout: Dennis Bermudez vs. Pablo Garza
Preliminary Card
Bantamweight bout: Roland Delorme vs. Nick Denis
Middleweight bout: Mike Massenzio vs. Karlos Vemola
The UFC on FOX 3 prelims begin at 5PM EST / 4PM central on Fuel TV before the main card on FOX at 8PM EST/ 7PM central.