By Mike Calimbas (MMA Writer / Photographer) | Photo: UFC.com, Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
UFC on Fox 8 Features Flyweight Title Defense and Pivotal Welterweight Top Contender Matchup
The main event features the second UFC Flyweight Championship defense for titleholder “Mighty Mouse” Demetrious Johnson. The champ won the belt via split decision over Joseph Benavidez at UFC 152 (September 2012) and defended the belt for the very first time this past January when he scored the unanimous decision over John Dodson in their ‘Fight of the Night’ effort.
Co-headlining UFC on FOX 8 will be a pivotal 170 lbs. tilt between top welterweight contenders Rory MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger. The supremely talented Canadian (MacDonald) has long been thought of as the next thing big thing at welterweight, drawing comparisons to teammate Georges St. Pierre. With only one loss on his 14-1 record to date, Rory will be looking to make good on those expectations in this one when he faces one of his most dangerous challenges yet in hard-hitting wrestler Jake Ellenberger. Not only to play second fiddle, the 29-6 Ellenberger will be looking for his third straight win and a jump to the top of the line to face the winner of the upcoming GSP vs. Johny Hendricks match scheduled for this November at UFC 167.
The rest of the card features an assortment of mid-level matches with fighters aspiring to one day achieve contender status as high as the top two bouts. Most notable on the undercard is the presence of Texas-based veterans Yves Edwards (taking on Daron Cruickshank) and Melvin Guillard (who’ll be fighting for his UFC life opposite Mac Danzig). Fellow veterans Robbie Lawler and Ed Herman make appearances as well alongside women’s bantamweight contenders Liz Carmouche and Julie Kedzie.
Check out the full card below along with our quick picks for the UFC on FOX 8 fights on Saturday night.
Main Card (FOX)
125 lbs.: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga
170 lbs.: Rory MacDonald vs. Jake Ellenberger
170 lbs.: Robbie Lawler vs. Bobby Voelker
135 lbs.: Liz Carmouche vs. Jessica Andrade
Preliminary Card (FX)
155 lbs.: Michael Chiesa vs. Jorge Masvidal
155 lbs.: Danny Castillo vs. Tim Means
155 lbs.: Mac Danzig vs. Melvin Guillard
155 lbs.: Yves Edwards vs. Daron Cruickshank
170 lbs.: Ed Herman vs. Trevor Smith
135 lbs.: Julie Kedzie vs. Germaine de Randamie
Preliminary Card (Facebook)
155 lbs.: Aaron Riley vs. Justin Salas
135 lbs.: John Albert vs. Yaotzin Meza
UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Moraga – Preview and Predictions
Main Card (FOX)
125 lbs.: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga
They said you’re not truly the champion until you defend your belt at least once. Demetrious Johnson was in one hell of a fight in his first defense against John Dodson and he’ll now walk into this one as the undisputed flyweight kingpin of the world. In his way the second time around is John Moraga, somebody who’s lost to the same opponent (Dodson) in the past but who’s been on a tear since entering the UFC, winning his last two fights in a row.
Looking at level of competition, there is no comparison between these two men. Demetrious has consistently gone up against the very best, including Dodson, Joseph Benavidez, Ian McCall, and Dominick Cruz. Add Damacio Page, Miguel Torres, and Kid Yamamoto to that and the list goes on and on. Meanwhile Moraga has faced one “top 10” type of opponent and that was Dodson back when both were toiling in the regional scene over three years ago. Skill wise the comparison is also distant on paper. John Moraga is an excellent wrestler but he’ll have to have more than that to get past a champion like Mighty Mouse. The disparity between these two fighters should be apparent as this fight wears on.
Prediction: Demetrious Johnson over John Moraga by decision.
170 lbs.: Rory MacDonald vs. Jake Ellenberger
This is a pivotal one at welterweight between two top-five contenders and title hopefuls that also happen to be two of the fastest rising MMA fighters in the world. Like we mentioned initially, Rory MacDonald has been ordained by many as the next big thing but he’s never faced a matchup like Ellenberger – who’s nearly impossible to take down and hits like a brick.
This is very much like Georges St. Pierre versus Johny Hendricks lite in this one.
Like his Tri-Star training partner GSP, Rory MacDonald’s strength lies in how he’s able to blend the various aspects of his martial arts game and seamlessly transition it into the MMA cage. From kickboxing to wrestling to subs on the ground he’s the complete package. However, when it comes to leveling the playing field, Ellenberger is the perfect foil because he’ll likely be able to isolate the fight to an area where he feels really comfortable – on the feet where he can land the knockout blow.
“The Juggernaut” will no doubt have the edge in power here as he displayed in his last KO over Nate Marquardt. However… does that mean “Ares” will be defeated? Don’t be so quick to call ‘upset’ just yet. If the same MacDonald who handled B.J. Penn shows up Saturday night, he might just have what it takes to somehow pull this off. We’re not sure how he’s going to do it but something says he’s not a top prospect for no reason.
Prediction: Rory MacDonald over Jake Ellenberger by TKO, RD3.
170 lbs.: Robbie Lawler vs. Bobby Voelker
Robbie Lawler is coming off a pretty big win in his UFC return this past February, ruthlessly scoring a first round TKO over Josh Koscheck. He’s still 2-3 since 2011 but all of his losses have come again respectable young fighters. This time around Lawler will be facing an even playing field with the 34 year old Bobby Voelker, who at 24-9 actually has four more fights and three more years than Lawler after also coming over from Strikeforce.
It’s hard to pick against Robbie Lawler in this one. Granted, Bobby will definitely try to grind the pace of this fight way down by trying to keep Lawler on the ground but I don’t see it happening. Here’s to two in a row for the “Ruthless” one in his UFC resurgence.
Prediction: Robbie Lawler over Bobby Voelkner by TKO, TD2
135 lbs.: Liz Carmouche vs. Jessica Andrade
21 year old Jessica Andrade (9-2) is a nice prospect coming out of Brazil than most fans don’t know much about yet. Meanwhile Liz Carmouche is more of a known commodity following her fight with Ronda Rousey, the UFC’s first in the women’s division. Stylistically, Andrade is a submission speclaist with a strong guillotine choke while Carmouche is more well-rounded and should have the striking advantage to along with her strong wrestling. That coupled with her veteran savvy should get her through this fight to satisfy the “Lizbos.”
Prediction: Liz Carmouche over Jessica Andrade by decision.
Preliminary Card (FX)
155 lbs.: Michael Chiesa vs. Jorge Masvidal
Headlining the undercard portion of UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Moraga on the FX network is this lightweight class between Strikeforce import Jorge Masvidal and TUF season 15 winner Michael Chiesa. The latter is 2-0 ever since arriving into the main roster from the show and has won both of his fights by submission. Meanwhile Jorge Masvidal is an exciting fighter who’s had some exciting submissions of his own while also possessing a load of striking experience.
This fight in particular should be an interesting battle of styles with Chiesa looking to take the fight to the ground and Masvidal looking to piece up his opponent on the feet. Both are versed enough to handle the fight if it doesn’t go according to game plan however Jorge likely has more of an edge in his area of expertise than the other way around.
Prediction: Jorge Masvidal over Michael Chiesa by decision.
155 lbs.: Danny Castillo vs. Tim Means
Danny Castillo has long been an underrated tough force in the lightweight division. He’s always been a threat but has never quite made it to the top in terms of title contention. He should have more power than Means in this one and he’ll definitely have the edge in wrestling and on the ground as well. Castillo’s confidence should also be running high after taking out a higly-routed Paul Sass earlier this year. Look for him to take this fight to the ground and control his opponent from top position all the way to the judges’ scorecards in this one.
Prediction: Danny Castillo over Tim Means by decision.
155 lbs.: Mac Danzig vs. Melvin Guillard
Just like the other matchup featuring a fighter with Texas ties, this fight should also be a FOTN contender with both Mac Danzig and Melvin Guillard fighting for their seat at the UFC table.
Anybody who’s ever watched a Melvin Guillard fight knows he’s the type of fighter that counts on his athleticism and power to try and try to outpace his opponents. Meanwhile Mac Danzig is a bit more methodical with his game and will look to out-technique and outlast his opponent. It makes for an interesting matchup in styles. Can Mac weather the early storm? Will Melvin’s fight IQ allow him to hang late?
These are the questions we think are likely to need some answering but this one could go a few different ways other than the obvious as well. Anything goes but we’re going with Danzig staying composed and imposing his will on Melvin to get the win. From there maybe we’ll see the one-time Houstonian in Legacy FC one day…
Prediction: Mac Danzig over Melvin Guillard by submission, RD2.
155 lbs.: Yves Edwards vs. Daron Cruickshank
Daron Cruickshank had won two in a row coming out of season 15 of the Ultimate Fighter prior to dropping a decision to wrestler John Makdessi this past March. Meanwhile Yves is still hanging around after alternating wins and losses in his last six bouts. Looking ahead to this one, this is probably a ‘Fight of the Night’ candidate here in this lightweight bout between veteran “Thugjitsu Master” Yves Edwards and TUF vet Daron Cruickshank as they look to come back from losses in their last bout.
With a crowd-pleasing style in common it’s possible both these guys may just go for that bonus in this one. Aside from the striking aspect, the rest of it may be a stalemate with Daron probably having the takedown edge and Yves possessing an underrated submission game that might give him the edge. This should be a close fight and we think Yves has just enough to edge it out.
Prediction: Yves Edwards over Daron Cruickshank by split decision.
170 lbs.: Ed Herman vs. Trevor Smith
It’s hard to shake the image of Ed Herman getting totally worked by Jacare (Ronaldo Souza) in his last fight out of mind but let’s not forgot he (Souza) was a top-shelf opponent “Short Fuse” took on in relatively short notice. Although a tough guy as well, Trevor Smith is no Jacare and Ed Herman needs to come in and show he’s the superior fighter here to stay relevant after not having won since early 2012.
In order to win in this one Herman will need to shut down Trevor’s grappling. The 10-3 fighter has won most of his bouts by first round submission and is definitely someone you can count on to be a fast starter. Loss to BJJ world champions aside, Ed Herman is actually a very competent grappler himself and should keep himself out of danger early on and drag this fight to the later stages where his veteran experience should allow for him to find some openings.
Prediction: Ed Herman over Trevor Smith by TKO, RD3.
135 lbs.: Julie Kedzie vs. Germaine de Randamie
Kicking things on the FX portion of the fight card is this women’s bantamweight match featuring the always-smiling Julie Kedzie versus Germaine de Randamie. This should be a fun fight as both these women like to scrap. Kedzie comes from a taekwondo background (3rd degre black belt) while her French opponent de Randamie comes from the kickboxing world where she boasts an astounding 37-0 record. With those facts in mind we don’t this one will see the floor too much in lieu of the two taking their chances on the feet. This will likely be a close fight but we think Kedzie’s overall MMA experience should carry her through where her opponent is less experienced.
Prediction: Julie Kedzie over Germaine de Randamie by decision.
Preliminary Card (Facebook)
155 lbs.: Aaron Riley vs. Justin Salas
A longtime veteran of the sport dating back to the early days (pre-1997), Aaron Riley is still kicking around and finds himself back in the UFC after a two-year absence. He’ll be taking on a much less experienced fighter in this one with Justin Salas, who is currently 1-1 in the UFC. Looking at their records and how they like to finish both guys are pretty balanced stylistically but Riley has nine years of experience over his opponent Does that translate into an advantage or is it simply more mileage on the tires? We’re going to go with the former and say Riley can come in and get the job done.
Prediction: Aaron Riley over Justin Salas by TKO, RD2.
135 lbs.: John Albert vs. Yaotzin Meza
John “Prince” Albert is a TUF vet while John Meza was brought in to lose to Chad Mendes on short notice as his own way into the UFC. Both these guys are predominantly grapplers with Albert probably being the stronger of the two. Not sure who has the standup edge but it’s probably Albert. As long as he can control things there and not let Meza dictate things to the ground or let him get it there he should be fine.
Prediction: John Albert over Yaotzin Meza by decision.