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Obviously UFC 226 looks to be stacked AF, but the Fight Night card for the week after looks really sneaky good:
Junior dos Santos vs Blagoi Ivanov: Ivanov is a former WSOF champ and 16-1, with his only loss coming against Volkov (who is really close to a title shot right now). Relatively young at 31, and has potential to be yet another new guy making noise in a division that seemed to be considered dead just a year ago. Of course, JDS should still be high level at HW and will be a tough test for him.
James Vick vs Paul Felder: Both guys are top 15 lightweights that probably would move right into the top 10 with a win here. Both fighters are pretty exciting, and the winner likely sets himself up with a fight against a top-tier lightweight.
Myles Jury vs Chad Mendes: While Jury is still intriguing at 145, I'm more interested in seeing how good Mendes looks post-suspension. The division has seen a lot of change since he last fought, and I think people have forgotten just how good Mendes was. If he comes back looking great there are a lot of top matchups that can be made, since outside of a few guys like Aldo and Edgar he hasn't fought many of the top guys at today's 145.
Darren Elkins vs Alexander Volkanovski: Volkanovski is 17-1 and not even ranked at 145; if he can get past Elkins he might make some noise in a very deep and interesting division. Of course, Elkins is no stranger to derailing guys who thought they could use him as a stepping stone.
Justin Scoggins vs Said Nurmagomedov: Said is 11-1 at flyweight and is related to Khabib. He's only 26 and with a win should be a very promising prospect in a division that clearly needs some new blood.
Liz Carmouche vs Jennifer Maia: Maia was the Invicta champ at W125 and is arguably the best fighter at her weightclass; if she wins this then she could possibly face the winner of Montano-Shev for the title despite this being her UFC debut.
Bermudez vs Glenn, Cat vs Reneau, and Wineland vs Turbo Perez also look to be relevant fights within their divisions. It may fly under the radar because of the lack of big names, but in terms of divisional importance this card is pretty stacked for a FS1 Fight Night card.
Junior dos Santos vs Blagoi Ivanov: Ivanov is a former WSOF champ and 16-1, with his only loss coming against Volkov (who is really close to a title shot right now). Relatively young at 31, and has potential to be yet another new guy making noise in a division that seemed to be considered dead just a year ago. Of course, JDS should still be high level at HW and will be a tough test for him.
James Vick vs Paul Felder: Both guys are top 15 lightweights that probably would move right into the top 10 with a win here. Both fighters are pretty exciting, and the winner likely sets himself up with a fight against a top-tier lightweight.
Myles Jury vs Chad Mendes: While Jury is still intriguing at 145, I'm more interested in seeing how good Mendes looks post-suspension. The division has seen a lot of change since he last fought, and I think people have forgotten just how good Mendes was. If he comes back looking great there are a lot of top matchups that can be made, since outside of a few guys like Aldo and Edgar he hasn't fought many of the top guys at today's 145.
Darren Elkins vs Alexander Volkanovski: Volkanovski is 17-1 and not even ranked at 145; if he can get past Elkins he might make some noise in a very deep and interesting division. Of course, Elkins is no stranger to derailing guys who thought they could use him as a stepping stone.
Justin Scoggins vs Said Nurmagomedov: Said is 11-1 at flyweight and is related to Khabib. He's only 26 and with a win should be a very promising prospect in a division that clearly needs some new blood.
Liz Carmouche vs Jennifer Maia: Maia was the Invicta champ at W125 and is arguably the best fighter at her weightclass; if she wins this then she could possibly face the winner of Montano-Shev for the title despite this being her UFC debut.
Bermudez vs Glenn, Cat vs Reneau, and Wineland vs Turbo Perez also look to be relevant fights within their divisions. It may fly under the radar because of the lack of big names, but in terms of divisional importance this card is pretty stacked for a FS1 Fight Night card.