Five Fighters Who Must Win At UFC 210
Five Fighters Who Must Win At UFC 210
FloCombat writer James Lynch looks at four fighters on the hot seat going into UFC 210 this Saturday night.
UFC 210 takes place this Saturday at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. While a number of fighters look climb the ladder of their respective divisions, there are a number of combatants who are in dire need of a victory. Here are five fighters that are in "must-win" situations this Saturday.
Hard to believe the last time former UFC middleweight champion Weidman had his hand raised was May 2015 against Vitor Belfort at UFC 187. Injuries and two-straight losses have put the 32-year-old in a tough spot ahead of his co-main event matchup against Gegard Mousasi.
To be fair, Weidman's losses have come against arguably the two-best 185-pound fighters in the division outside champion Michael Bisping in Luke Rockhold and Yoel Romero. That doesn't change the fact that he's facing an opponent in Mousasi who has won six of his last seven fights, including three-straight stoppage victories heading into this matchup. Unlike some of the other fighters on this list, if Weidman suffers another setback he's not getting released from the UFC.
However it may be the last time we see the Serra-Longo pupil in the middleweight division as a third-straight loss would likely see him move up to 205-pounds where he'd have a better chance at a championship.
Oliveira competes in his first scheduled lightweight matchup since 2011 as he takes on former Bellator 155-pound champion Will Brooks.
The 27-year old has been finished in three of his last four fights and is a prime candidate to be released should he suffer another setback. Perhaps the biggest battle for the Brazilian seems to be outside the cage where he's missed weight twice during his losing streak and five times total in his career.
His last fight was scheduled to take place in featherweight division against Ricardo Lamas at TUF Latin America 3 Finale, however the matchup was turned into a lightweight contest after the Brazilian significantly missed weight. He now faces American Top Team product Brooks who is coming off his first loss since 2013 and has won nine of his last 10 fights. Should Oliveira miss weight again or endure another loss, it may be the last time we see him in the UFC.
De La Torre is in desperate need of a win after amassing a 2-3-1 NC record since his UFC debut in 2014.
The 30-year-old faces Jury who has only lost twice in 17-career matchups and will be competing for the first time since December 2015. The MMA Lab product has a prime opportunity to take advantage of an opponent who's suffering some serious cage rust. He needs to be careful as Jury can turn even the most exciting matchups on paper into uninspiring wins. For further proof see his victories over Diego Sanchez and Mike Ricci.
De La Torre will need to be aggressive and set the pace early if he wants to get back on the winning track. If he suffers his fourth loss in his last five fights expect the Arizona native to be handed his walking papers.
This light heavyweight showdown has all the signs of a "loser leaves town" match with both fighters suffering three losses in their last four fights.
Cummins likely has the bigger target on with all of his losses during that stretch coming by way of knockout and the fact he's been critical of the UFC's pay structure in the past. At 36-years of age, there isn't much incentive for the Las Vegas based promotion to keep Cummins around if he comes up short once again on Saturday night.
Conversely Blachowicz has lost all his fights by decision in the UFC and hasn't exactly put on any notable performances during his octagon tenure - other than his UFC debut in 2014 where he knocked out Ilir Latifi. As the promotion continues to re-structure the 205-pound division, the future seems grim for either of these light heavyweight fighters.
Who do you think is in a must-win situation this Saturday? Tweet us @FloCombat.
Chris Weidman (vs. Gegard Mousasi) -- Middleweight matchup
Hard to believe the last time former UFC middleweight champion Weidman had his hand raised was May 2015 against Vitor Belfort at UFC 187. Injuries and two-straight losses have put the 32-year-old in a tough spot ahead of his co-main event matchup against Gegard Mousasi.
To be fair, Weidman's losses have come against arguably the two-best 185-pound fighters in the division outside champion Michael Bisping in Luke Rockhold and Yoel Romero. That doesn't change the fact that he's facing an opponent in Mousasi who has won six of his last seven fights, including three-straight stoppage victories heading into this matchup. Unlike some of the other fighters on this list, if Weidman suffers another setback he's not getting released from the UFC.
However it may be the last time we see the Serra-Longo pupil in the middleweight division as a third-straight loss would likely see him move up to 205-pounds where he'd have a better chance at a championship.
Charles Oliveira (vs. Will Brooks) -- Lightweight matchup
Oliveira competes in his first scheduled lightweight matchup since 2011 as he takes on former Bellator 155-pound champion Will Brooks.
The 27-year old has been finished in three of his last four fights and is a prime candidate to be released should he suffer another setback. Perhaps the biggest battle for the Brazilian seems to be outside the cage where he's missed weight twice during his losing streak and five times total in his career.
His last fight was scheduled to take place in featherweight division against Ricardo Lamas at TUF Latin America 3 Finale, however the matchup was turned into a lightweight contest after the Brazilian significantly missed weight. He now faces American Top Team product Brooks who is coming off his first loss since 2013 and has won nine of his last 10 fights. Should Oliveira miss weight again or endure another loss, it may be the last time we see him in the UFC.
Mike De La Torre (vs. Myles Jury) -- Featherweight matchup
De La Torre is in desperate need of a win after amassing a 2-3-1 NC record since his UFC debut in 2014.
The 30-year-old faces Jury who has only lost twice in 17-career matchups and will be competing for the first time since December 2015. The MMA Lab product has a prime opportunity to take advantage of an opponent who's suffering some serious cage rust. He needs to be careful as Jury can turn even the most exciting matchups on paper into uninspiring wins. For further proof see his victories over Diego Sanchez and Mike Ricci.
De La Torre will need to be aggressive and set the pace early if he wants to get back on the winning track. If he suffers his fourth loss in his last five fights expect the Arizona native to be handed his walking papers.
Patrick Cummins and Jan Błachowicz -- Light heavyweight matchup
This light heavyweight showdown has all the signs of a "loser leaves town" match with both fighters suffering three losses in their last four fights.
Cummins likely has the bigger target on with all of his losses during that stretch coming by way of knockout and the fact he's been critical of the UFC's pay structure in the past. At 36-years of age, there isn't much incentive for the Las Vegas based promotion to keep Cummins around if he comes up short once again on Saturday night.
Conversely Blachowicz has lost all his fights by decision in the UFC and hasn't exactly put on any notable performances during his octagon tenure - other than his UFC debut in 2014 where he knocked out Ilir Latifi. As the promotion continues to re-structure the 205-pound division, the future seems grim for either of these light heavyweight fighters.
Who do you think is in a must-win situation this Saturday? Tweet us @FloCombat.