UFC 274: Fight Night Double Header

In the second portion of our combat sports double header, we take a deep dive into the main card of UFC 274. A power packed card, which is becoming the norm for these super events, Dana White has once again given fans exactly what they need. Even with Oliviera missing weight, the night will be one to remember. 

UFC fans, while tonight may not have the same feel since the events of yesterday transpired, this is a card full of fireworks! A bit of controvery to the main event never hurt the story and with a very fun card overall we should see quality fights across the board. It’s impossible not to address the very unfortunate elephant in the room, former UFC Lightweight champion Charles Oliviera, who reportedly focused on strength training for this battle tonight weighed in at 155.5 pounds, making him ineligible to retain his title. Even if he wins the title will be vacated, while the challenger Justin Gaethje has the opportunity to walk away with the gold! I’ll reserve my full opinions on this matter but I will say this decision should be called into question especially with individuals who compete for the organization questioning the weigh-in style, or pointing out hypocrisy in how the company handles this process depending on who’s weighing in. In any case, we still have a big card to look forward to this weekend, and I will proceed with a main card breakdown.

To start off the main card we have a battle of two battle tested old timers that any hardcore UFC fan will recognize: Joe “J-Lau” Lauzon vs Donald “Cowboy Cerrone. When I began watching Mixed Martial Arts personally, back when guys like Chuck Lidell and Tito Ortiz were still on the roster, these guys were up and comers in the Lightweight division. Now over a decade later, with a combined record of 64-32, these guys have somehow managed to stick around and still find themselves on Pay Per View main cards. All that being said, I do truly hope that these guys are on their way to the retirement home. I won’t call them Rock Em Sock Em Robots, but neither of these two warriors were ever known for their defense. Now in their late 30s, one would hope that they are looking to start their next chapter in life. However Lauzon has not committed to retiring after this bout and Cerrone who has lost his last 6 straight says he can turn it all around with a win Saturday night. I emphasized the sheer length of time these guys have been around to give you all context, in terms of how the fight will go, like i said both of these guys bring the pain every time they are in there. Donald Cerrone is certainly the more diverse striker, and will have a massive height and a slight reach advantage. Lauzon’s most recent fight ended victorious with a stoppage KO, so hes no slouch in the striking department, however his true advantage comes on the ground, where he’s won 17 of his 28 career victories by submission. This fight is a toss up if I ever saw one genuinely, but I’ll have to put my money on a Cerrone victory in what is hopefully a swan song. He’s faced much more dangerous competition as of late by comparison, so we will see if Cowboy can create that magic that drew so many fans to him one last time. 

**Donald Cerrone had to pull out of the fight to due a bout with food poisoning. Two of the veterans in UFC expect to see this fight on a future card. Both will want to run this back after an unfortunate spell of luck for Cowboy. 

In a replacement fight, Welterweight fight Brown v. Williams has been moved to the main card. Randy Brown comes in at 14-4 after winning four of his last five fights. Khaos Williams is the challenger with a record of 13-2 winning seven fights by knock out. The matchup is essentially a pick’em with Brown currently sitting at -105 and Williams -115. While this is a short notice move it doesn’t take away from the fact that this should be two heavy fisted competitors swinging away. It will be a fifteen minute track meet that is too close to predict. 

The second fight on the main card features two long time UFC light heavyweight mainstays, former champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs the always dangerous Ovince St. Preux. This rematch (St. Preux defeated Rua by knockout in a 2014 matchup) is another fight I wouldn’t say I’m the biggest fan of from a health perspective, especially on the side of Shogun. Both of these guys have similar records (Shogun 27-12, St. Preux 25-16) but Shogun Rua especially has an absurd amount of mileage on his body. I first witnessed this man do battle in Pride fighting championship, the long defunct but legendary Japanese MMA organization that brought many legends of the sport in to the public eye. Shogun was one of the most vicious finishers in Pride history, posting wins over MMA legends such as Rampage Jackson, Antonio “Little Nog” Noguiera and two wins by knockout over heavyweight mainstay Allistair Overeem. He was dominant, leaving Pride with a 16-2 record looking lethal. He faced some early setbacks in his UFC career, but eventually managed to defeat Lyoto Machida for the title. This was all the way back in 2011. Since then Shogun has never competed for a belt in the UFC. And yet here we are in 2022, Rua a few months shy of 41 is still competing. St. Preux does not have the same illustrious career history as Rua, but he is a former title challenger and has also seen some significant highs and lows in his career. With his massive height and reach advantage as well as pure size, considering he’s fought up at heavyweight multiple times while Rua is a middleweight to light heavyweight, I’ll have to lean towards a St. Preux victory by KO. 

“Iron” Mike Chandler vs Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson is a fight that could have some major implications in the UFC’s lightweight division. Both guys are on some tough losing skids in their careers but they are still among the top in the division talent wise. Both have suffered losses to the men in the main event in their last 3 fights, and are looking to re-establish themselves as top dogs in the division as they hit the twilight of their careers. Michael Chandler, the explosive former Bellator Lightweight champion has looked great in each of his last 3 UFC appearances. Some would argue he’d be the champion if he was a little less overzealous in his battle with Charles Oliviera, and his battle with Justin Gaethje was an absolute fight of the year candidate. His hard hitting style with a strong wrestling background and insane chin make Chandler a fun watch every time out. On the other side we have Tony Ferguson, who admittedly has put up some uninspired efforts looking back at his past few fights. The UFC may have figured out Fergusons style, as he looked to be completely neutralized against Oliviera, Gaethje and most recently Beneil Dariush. We hope to see the El Cucuy of old with the unorthodox strikes and innovative ground game, but if recent history is an indicator, I’d say place your bets on Iron Mike by knockout or dominating decision. 

The Co Main event of the night features two of the best Strawweights in the world with the heavily decorated former champion Carla “The Cookie Monster” Esparza facing off against “Thug” Rose Namajunas. Thug Rose has one of the most interesting fighting styles in the UFC, with a  strong Taekwondo background allowing her to use a wide range of kicks, and rangy jabs to keep her opponents away. Shes generally the taller woman in most of her fights with a heavy reach advantage, so this style definitely plays to her favor at 115 pounds. She also however is a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu and has a few finishes by submission in her career, although I believe Esparza has the advantage on the ground. Former Invicta FC and UFC Strawweight Champion Carla Esparza is on a 5 fight win streak, and looking to recapture the gold. She is a definite underdog in this bout, however I do believe she isn’t given enough credit for the ground threat that she presents. Namajunas’s last 3 opponents were all looking to stand and strike with her, if Esparza is able to implement a wrestling focused gameplan she will minimize the physical advantages the champion has on her and make this a good one. I expect Thug Rose to be able to hold the former champ at bay for the most part, but it will be  a fun fight. Expect a decision victory and the champ to retain the belt. 

Now, for the main event, Charles Oliviera “do Bronx” Oliviera vs Justin Gaethje. This fight will be a great one in spite of all the controversy. Gaethje is a knockout artist through and through, and he’s always known to give us a highlight one way or the other. Charles Oliviera is probably the most stressful fighter to bet on of all time, so for all my sports gamblers expect to see him fall to the ground from a strike at some point early on in the fight. It really is a sad case where .5 of a pound is keeping him from retaining his title, but regardless if he wins we still know who the top dog is at 155 pounds. Do Bronx is the best submission artist in the UFC’s history, holding the record for most wins by tap. He has also managed to add some power to his striking in recent years though, so do not sleep on the striking ability. In his last 10 wins he has only one by decision. The definition of exciting, the definition of well rounded, the definition of tough, expect Oliviera to put on a show tonight. I do think he will eventually get this fight to the ground, and if that happens Gaethje is done for. This is a toss up, but with my back against the wall I say the champ retains by submission in the later rounds. An incredible fight to come. 

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