10 reasons to abandon your Saturday plans for the UFC's doubleheader

Remember back when Dana White said there would be two UFC events around the globe on the same day?

Perhaps you chalked up the UFC president’s prediction to his usual hubris about the promotion’s international expansion. Of course, that was around the time 30-plus events seemed like a lot of fights to digest.

The UFC’s squeeze on this year’s calendar has put a pair of fight cards on Saturday – UFC Fight Night 41 at Berlin’s O2 Arena and The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo.

The first time that happened, there was a card in Australia and another in Las Vegas. But because of the time difference in the U.S., the events aired on different days. This time around, it’s an all-day double feature.

If you’re on the West Coast, for example, and want to catch all the fights, here’s what you do: Rub your eyes and get up at 9 a.m. for UFC Fight Night 41's preliminary-card on UFC Fight Pass; roll into the main card; pause for a sandwich or perhaps a look outside at the atmosphere; log back into Fight Pass for the TUF Brazil 3 Finale prelims at 3:30 p.m.; Turn on FOX Sports 1 at 5 p.m. and settle in for four more hours.

Twelve possible hours of MMA: Are you ready?

Drop a comment below if you watch the whole day live – you should be recognized. (Alas, we wish Starbucks cards were in the budget.) If you’re not up for it, though, we understand if you fire up that DVR.

Whether you watch them as they happen or take your sweet time, here are the 10 reasons (in chronological order) to watch UFC Fight Night 41 and the TUF Brazil 3 Finale:

1) Now or never

The headliner of UFC Fight Night 41 features middleweights Mark Munoz (13-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) and Gegard Mousasi (34-4-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC), and they’re fighting to stay within striking distance of a title shot. Munoz, 36, might not have too many title runs left in him, and the 28-year-old Mousasi’s UFC run has thus far been lackluster compared to his time in Strikeforce and DREAM. They might be eight years apart in age, but they’ve got a lot of competitive mileage, and only so many opportunities left to seize. While they’ve got the same problem of what happens next if their common foil, Lyoto Machida, is able to take the title from champ Chris Weidman in July, an impressive win will keep one of them relevant even if a title eliminator isn’t exactly around the corner.

2) Get that money

It’s rare when a fighter so plainly details his financial struggles and hopes, but that’s exactly what middleweight C.B. Dollaway (14-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) did during an interview with MMAjunkie. In doing so, he injected new meaning into a bout that could be fairly pedestrian – if history repeats itself. His opponent, Francis Carmont (22-8 MMA, 6-1 UFC), likes to grind on opponents, which can be a monotonous thing to watch. But for Dollaway, you can almost see an imaginary briefcase full of cash hanging over the octagon. Hopefully that leads to an exciting fight. The veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter 7? knocked out Cezar Ferreira in his previous performance. If he can do the same to Carmont, he just might be in business.

3) Unofficial 0 to go

Middleweight Luke Barnatt (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) might have gotten knocked out by Dylan Andrews on “The Ultimate Fighter 17,” but on his official resume, he is undefeated. He won’t be able to say that, however, if he can’t handle young up-and-comer Sean Strickland (14-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who showed well on short notice at this past March’s UFC 171. The question heading into the fight, as it will be for most Barnatt fights, is what effect the 6-foot-6 Brit’s reach will have on his opponent. He’s used it well so far, but Strickland claims he’s capable of getting inside. We’ll see who’s right.

4) Bantamweight burner

As a bantamweight, Iuri Alcantara (29-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) has given Urijah Faber fits in the octagon, and not too long ago he notched a sentimental accomplishment by beating the former EliteXC featherweight champ, Wilson Reis. He might never get a title shot at 135 pounds, but with a few more wins, some might call him a dark horse. Vaughn Lee (14-9-1 MMA, 3-3 UFC) will attempt to give him fits on his feet, which could make for 15 minutes of slow burn. But right now, the Brazilian is building steam.

5) Call it a comeback

If you’re a sucker for a triumph-over-odds story, read adoptive German Peter Sobotta‘s road back to the UFC after three straight octagon losses. The guy nearly died in pursuit of his passion; at the event’s media day, he showed reporters an impressive scar on his stomach where doctors went to work on a bacterial infection. You can’t help but root for a guy who bears down and gets it together (he went 5-0-1 on the international circuit after being cut) only to see his dream hang in the balance, then somehow get his second chance. Sobotta (13-4-1 MMA, 0-3 UFC) might not be a world-beater, but it should be fun to watch him take on undefeated grappling standout Pawel Pawlak (10-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) on the event’s prelims.

6) Odd couple

Stipe Miocic vs. Fabio Maldonado isn’t exactly a freakshow fight, but it might be a sideshow.

Miocic (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), after all, is a heavyweight, but Maldonado (21-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC) merely has to eat like one to make official the headliner for the TUF Brazil 3 Finale. We were supposed to see Junior dos Santos opposite Miocic in a bout with big implications for the big-man division. Instead, we’re getting a blown-up Brazilian whose availability qualified him perhaps more than his popularity to step in when dos Santos withdrew due to injury.

The thing is, it’s still a fight with guilty pleasures. Maldonado is bad for his own brain in the amount of punishment he invites, but it’s still a gas to watch him chase down and bludgeon his opponents. It’s a shame Miocic is likely to prey on his natural weaknesses by muscling him to the ground, but hey, every round starts on its feet. There are bound to be a few thrills.

7) TUF Brazil 3 champs crowned

The third Brazilian season of “TUF” produced plenty of exciting fights, even if they weren’t always the most technical and sometimes involved coaches Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen.

It was clearly a struggle for producers to find standout talent at middleweight and heavyweight, the weight classes featured on the show. All of the finalists are fighting above their natural divisions.

Middleweights (and natural welterweights) Warlley Alves de Andrade (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Marcio Alexandre Jr. (13-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) were teammates on Chael Sonnen’s team, but walked far different roads to the finals. Alves finished both of his opponents in explosive fashion, while Alexandre eked out two split decisions. Alexandre, however, brings solid counter-striking skills and decent takedown defense to the matchup. If he’s able to avoid danger early on, he could make it an exciting fight.

Heavyweights (and natural light-heavies) Antonio Carlos Jr. (4-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Vitor Miranda (10-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) are aggressive fighters, though Carlos is likely to be the guy pushing forward to give Miranda countering opportunities. Miranda’s kickboxing background makes him a perfect takedown candidate, so look for Carlos to exploit that early and often.

8) Maia rebuilds

After three straight wins at welterweight, onetime middleweight Demian Maia (18-6 MMA, 12-6 UFC) was poised for title contention. Then back-to-back losses came against Jake Shields and Rory MacDonald, forcing the Brazilian submission champ back to the drawing board. He’ll get a chance to right the ship and potentially stave off unemployment by meeting UFC newcomer Alexander Yakovlev (21-4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), a Russian Sambo expert who won his shot in the UFC by outpointing Paul Daley.

9) I back

Rony Jason (14-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) was one of the first “TUF Brazil” stars, but fell hard and fast when Jeremy Stephens knocked him out this past fall with a head kick. After a first-round TKO of Steven Siler, he continues his comeback against Robbie Peralta (17-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC), a consistently underrated talent at featherweight.

10) Damm good

After a weight-cutting disaster that nearly killed him, international vet Rodrigo Damm (12-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC) wisely returned to lightweight and picked up a win over Ivan Jorge. The talented Brazilian meets one of the newest members of the UFC’s Dagestan invasion, Rashid Magomedov (17-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), a former M-1 champ who picked up an unspectacular win over Tony Martin in his debut this past February. Count on Damm’s grappling skills to be tested.

For more on UFC Fight Night 41 and the TUF Brazil 3 Finale, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.