10 reasons to watch UFC Fight Night 45, enjoy summer, then watch UFC Fight Night 46

After a brief breather from dual-event days and big pay-per-view cards, the UFC is diving right back into it.

This week, the promotion’s carpet-bomb schedule sees UFC Fight Night 45 land in Atlantic City on Wednesday while UFC Fight Night 46 heads to Dublin on Saturday. The latter marks just the second time the octagon has set down in Ireland.

UFC Fight Night 45, which airs on FOX Sports 1 from Revel Casino Hotel, holds some promise for the lightweight division’s future. UFC Fight Night 46, meanwhile, offers to mint a new star when headliner Conor McGregor returns from a knee injury for the UFC Fight Pass-streamed event at Dublin’s The O2.

Here are 10 reasons to watch:

1. Reliable products

Lightweights Donald Cerrone (23-6 MMA, 10-3 UFC) and Jim Miller (24-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) are about as good as you can get for a UFC Fight Night headliner. For starters, the UFC Fight Night 45 fighters are allergic to dull fights. Then you have the makings of a classic style vs. style matchup, with Cerrone’s muay Thai skills clashing against Miller’s ground savvy. And to top it all off, the winner is on the cusp of title relevancy; the two are neck-and-neck in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings (Cerrone is No. 12 and Miller sits at No. 13). Action, intrigue and importance – what more do you need?

2. Do your own growing

It was written in the stars that featherweight McGregor (14-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) would headline a card in Ireland if he could string together a few impressive wins. Now, the emerald isle’s biggest MMA draw sits at a critical juncture in his UFC career. Can he withstand the spotlight that comes with his overconfidence, and can he perform against top-level competition? Injury stand-in Diego Brandao (18-9 MMA, 4-2 UFC) isn’t ranked, but he’s an aggressive, unpredictable fighter. McGregor could cruise or stumble badly in his big moment. What he does on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 46, and how he does it, will say a lot about his viability as a future star.

3. Boom boom pow

Brazilian lightweight Edson Barboza (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) brings a surgical kind of violence to the octagon with his polished brand of muay Thai. But he might be forced to brawl against Evan Dunham (14-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC), who is game to hold a bloodletting contest with opponents, in Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 45 co-headliner. Dunham might play it smart here and put his jiu-jitsu skills to the test, and few who love their leg tissue could blame him. The hope here, though, is that these two make this one a barnburner.

4. The Nelson comeback you want to see

Welterweight Gunnar Nelson (12-0-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) might not have McGregor’s mouth, but maybe he got a few tips when the Irishman stopped by recently to train in advance of Saturday’s co-headliner. Although he lacks natural charisma, Nelson still manages to get fans going when he works on the mat. Now three months into his return after an injury layoff, the jiu-jitsu champ meets a less regarded submission specialist in “The Ultimate Fighter 17? veteran Zak Cummings (17-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC), whose best bet is to keep the Swede out of his comfort zone.

5. Mafra’s moment

It was clear from Brazilian welterweight Leonardo Mafra (11-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) didn’t have the technique to match up his aggression in his first UFC showing, a third-round TKO loss to Thiago Perpetuo. But now, after a two-year run on the regional circuit, “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” vet owns five straight knockout wins. Welcoming him back to the octagon at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 45 event is Rick Story (16-8 MMA, 9-6 UFC), who’s a well-rounded threat with far more experience. Mafra’s leg kicks and right hand are game changers, though, so an upset is possible.

6. Pickett’s charge

Newly minted flyweight Brad Pickett (24-8 MMA, 4-3 UFC) is now committed to 125 pounds after an uneven run at bantamweight. The well-liked Brit needs a few high profile wins to get himself into the title picture. Ian McCall (12-4-1 MMA, 1-2-1 UFC) was supposed to be his first foil, but he withdrew from an initial booking due to injury. Now, “Uncle Creepy” returns at UFC Fight Night 46 to present a big step up in competition at flyweight, though questions remain about his ability to bounce back after the illness of his daughter and death of his friend, UFC/Strikeforce vet Shane Del Rosario. It could be that Pickett’s needling is just what McCall needs to focus and deliver a “Fight of the Night” showing, but we’ll see.

7. Foil of stone

Brazilian flyweight John Lineker‘s first fight always seems to be with the scale; he’s missed weight three times in the UFC. But his next one, at UFC Fight Night 45, is against a wrestler. Against the smothering Ali Bagautinov, he wasn’t able to fully utilize his heavy hands. Alptekin Ozkilic (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is another grinder who will likely try to keep Lineker off balance with quick transitions between striking, clinching and takedowns. It’s up to Lineker (23-7 MMA, 4-2 UFC) to show he is more than just a knockout artist.

8. Parke storms back

A grab of the shorts brought an unceremonious end to “Stormin’” Norman Parke‘s lightweight run when a point deduction cost him a draw at UFC Fight Night 38. Now, at UFC Fight Night 46, the veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes” reboots opposite grizzled vet Naoyuki Kotani (33-10-7 MMA, 0-2 UFC), whose tour of duty stretches back to Rings and PRIDE. While Kotani remains winless in the octagon after back-to-back losses in 2007, he owns a 13-fight winning streak overseas. The quality of opposition in his run is suspect, so Parke (19-2-1 MMA, 3-0-1 UFC) stands to shine a harsh light.

9. Pick on someone your own size

Lightweights Gleison Tibau (28-10 MMA, 13-8 UFC) and Pat Healy (29-19 MMA, 0-4 UFC) hover around 180 to 190 pounds between fights. In the octagon, they frequently look like welterweights, and they use their size accordingly to bully opponents. They’ll get no such advantage against each other at UFC Fight Night 45, so here, the guy with the better technique should win the day. Tibau generally is sharper on his feet and more explosive in his use of takedowns, but Healy’s grinding style and zombie-like chin can’t be counted out. With four losses in the UFC, Healy can’t lose this one.

10. Ilir intentions

Middleweight Ilir Latifi (8-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) got the sacrificial lamb treatment out of the gate against Gegard Mousasi, but in his return performance against Cyrille Diabate, he showed some potential. At UFC Fight Night 46, fellow light heavyweight Chris Dempsey (10-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) plays the role of longshot as he graduates from the regional circuit with a solid pro record.

For more on UFC Fight Night 45 and UFC Fight Night 46, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.