5 reasons to watch WSOF 34, a New Year's Eve championship quadruple-header

WSOF is taking a risk in presenting WSOF 34 on New Year’s Eve in New York City. However, the promotion is looking to mitigate that risk by holding the event in the afternoon and stacking the card with four title fights.

In the main event, one of the most exciting fighters in all of MMA, lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, puts his title, as well as his lengthy unbeaten streak, on the line against Luiz Firmino.

Before that matchup, Jon Fitch puts his welterweight title on the line against Jake Shields, bantamweight champ Marlon Moraes takes on Josenaldo Silva, and two-division champ David Branch looks to defend his middleweight crown when he meets Louis Taylor.

The WSOF scrapped two previously planned events to stack this card, so it’s safe to assume the promotion has a lot riding on the success of the show.

WSOF 34 takes place Saturday at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The event airs on NBC following prelims on NBCSN and MMAjunkie.

Here are five reasons to spend New Year’s Eve watching WSOF 34.

Gaethje is one of the most exciting fighters in MMA today. Both of his 2015 fights, two TKO victories over Luis Palomino, were contenders for “Fight of the Year.” His only fight in 2016 ended a minute and 43 seconds into the first round when he stopped Brian Foster via leg kicks. He’s gone the distance just twice in his career.

Gaethje, ranked No. 8 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, has claimed he’s both “the best lightweight in the world” and the “most aggressive fighter at lightweight in the world.” One would usually dismiss that kind of talk as hyperbole, but if Gaethje is not the lightweight king in those departments, he’s at least in the conversation. When you add in the fact that he’s also able to take damage and quickly recover, he’s a threat for any fighter at 155 pounds.

Firmino is coming off a first-round submission loss to Foster, his first defeat in more than four years. Firmino’s (19-7) strong suit is his ground game, and that means the ultra-aggressive striking style of Gaethje (16-0) is going to be a big problem for him.

It’s kind of weird that 38-year-old Fitch and 37-year-old Shields are fighting for a WSOF title, but here we are.

On paper, Shields (31-8-1), the No. 10 ranked welterweight, looks like he has the tools to take the title from the unranked Fitch (28-7-1). Shields is the better all-around fighter, but the question here is whether he will he be able to implement his complete arsenal.

We know Fitch is happy to grind down his opponents over the course of a fight. If Fitch can keep Shields against the fence and eventually work the fight to the ground, he might grind out a classic Jon Fitch-type victory. However, if he leaves a single opening, Shields is adept enough to exploit that opportunity, especially if it comes while the two are on the ground.

No one is expecting this to be the most exciting fight of the night, but it could make for an interesting technical battle.

Moraes puts his bantamweight belt on the line for the fifth time. His past three title defenses have all ended early, with Moraes earning victories via submission, TKO and knockout in those contests.

Since debuting with the promotion at WSOF 1, Moraes is undefeated and has run off 10 straight wins. He’s looked like a world beater during that run and showed a well-rounded skill set and a confidence and comfort that would make him a tough matchup for any bantamweight in any promotion, which his No. 5 ranking should make clear.

Moraes (17-4-1) faces WSOF newcomer Silva (25-4), who comes to the promotion on a 17-fight winning streak, in this title defense.

Two-division champion Branch drops back down to middleweight and looks to defend his title against Taylor at WSOF 34.

Branch won the 185-pound title in November 2014 and has since defended the belt on two previous occasions, most recently defeating Clifford Starks by unanimous decision at WSOF 30.

Despite holding two titles and fighting at a heavier weight class than the three other title fights on this card, Branch defends his belt on the prelims of WSOF 34, where he faces Taylor.

That placement is a bit of a slap in the face to Branch, doubly so when you consider the man he defeated at WSOF 15, Yushin Okami (who’s not fighting in a title bout), has a spot on the main card.

Branch, the No. 9 ranked middleweight, recently addressed his forgotten man status.

“When I see other fighters that I know that I’m better than getting more recognition than myself, maybe that’s what keeps me inside that dungeon, keeping with that Clubber Lang mentality, and that’s exactly what I have,” Branch told MMAjunkie Radio. “I’m a champion that holds two belts that still fights like he’s a hungry wolf and trains like he’s a hungry wolf at the bottom, and that’s what makes more unique and more dangerous than a lot of other fighters.”

Taylor (13-3) enters his fight against Branch (19-3) with two submission wins on his WSOF record. He’s riding a six-fight winning streak with six stoppages.

Jared Rosholt

Jared Rosholt signed with WSOF in August, not long after the UFC released him, despite putting together a 6-2 record with that promotion.

When he was let go, Rosholt told MMAjunkie, “Hopefully that will just be their loss and they’ll be like, ‘We made a mistake.’”

At WSOF 34, the honorable mention in the heavyweight rankings gets his first chance to show his former employer what it lost when it let him go.

To accomplish that, Rosholt is going to have to display a new wrinkle to his fight game. Rosholt is a strong wrestler, and it’s likely that his grinding style was the reason the UFC felt it could let him walk. If Rosholt (14-3) hopes to impress both his old and new bosses, he’s going to have to show more aggression and go for the finish against fellow WSOF newcomer Caio Alencar (10-1), who enters this fight on a three-fight winning streak.

For more on WSOF 34, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.