"The Notorious" Conor McGregor has quickly become one of the most must-see fighters in the UFC. His bravado, signature look and mammoth cultural following has firmly established the Irish fighter as the next superstar in mixed martial arts.
All he needs is a world title to validate the hype.
On Sunday night at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, McGregor will have a chance to move one step closer to an anticipated showdown with longtime featherweight champion Jose Aldo. Aside from fighting in Ireland, McGregor couldn't be performing in front of a more pro-Notorious crowd.
Dennis Siver is McGregor's opponent, and he better bring thick skin and ear plugs for this one. The atmosphere will be electric.
Here's a look at the full card, viewing information and predictions for each fight.
| UFC Fight Pass Prelims at 6 p.m. ET | ||
| Matchup | Weight Class | Prediction |
| Tateki Matsuda vs. Joby Sanchez | Flyweight | Sanchez by TKO |
| Matt Van Buren vs. Sean O'Connell | Light Heavyweight | Van Buren by TKO |
| Fox Sports 1 Prelims at 7 p.m. ET | ||
| Matchup | Weight Class | Prediction |
| Charles Rosa vs. Sean Soriano | Featherweight | Soriano by decision |
| Johnny Case vs. Frankie Perez | Lightweight | Case by KO |
| Paddy Holohan vs. Shane Howell | Flyweight | Holohan by decision |
| Zhang Lipeng vs. Chris Wade | Lightweight | Wade by submission |
| John Howard vs. Lorenz Larkin | Welterweight | Howard by KO |
| Cathal Pendred vs. Sam Spencer | Welterweight | Pendred by TKO |
| Fox Sports 1 Main Card at 10 p.m. ET | ||
| Matchup | Weight Class | Prediction |
| Norman Parke vs. Gleison Tibau | Lightweight | Parke by decision |
| Uriah Hall vs. Ron Stallings | Middleweight | Hall by KO |
| Donald Cerrone vs. Benson Henderson | Lightweight | Henderson by unanimous decision |
| Conor McGregor vs. Dennis Siver | Featherweight | McGregor by KO |
UFC.com, picks by Mazique
Before McGregor can attempt to take down one of the greatest of all time, he'll need to handle business against Siver on Sunday. Per usual, McGregor is confident he'll get the job done. Take a listen to this interview posted by MMA Fighting on YouTube:
While the show surrounding McGregor can be distracting, Luke Thomas of MMA Fighting reminds us not to allow the hype to mask the fact that McGregor has the goods in the cage:
We spend so much time talking about other things related to him that we rarely step back & say Conor McGregor is a really excellent fighter.
— Luke Thomas (@SBNLukeThomas) January 16, 2015
Siver is no slouch. In fact, the Dennis Craig doppelganger has been fighting in the UFC since 2007. He's faced many of the best in the division with mixed results. He's known for his spinning back kick and toughness.
He'll need both if he's going to stop the Irishman's meteoric rise. No fighter is unbeatable, but Siver doesn't seem to fit the profile of the man capable of knocking off McGregor. Siver would appear to be on the losing end of a speed contest—he's 10 years older and one-inch shorter.
McGregor's punching and striking are simply dynamic. Grappling could be a weakness, but no one has been able to take him down to truly test his ground game. Per Fight Metric, his takedown defense percentage is a perfect 100. Siver isn't the man likely to take McGregor down.
Grappling isn't his strong suit either. That would seemingly make this bout a stand-up affair. Unfortunately for Siver, that's a fight he can't win. Prepare for another explosive finish by McGregor as he'll knock out Siver inside two rounds.
Smooth Will Edge Cowboy
If you respect the grind of an MMA fighter, then you have to love Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone. Many people say they will fight anyone, but Cerrone has proved it over the last 14 months.
Take a look at the fighters he's faced and defeated since Nov. 2013 via this tweet from MMA Infographic.
Here's a look at @Cowboycerrone's win streak. #UFCBoston pic.twitter.com/IyezD9VIKb
— MMA Infographics (@MMAInfographics) January 16, 2015
On Sunday, Cerrone will step in for the injured Eddie Alvarez to take on former lightweight champion Benson "Smooth" Henderson. Henderson lost his last fight by TKO to Rafael dos Anjos in August. It seemed like a pretty quick stoppage from referee John McCarthy, but it's an official loss in the records nonetheless.
This bout is coming just 15 days after Cerrone defeated Myles Jury at UFC 182. Win or lose, Cowboy is unreal.
As much as MMA purists may root for Cerrone, this looks like a bad matchup for him. Henderson simply knows how to win rounds. He's a defensive fighter who has dangerous leg kicks and a strong wrestling base. He's not going to bring the fight to Cowboy.
Cerrone feeds off countering opportunities, and I don't see Henderson giving him a ton of chances. This one will be close, as many of Henderson's fights are, but in the end he'll win an unpopular decision to break Cerrone's win streak.
Look for a Spectacular Finish From Uriah Hall
Many have been waiting for the bout when Uriah Hall proves just how special a fighter he can be. Sunday's scrap with late replacement Ron Stallings might be Hall's best chance to showcase his skills.
Originally, Hall was supposed to take on Costas Philippou, but he and his replacement, Louis Taylor, had to bow out because of injury.
On a week's notice, Stallings—who fights out of Lloyd Irvin's gym—took the bout. While most of Irvin's fighters bring a strong wrestling game into the cage, Stallings seems to prefer to stand and fight. He has decent muay thai skills, but they aren't on the same level as Hall's dynamic striking game.
This fight is Stallings' UFC debut, and he'll be eager to impress. His efforts will see him run into something nasty from Hall. This one is likely to end quickly and violently with a Performance of the Night bonus on hand for Hall.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
