10 reasons to watch UFC Fight Night 123 with a crucial fight for Cub Swanson

The UFC visits Fresno, Calif., on Saturday for UFC Fight Night 123. Headlining the card is a potential featherweight title eliminator between long-time 145-pound competitor Cub Swanson and the fast-rising Brian Ortega.

Swanson was close to a shot at then-champion Jose Aldo in 2014, but a submission loss to Frankie Edgar knocked Swanson out of the title picture. Now, with a four-fight winning streak to his name, Swanson hopes a win over Ortega will earn him his longed-for title fight.

Ortega debuted with the UFC a few months before Swanson’s loss to Edgar. When he joined the UFC the Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt was 8-0. He remains unbeaten with four consecutive third-round submission wins with the UFC.

UFC Fight Night 123 takes place at Save Mart Center, and it airs on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

Here are 10 reasons to watch the event.

1. Risk vs. reward

Since he joined the WEC/UFC in 2007, Swanson has won nine fight-night bonuses, including “Fight of the Night” in his two most recent bouts. He enters UFC Fight Night 123 with a contract that expires when his fight against Brian Ortega comes to an end.

Swanson (25-7 MMA, 10-3 UFC), who is the No. 6 ranked featherweight in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA rankings, is taking a calculated risk in fighting out his deal against Ortega (12-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC), a rising star who is one spot below him in the rankings. If the 34-year-old Swanson hands his 26-year-old opponent the first loss of his career, he figures his worth to the company should be at an all-time high. If that is the case, Swanson should be rewarded handsomely.

If he’s wrong, things could get a little dicey, just ask Stevie Ray, who fought out his contract, and lost, in July. Ray is still waiting to negotiate a new deal with the promotion.

2. A fan favorite returns

Jason Knight was on a four-fight winning streak when he decided to step in as an injury replacement against featherweight contender Ricardo Lamas. It was a gutsy move, but not an especially shocking one. During his stint with the UFC, the Mississippian has become a fan favorite for his take no prisoners approach to fighting.

Knight’s gamble did not pay off. Lamas stopped him via strikes in the first round. The defeat did not hurt Knight’s standing in the rankings. He remains an honorable mention. Nor did the loss hurt Knight (20-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) in the eyes of the UFC. His fight against Gabriel Benitez (19-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) is his first co-main event bout with the promotion.

The unranked Benitez, who is coming off a loss to Enrique Barzola, is a significant underdog in this matchup. Benitez is a powerful, but limited striker, who is susceptible to takedowns.

3. Not a bad consolation prize

When former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz was pulled from his scheduled bout against Jimmie Rivera, both Marlon Moraes and Aljamain Sterling campaigned for the open spot. Neither received the nod. John Lineker will face Rivera at UFC 219.

Instead, the UFC opted to give Moraes (19-5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), who is ranked No. 6 in the division, a shot at the No. 12 ranked Sterling (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) after the UFC pulled Sterling’s original opponent, Rani Yahya from UFC Fight Night 123 due to injury.

While neither fighter received his wish to fight Rivera in what could have been a bantamweight title eliminator, a win here might put the victor one or two fights away from a shot at the title.

4. Former champions meet

Eryk Anders

All signs indicate Eryk Anders is a fighter to watch in the middleweight division. The former University of Alabama linebacker began competing in MMA a little more than two years ago and he’s already unbeaten in nine fights. His two most recent bouts took place in a span of 29 days. He won the LFA middleweight title with a unanimous decision victory in June. He followed that with a first-round knockout of 17-fight UFC veteran Rafael Natal.

Anders (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) faces unbeaten Markus Perez at UFC Fight Night 123. Perez (9-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) steps into his UFC debut on short notice. Like Anders, he enters his first UFC bout after winning the LFA middleweight title. Perez won the title via first-round submission.

5. Watch the pace

Benito Lopez

Benito Lopez was 7-0 with five consecutive first-round stoppage victories to his name when he appeared on the Dana White’s Contender Series 7 card. The 23-year-old didn’t get a finish that night, but his split decision win over Steven Peterson earned him a UFC contract. The Team Alpha Male product faces a tough test in Albert Morales in this bantamweight contest.

During the Peterson fight it was plain to see how Lopez racked up those first-round finishes. He was relentless in his striking attack, which included a nice mix of kicks and knees. The drawback of Lopez’s fast pace was that he faded as the fight progressed.

The 26-year-old Morales might only have one win in the UFC, a split decision over Andre Soukhamthath, but he was 6-0 with five finishes before he joined the promotion. Like Lopez (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Morales (7-2-1 MMA, 1-2-1 UFC) employs a fast-paced striking attack.

6. Welcome to the flyweight division

Two former women’s bantamweight title contenders drop to flyweight for a rematch at UFC Fight Night 123. In their first meeting, Alexis Davis, who is ranked No. 12 at 135 pounds defeated Liz Carmouche, who is the No. 14 ranked bantamweight, by unanimous decision.

Neither fighter has been very active since they faced off in 2013. Davis (18-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) has fought five times since that bout, while Carmouche (11-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) has stepped into the cage three times.

In a division with a newly crowned champion, and a handful of bantamweight and strawweight fighters looking to make the move to 125 pounds, this is an important fight for these two 33-year-old veterans. An impressive performance will go a long way toward establishing the victor in the still-developing division.

7. In search of a UFC bantamweight win

Andre Soukhamthath

Luke Sanders faces Andre Soukhamthath in a battle between two fighters who held bantamweight titles outside the UFC. Sanders (11-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) held the RFA title, while Soukhamthath (11-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) was the CES champion. Neither fighter has a win at 135 pounds in the UFC.

Sanders is a powerful and aggressive fighter who was on his way to a stoppage victory over Iuri Alcantara before delivering an illegal knee to his opponent’s head during his most recent fight. The break in the action gave Alcantara new life. He took advantage of the opportunity and submitted Sanders in the second round.

Soukhamthath has dropped both his UFC outings by split decision. His most recent defeat came against Alejandro Perez at UFC Fight Night 114. Soukhamthath has power in his hands, but he’s not nearly as active or aggressive as Sanders.

8. The new guy

Whenever a new addition joins the flyweight division, it’s worth taking a look at that fighter. At UFC Fight Night 123, that fighter is Alex Perez.

Perez (18-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) earned his UFC contract with an impressive first-round submission win over Kevin Gray on the Dana White Contender Series 5 card. The victory extended the 25-year-old’s winning streak to five straight. The former Tachi Palace champ has a very well-rounded game. With 22 fights on his record, he brings a wealth of experience into his fight against Carls John de Tomas (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC).

At 21, De Tomas is one of the youngest fighters in the UFC. With just seven fights on his record, six of which came with the Universal Reality Combat Championship promotion in the Philippines, he’ll have a distinct experience disadvantage in this matchup.

De Tomas enters this bout after a loss to Naomi Inoue at UFC Fight Night 111. A late change from the California State Athletic Commission moved this fight to a bantamweight contest.

9. A tough first test

Frankie Saenz

Merab Dvalishvili signed with the UFC on the strength of a highlight-reel 15-second knockout win over Raufeon Stots at Ring of Combat 59. The stoppage was Dvalishvili’s first defense of the ROC bantamweight title. The win was the sixth straight victory for the Serra-Longo fighter.

Dvalishvili (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) faces Frankie Saenz. Saenz (10-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) was on a seven-fight winning streak before he dropped a decision to Urijah Faber at UFC 194. The 37-year-old has since lost two more fights and is likely fighting for his UFC life in Fresno.

Despite his losing skid, Saenz is going to be a tough fight for the debuting Dvalishvili.

10. It’s been a minute

Trevin Giles

Trevin Giles fights in his second curtain jerker at UFC Fight Night 123. If this fight goes as well as his first did, don’t expect him to fight so early on the prelims in the future.

Giles began his UFC career with a second-round knockout win over James Bochnovic at UFC 213. Giles showed good composure in his UFC debut. His ground striking was powerful and accurate. The 25-year-old landed 30 of his 37 attempted ground strikes. It was that work on the mat that earned him the knockout win.

Giles drops from light heavyweight to middleweight for his matchup against Antonio Braga Neto. Giles (10-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) might not want to test Neto (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) on the ground. The 30-year-old is a jiu-jitsu world champion. Neto’s most recent bout was a June 2014 decision loss to Clint Hester. Giles turned pro in January of that year. He has fought eight times since Neto’s most recent outing.

For more on UFC Fight Night 123, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.