10 reasons to watch UFC Fight Night 125: Can Lyoto Machida finally bounce back?

from MMA Junkie on Feb 02, 2018
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The UFC makes its first trip to Belem, Para, Brazil on Saturday for UFC Fight Night 125. In the main event, former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida looks to earn his first win in more than three years when he faces the unbeaten Eryk Anders in a middleweight matchup.

In the night’s co-main event, two-time UFC flyweight title challenger John Dodson looks to avoid the first two-fight losing skid of his career against Pedro Munhoz. Munhoz rides a four-fight winning streak into this bantamweight contest.

Also on this card, former UFC women’s bantamweight title challenger Valentina Shevchenko makes her UFC flyweight debut against Priscila Cachoeira. Cachoeira, who makes her UFC debut on this card, sports a perfect 8-0 record.

UFC Fight Night 125 takes place at Mangueirinho Gymnasium. The card airs on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

Here are 10 reasons to watch the event.

1. Hit the brakes

Eryk Anders

Machida has been stopped five times in his career. His three most recent stoppage defeats have come in his past three fights. And while his opponents in those contests are all top-notch middleweights (Luke Rockhold, Yoel Romero and Derek Brunson), that type of losing skid does not inspire confidence in the soon to be 40-year-old former light heavyweight champ.

Anders (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who is just two fights into his UFC career, has an opportunity to make his mark in the 185-pound division in Belem. Machida (22-8 MMA, 14-8 UFC) might not be the fighter he once was, but his name still rings out in MMA circles. A win will open some doors for the 30-year-old.

Machida, who is ranked No. 13 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, is fighting in front of a hometown crowd. With any thoughts of retirement “off the table for now,” expect Machida to be an extra-motivated fighter.

2. Will he be the first?

Pedro Munhoz

Munhoz has earned three “Performance of the Night” bonuses during his four-fight winning streak. Each of those awards came when his opponents left an opening and Munhoz clamped on a guillotine choke.

While Dodson (19-9 MMA, 8-4 UFC), who is an honorable mention in the bantamweight rankings, doesn’t have the winning streak of No. 13 Munhoz (15-2-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC), he does have more experience against high-level competition. He also brings a level of speed and power to the fight that Munhoz has not experienced. Dodson’s strengths could present a problem for Munhoz, who absorbs an average of 5.53 strikes per minute.

Another thing Munhoz has to consider is that no one has submitted Dodson during his 28-fight career. That run includes two 25-minute title bouts against flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson. (Muhnoz missed weight at 140 pounds for the fight against Dodson, for what it’s worth.)

3. A big name makes a move

Valentina Shevchenko

UFC women’s flyweight champion Nicco Montano doesn’t know who she will face in her first title defense, but she might want to keep an eye on the fight between Shevchenko (14-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and Cachoeira (8-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC). Specifically, she should focus on Shevchenko.

Shevchenko, who is ranked No. 2 ranked in the women’s bantamweight division, is coming off a very close split-decision loss to bantamweight champion, Amanda Nunes.

Shevchenko is the most prominent fighter to move to flyweight. If she delivers a dominant win in this contest, the UFC will be hard pressed to deny her a shot at the title when Montano returns from a foot injury.

Cachoeira scored a second-round TKO win in her most recent fight.

4. Defense could be the difference

Michel Prazeres

Michel Prazeres is on a five-fight winning streak. He won his two most recent fights by north-south choke. Unfortunately, Prazeres once again today came in over the lightweight limit. That gives him weight infractions in three of his past four matchups.

He was 161 pounds today. He checked in for UFC Fight Night 95 at 158 pounds. In his most recent bout, which was against Mads Burnell, he weighed in at 159. He’ll stay on at a catchweight Saturday, but will be forced up to welterweight his next time out.

Prazeres (23-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) offered a unique reason for why he missed weight against Burnell, a reason the Belem-born fighter won’t be able to use when he faces Desmond Green (20-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 125.

“We arrived to a very cold hotel, and I’m from a very warm region,” Prazeres said after the fight. “So I struggled with that to make weight – the local weather.”

Green has a solid wrestling base and a 75 percent takedown defense rate. He also has excellent striking defense. He avoided 70 percent of his opponent’s strikes in his first two UFC fights. The American’s defensive skills and his 6-inch reach advantage could make this an interesting scrap.

5. It’s test time

Marcelo Golm

There’s no denying Marcelo Golm’s perfect record is attention-grabbing, but if you delve a little deeper that record reveals a largely untested fighter. His first five opponents were a combined 2-10. In his UFC debut he faced Christian Colombo, who was 0-1-1 at the time.

Golm is a confident 25-year old with crisp striking on the feet, but he prefers to use takedowns and ground strikes to finish fights. His submission win over Colombo was his first win by tap out. Golm’s first five bouts ended by knockout.

Golm (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) faces the more experienced Timothy Johnson in this heavyweight matchup. Johnson (11-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC), who was a Division II All-American wrestler, has above average takedown defense. The 32-year-old has also gone the distance in four of his six UFC fights. Golm has never left the first round. Johnson will be a good test for Golm and could give a good indication of the Brazilian’s upside.

Johnson is coming off a TKO loss to Junior Albini.

6. A slow start is not a good idea

Anthony Smith

Anthony Smith has put together quite a comeback. Bounced from the UFC in 2013 after a first-round submission loss to Antonio Braga Neto, Smith went on a 7-1 run outside the UFC. The promotion re-signed the middleweight in 2016. Smith went 1-1 in his opening two bouts. He’s now on a three-fight winning streak with each fight ending via knockout. His most recent victory was a third-round stoppage of Hector Lombard.

Smith meets Thiago “Marreta” Santos in the main card opener. Santos (16-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC), like Smith (28-12 MMA, 4-2 UFC), has finished his three most recent opponents via knockout. His most recent win was a first-round stoppage of Jack Hermansson.

After his win over Lombard, Smith said he struggles with slow starts. That could be an issue against a fighter as powerful as Santos.

7. Watching the phone

Tim Means

UFC matchmakers must have Tim Means on speed dial. In October he fought Belal Muhammad on five weeks’ notice. Muhammed won that fight by split decision. At UFC Fight Night 125, Means steps in on shorter notice to face Sergio Moraes.

Means (27-9-1 MMA, 9-6 UFC) began his second stint in the UFC on a 6-2 run. Since December 2016 he’s gone 1-2 with one no contest. Moraes (12-3-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) saw his seven-fight unbeaten streak come to an end in September when Kamaru Usman knocked him out in the first round.

One reason Means has been quick to accept short-notice fights is that he’s still trying to dig himself out of the financial hole he found himself in after a tainted supplement suspension and a pending lawsuit against that supplement maker. A win bonus and fight-night performance bonus could help ease that burden.

An aggressive fighter who always looks for the finish, expect Means to do his best to use his striking to negate the top-notch submission skills of Moraes.

8. Watch the takedowns

Damir Hadzovic

If Damir Hadzovic didn’t work on his takedown defense and ground game after his May fight against Marcin Held, he could be in for a long night. Hadzovic defeated Held by knockout, but he went 0-4 in takedown defense. Before he caught Held with a fight-ending knee early in the third round Hadzovic spent a lot of time beneath his opponent on the mat.

Hadzovic (11-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) meets Alan Patrick in this lightweight bout. Patrick (14-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC), a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, returns to the octagon for the first time since he used takedowns and a heavy top game to grind out a decision over Stevie Ray. In his two most recent victories, Patrick has racked up 10 takedowns on 15 attempts.

9. Look past the recent losses

Douglas Silva de Andrade

Douglas Silva de Andrade and Marlon Vera both lost their most recent bouts, but don’t let that discourage you from looking forward to this bantamweight fight.

Vera dropped a decision to hard-hitting John Lineker in October. The defeat ended Vera’s three-fight winning streak. It was his first bout against a ranked opponent. Vera (10-4-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) was never really out of that fight. That’s a positive for him heading into a matchup against another heavy-handed striker in de Andrade (24-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC).

De Andrade saw a two-fight winning streak end when Rob Font submitted him in July. De Andrade is once again coming off a lengthy layoff. He has managed only four fights in the four years he’s been with the UFC.

10. Unbeaten flyweights: You know what that means

Deiveson Figueiredo

It’s that time again. That time being when two rising flyweights face off and everyone hopes the winner will one day become a challenger for the division’s champion, Demetrious Johnson.

Both Deiveson Figueiredo (13-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and Joseph Morales (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) bring unbeaten records into this fight. Figueiredo looks like the more well-rounded of the two. He has heavy hands and is aggressive in going for submissions. However, he struggled with the weight cut ahead of his October split-decision win over Jarred Brooks.

Morales made his UFC debut in August. He spent a good chunk of that bout on his back, but when he got to his feet he tagged his opponent, Roberto Sanchez, with a one-two and then waited for an opening to sink in a rear-naked choke for a first-round submission win.