10 reasons to watch UFC on FOX 24, (finally) a can't-miss network-TV card

You’d have to rack your brain pretty hard to recall a UFC on FOX card as deep or important as Saturday’s UFC on FOX 24 event. Not only is there a title fight headlining the promotion’s first trip to Missouri, but two matchups could have title implications.

In the main event, longtime flyweight kingpin Demetrious Johnson puts his title – and a place in the UFC record book – on the line in a matchup with the relatively untested Wilson Reis.

Before that title fight, strawweights Rose Namajunas and Michelle Waterson battle it out in the hopes of getting a shot at the winner of the upcoming fight between champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Jessica Andrade. The winner of the middleweight contest between Ronaldo Souza and Robert Whittaker may also get title-shot consideration.

UFC on FOX 24 takes place at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. The bulk of the card airs on FOX following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

Here are 10 reasons to watch the event.

1. One way or another, history will be made

If you became an MMA fan after Sept. 22, 2012 you’ve lived in a world where Johnson has always been the UFC flyweight champion. He won the title that night, defeating Joseph Benavidez by split decision. Since then, Johnson has defended his title nine times and earned the top spot in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA pound-for-pound rankings.

At UFC on FOX 24, Johnson (25-2-1 MMA, 13-1-1 UFC) looks to take his number of defenses into double digits when he meets No. 5-ranked flyweight Reis, who’s been waiting for this fight for close to a year. He was originally booked to face Johnson in July, but an injury forced the champion from the card. Reis has won two fights since then.

If Reis emerges victorious, he’ll become the first WEC/UFC flyweight to defeat Johnson. If Johnson extends his title defense streak to 10, he’ll be the second fighter to reach 10 consecutive UFC title defenses, joining Anderson Silva.

2. Looking for a shot

Two fights into her UFC career, both submission wins, former Invicta FC atomweight champion and current No. 15-ranked strawweight Waterson is being mentioned as a possible title contender. We’ll find out just how realistic those expectations are when she faces No. 7 Namajunas.

Of the two, Waterson (14-4 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has more overall experience, but as far as high-level UFC experience goes, Namajunas (5-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has a title fight and a title eliminator under her belt (both losses) during her five fights with the promotion.

Namajunas is still developing as a fighter, so those losses do carry some weight, but in a shallow division, she could still receive title-shot consideration with a win over Waterson.

3. Gap in age, but not in talent

Souza has been in the mix for a middleweight title shot for a while. In fact, he’s probably in a position where he could sit and wait for that title fight to come to him. Instead, Souza is trying to stay busy and rack up more wins until the UFC has no choice but to award him his long-awaited shot at the belt.

At UFC on FOX 24, Souza, who is ranked No. 4 in the division, meets No. 7 Whittaker, a man who’s 11 years his junior.

For Souza (23-4 MMA, 6-1 UFC), this matchup potentially allows him, at 37, to remind the UFC that he’s been one of the most consistent middleweights since joining the promotion in 2013. For Whittaker (17-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC), the fight is a chance to solidify his place among the middleweight elite.

4. Not the matchup he was looking for

Renato Moicano debuted with the UFC in 2014, winning a short-notice fight against Tom Niinimaki via second-round submission. Moicano’s (10-0-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) next fight came 511 days later when he earned a split-decision win over Zubaira Tukhugov.

Now, after a break of nearly a year, the unbeaten Brazilian gets a step up in competition against No. 11-ranked featherweight Jeremy Stephens (25-13 MMA, 12-12 UFC), who’s coming off a loss to former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar.

Stephens has been a fighter who’s continuously fought the top fighters in his division. He’s had mixed success against those fighters, but he’s always a game combatant. Expect Stephens to come into this fight with a chip on his shoulder; he was obviously hoping to face a ranked opponent in Kansas City (via Twitter):

5. Unhappy ‘Big Country’

Roy Nelson (22-13 MMA, 9-9 UFC) faces former Bellator heavyweight champion Alexander Volkov (27-6 MMA, 1-0 UFC) on the prelims, and judging by Nelson’s reaction, he’s not happy about the amount of promotion the UFC is doing for the fight (via Twitter):

Nelson, currently No. 13 at heavyweight, has never had a cozy relationship with the UFC. Ever since he won Season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” he and UFC President Dana White always seem to be at loggerheads. Viewed through that lens, Nelson’s pre-fight tweet isn’t a surprise. However, when you consider Nelson’s UFC contract expires with this fight, the lack of promotion could be more than a minor oversight.

6. Two-division champion debuts

Tom Duquesnoy

If you’re unfamiliar with Tom DuQuesnoy, here’s a brief look at his resume. He’s 23. The only blemish on his record is a loss to current UFC fighter Makwan Amirkhani. He’s currently riding an 11-fight unbeaten streak. He joins the UFC after capturing, and defending, titles in both the featherweight and bantamweight division in BAMMA. He fights out of Jackson-Wink MMA.

In short, this young man has the pedigree to make some noise.

Duquesnoy (14-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his UFC debut in the bantamweight division against Patrick Williams (8-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC), who is 1-1 with the UFC, most recently defeating Alejandro Perez by technical submission 23 seconds into their June 2015 bout.

7. Outside the octagon drama

Not long ago Bobby Green seemed poised to break into the lightweight rankings, but injuries and two consecutive defeats have him in a tight spot entering his fight against Rashid Magomedov.

Green was booked to fight Josh Burkman in October, but he withdrew from that contest, citing personal issues. Since that withdrawal, we haven’t heard from Green until this week.

Green has fought through some tough times in the past, but he’s also contemplated retirement. With all the outside the cage drama Green is dealing with, something he spoke about to MMAjunkie, it’s hard to tell what type of mindset he’ll bring into UFC on FOX 24.

Like Green (23-7 MMA, 4-2 UFC), Magomedov (19-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) recently had a long winning streak come to an end, dropping a decision to Beneil Dariush in November. The loss ended Magomedov’s run of 12 consecutive victories.

8. Make the climb

Let’s be honest: Tim Elliott, winner of Season 24 of “The Ultimate Fighter” had a freeroll in his last fight. No one expected Elliott to pull off the upset and wrest the flyweight title from Johnson. He didn’t, and he lost that five-round bout by decision.

Elliott (13-7-1 MMA, 2-5 UFC), a rankings honorable mention, did well enough against Johnson to get another chance to work his way up the rankings. He’ll begin that climb against No. 15 ranked Louis Smolka.

Smolka (11-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC), who only a few months ago said he was ready for a title shot after putting together a four-fight winning streak, has lost two straight.

9. Let’s see the plan

Aljamain Sterling was confused and frustrated after his split-decision loss to Raphael Assuncao in January. At the core of his bewilderment was the process judges use to score fights.

“I just try to wrap my head around that and try to go back to the drawing board to figure out what I need to do,” Sterling, the No. 11 ranked bantamweight said in the aftermath of the defeat.

Sterling and his squad at Serra-Longo Fight Team have had more than two months to come up with a solution to Sterling’s (12-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) dilemma. They’ll get to put their game plan into action against Augusto Mendes (6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC). He enters this contest coming off a January split-decision win over Frankie Saenz.

10. Get started a day early

Friday is a busy night for MMA.

Bellator 177 takes place in Budapest, Hungary. The main attraction of this card is the bantamweight fight between champion Eduardo Dantas and LFA bantamweight champ Leandro Higo.

Dantas (19-4 MMA, 9-1 BMMA), the No. 7 ranked fighter at 135 pounds, is on a three-fight winning streak while Higo (17-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) has won his past eight. Unfortunately, this fight is a non-title bout since Higo missed weight. Bellator 177 takes place at Budapest Sports Arena, and the main card airs on Spike.

Two titles are up for grabs at Victory FC 56. In the main event two-division champion Robert Emerson (19-11) puts his bantamweight strap on the line against unbeaten Raufeon Stots (7-0), thile in the co-main event, welterweight titleholder Kassius Holdorf (8-3) makes his first title defense, against Yuri Villefort (9-5). VFC 56 takes place at Baxter Arena in Omaha, Neb., and the card streams live on UFC Fight Pass.

LFA is also in action on Friday, presenting LFA 9 from FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Okla., with the card televised on AXS TV. In the main event former Legacy FC light heavyweight champion Myron Dennis (12-6) faces Danilo Marques (7-1).

For more on UFC on FOX 24, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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