10 reasons to watch ‘UFC on FOX 9: Johnson vs. Benavidez 2'

Is the injury bug buzzing back into town?

After a year mostly free of big changes to big cards, Saturday’s UFC on FOX 9 reminds us that this sport of MMA takes its toll on participants, which in turn leaves the promotion (and fans) to make do.

And they will, of course. Not long ago, it was 2012, when headliner after headliner was scrapped due to bumps and bruises. “Card subject to change” was a way of life, it then seemed.

The promotion has had infinitely better luck this year, and as a result, we’ve seen some of the best fights in its history. Just this past weekend, we saw one of the better heavyweight fights ever when Antonio Silva and Mark Hunt collided at UFC Fight Night 33 and fought to a five-round majority draw.

But when it comes to Saturday’s show, you can’t help but wonder of what might’ve been.

A lightweight title bout between champ Anthony Pettis and T.J. Grant promised another explosive ending to a network-televised fight card. Grant wisely withdrew due to lingering effects of a concussion suffered in training. Ex-Strikeforce champ Josh Thomson then stepped in to Grant’s spot, only to see Pettis vacate the card when a knee injury suffered in his title-winning performance against Benson Henderson necessitated surgery.

And just recently, a welterweight bout with barnburner potential – Carlos Condit vs. Matt Brown – was scratched when Brown suffered a serious back injury in training.

Ian McCall vs. Scott Jorgensen? John Dodson vs. Jorgensen? Zach Makovsky vs. Jorgensen? Only the last one held.

The beneficiary of the headliner troubles is UFC flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson, who settles into a now-familiar role of headlining a FOX-televised fight card. He rematches Joseph Benavidez, whom he defeated to secure the inaugural 125-pound title at UFC 152.

With the original 155-pound main event and welterweight bout nixed, the fight card literally has gotten lighter: three of four main-card bouts are contested at 145 pounds or lighter.

UFC on FOX 9 takes place at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. The event’s main card airs live on FOX (8 p.m. ET) following prelims on FOX Sports 1 (5 p.m. ET) and MMAjunkie (4:30 p.m. ET).

Here are 10 reasons to watch UFC on FOX 9:

1. Cream of the flyweight crop. When they met a year ago, Johnson (18-2-1 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) was just a little faster, a little looser and a lot more flexible than Benavidez (19-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who, as he later admitted, was wound way too right to deliver his best performance. So the inaugural flyweight title went to Johnson, who’s become progressively more comfortable and aggressive inside the octagon. But so, too, has Benavidez, who’s stopped two of his three past opponents. The two are separated by such a small margin of skill that they might split 10 bouts between them. Every bout, however, would be a frenzy of fistic movement, which is what we’re in store for in the headliner.

2. Passing of guard, or veteran’s triumph. It’s not like Urijah Faber (29-6 MMA, 5-2 UFC) is going anywhere since he’s one of the UFC’s strongest promotional assets. As long as he’s able to stay relevant by beating up-and-comers and fellow vets, he’ll have a home in the octagon. But a symbolic win is at stake against Michael McDonald (16-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who, at 22, has several title runs in him after his first ended with a loss to interim champ Renan Barao. A second might kick off with a win over Faber, and with a title-unification bout between Barao and champ Dominick Cruz set, a longstanding logjam is about to clear. The co-main-event winner could be on standby as the next title challenger.

3. Grudge-match from nowhere. It wasn’t readily apparent that featherweight Nik Lentz raised Chad Mendes‘ ire when he accepted a bout with the Team Alpha Male standout instead of another with Dennis Bermudez. But from Mendes’ reaction to the Minnesotan at Thursday’s pre-event press conference, he’s going to blow off some built-up steam when they step into the cage on Saturday. Lentz (24-5-2 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC), who was once the poster-child for grinding, dull victories, incorporated more standup into his attack and found his stride fighting 10 pounds lighter at featherweight. If he’s able to beat the surging Mendes (15-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), it’s unlikely he’ll follow Ricardo Lamas as the next contender, as the more popular and well-connected Mendes might, but it would be the upset of the evening from the lopsided betting odds.

4. Bonus-hunters. With a severely spotty record, “The Ultimate Fighter 6? winner Mac Danzig (21-11-1 MMA, 5-7 UFC) is likely fighting for his job. But even if the veteran fallen short, more often than not in recent outings, he’s managed to put on a good show. And if this is it, or another lifeline, opponent Joe Lauzon (22-9 MMA, 9-6 UFC) is the right guy to bring excitement to the happening. Lauzon wins bonuses in almost all of his fights, so most likely, fans will see a finish or a highlight-reel move on this lightweight main-card opener.

5. “TUF” upset potential. A knockout artist on the regional circuit, where he won the welterweight title in the influential Ring of Combat promotion, welterweight Ryan LaFlare (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has stayed unbeaten using his wrestling in the octagon. By accepting a short-notice fight with “The Ultimate Fighter 11? winner Court McGee (16-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC), he’ll find out if he’s able to handle a steep step up in competition. McGee is on a two-fight winning streak and hasn’t fallen prey to grinding wrestlers, so it’s a tall order.

6. Striker vs. grappler. Lightweight Edson Barboza (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) has a list of victims who’ve tried to match him in the standup game. While he’s not invincible, as ex-WEC champ Jamie Varner proved, it’s a safe bet to keep him guessing on takedown attempts. Danny Castillo (16-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC), who like the Brazilian is riding back-to-back wins, is an opponent with the skills to make it an ugly fight. Watching the dance between Barboza’s superb outside striking and Castillo’s wresting should be a fun one.

7. Redemption, real and perceived. Lightweight Bobby Green (21-5 MMA, 2-0 UFC) didn’t exactly come out the good guy in his most recent performance when he earned a TKO win over James Krause on a kick ruled legal, but widely thought otherwise. It isn’t the first time the talented Strikeforce vet has encountered controversy in major bouts – many fans thought he tapped out to Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante before losing a split decision in a previous Strikeforce bout. Although his most recent outcome is not his fault, he gets a chance to win back currency with fans in an injury-replacement fight against Pat Healy (21-8-1 MMA, 3-3 UFC), who’s looking to get back on the winning track after a loss to the tough Khabib Nurmagomedov, which followed his infamous positive pot test that nullified a win over Jim Miller and cost him $130,000 in bonus money.

8. Ex-Bellator champ gets big opportunity. Zach Makovsky (16-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) found himself persona non-grata with Bellator after losing his bantamweight title and a subsequent bout. But the standout wrestler-boxer found his feet on the regional circuit at flyweight, winning two straight. After onetime title challenger John Dodson withdrew due to injury, the ex-champ gets a chance to start anew against Scott Jorgenson (14-7 MMA, 3-3 UFC), who himself is turning over a new leaf at 125 pounds.

9. Tough vs. crazy. Sam Stout (9-9-1 MA, 8-8 UFC) is pretty much the model for a nuts-and-bolts fighter, albeit with a chin that’s kept him aloft in the lightweight division. Cody McKenzie (14-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) is pretty much a loose cannon, having recently returned to 155 pounds after a disastrous experiment against featherweight Mendes. Watching the “McKenzetine” expert tussle with the seasoned striker will be fun – while it lasts.

10. Do-over. An accidental illegal knee brought what should have been a slugfest between Abel Trujillo (10-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Roger Bowling (11-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) to a halt at UFC Fight Night 27. Now, the lightweights get a chance to do it again, and hopefully, the fireworks will come via legal blows.

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 9, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson)