A middleweight bout, Chris Weidman vs Gegard Mousasi, is scheduled for April 8th at UFC 210.
This event is scheduled for Buffalo, New York. If everything holds up, this will be the fourth UFC appearance in The Big Apple since the legalization of MMA last year. There are potential rumors of main events, but the one big fight we know for sure is Chris Weidman vs Gegard Mousasi.
Chris Weidman vs Gegard Mousasi
This fight is an important for the 185 lb division.
For starters, it gives #5 Gegard Mousasi an opportunity to get the biggest win of his career over #4 Chris Weidman. If he is victorious, the argument can be made for Mousasi to receive a shot at the middleweight title; after all, he would be on a 5-fight win streak. However, Mousasi doesn’t think a win over Weidman will be enough. This UFC 210 match up will be his 50th professional MMA bout which makes Mousasi the most experienced middleweight in the top 10.
On the flipside, Weidman will get the chance to hault Mousasi’s momentum and try to earn some for himself. Weidman lost the middleweight belt to Luke Rockhold about 1 year ago, and later was knocked out by Yoel Romero at UFC 205. A third loss in a row could be absolutely devastating for Weidman, but a win would get him back in the mix among the elite.
The Match Up
Chris Weidman vs Gegard Mousasi is an excellent pairing of skillsets.
Weidman has some of the division’s best wrestling which he combines with dangerous BJJ, an evolving striking arsenal, and some of the best physical toughness in the sport. He’s known for pushing the pace, cutting the cage off, being the aggressor, and making his opponent fight a gritty fight.
Meanwhile, Mousasi is best characterized by his lackadaisical appearance and approach before, during, and after fights. Mousasi has professional kickboxing experience, and his lived in The Netherlands for most of his life. Thus, his striking approach is very technical and efficient; not wasting any energy. While Mousasi has had problems with his takedown defense in the past, he has made big improvements. When on top, Mousasi is ultra-dangerous with his ground and pound and aggressive submission game.
This should be a very fun fight that will likely feature a nice blend of all facets of MMA.
On the feet, I give a big advantage in speed, technique, and accuracy to Mousasi. Even though Weidman is tough with good mechanics and power, he isn’t the fastest striker in the world. However, if he can take Mousasi down and maintain position, he should have success.
Who’s the Headliner?
Even though Chris Weidman vs Gegard Mousasi is a fanastic fight, it’s not quite headliner-worthy. For a PPV event in New York, I expect there to be at least one title fight in the works – if not more.
Let’s take a look at each division’s title picture and see what is all available:
Women’s Strawweight
Joanna Jedrzejczyk last fought at UFC 205 when she defeated Karolina Kowalkiewicz by decision. There isn’t a clear contender available for her right now, but a trilogy with Claudia Gadelha will probably happen sometime down the line.
Women’s Bantamweight
Amanda Nunes just defeated Ronda Rousey at UFC 207. She’ll likely face the winner of Valentina Shevchenko vs Julianna Pena, a fight which takes place January 28 live on FOX.
Women’s Featherweight
Holly Holm vs Germaine de Randamie is scheduled for UFC 208 in Brooklyn, New York.
Flyweight
Demetrious Johnson will likely face Joseph Benavidez for the third time. No other challenger has really surfaced. A co-main slot at UFC 210 could give Johnson some nice exposure. I wouldn’t expect the UFC to put Mighty Mouse as the headliner due to his lack of drawing potential.
Bantamweight
Newly-crowned champ Cody Garbrandt will be coaching The Ultimate Fighter oppposite TJ Dillashaw. The two will likely fight at later date once their season of TUF is done airing (summer is my guess).
Featherweight
We know Jose Aldo isn’t going to be contending for any lightweight belts, it means he’ll have to defend his featherweight belt against interim holder Max Holloway. I can definitely see that fight on this card, but I don’t know if it could headline.
Lightweight
Conor McGregor is still on the shelf, preparing for the birth of his first child. He isn’t expected to return until summer. Meanwhile, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson are meeting for the interim lightweight belt at UFC 209.
Welterweight
Tyron Woodley is scheduled to rematch Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at UFC 209. These two fought at UFC 205, but their bout ended in a majority draw so Woodley retained his welterweight title.
Middleweight
Michael Bisping is expected to defend his belt against Yoel Romero at some point, but Bisping is fresh off of knee surgery. UFC 210 may be too early for Bisping to return. I suspect Romero will sit out until Bisping is ready.
Light Heavyweight
Daniel Cormier is expected to rematch Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. These two were originally scheduled for UFC 206, but DC had to pull out due to injury. I think UFC 210 would be the perfect venue for Cormier vs Johnson II. It would make a great headliner.
Heavyweight
Stipe Miocic doesn’t have a clear title challenger right now. Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum were supposed to fight in what was apparently a title eliminator bout, but Velasquez couldn’t get medically cleared.
My Choice:
If I were UFC matchmaker, I would book Daniel Cormier vs Anthony Johnson II as the main event (assuming Cormier and Rumble are healthy). Because it’s New York, and UFC 208 likely won’t do very well sales-wise, I would also have Jose Aldo vs Max Holloway as a co-main event. These two title fights combined with Chris Weidman vs Gegard Mousasi would turn it into a must-see event. I can picture this card doing around 500k PPV buys.
