MMA fans can now drown out the sorrows left by UFC 208 with some good news! The good news being a UFC 211 fight card update. Not only will the UFC heavyweight title be on the line, but the women’s strawweight title will be too! Let’s see what the Dallas, Texas card looks like right now, and what the rest of the UFC 211 fight card might look like on May 13:
Stipe Miocic vs Junior dos Santos
Who’s ready for round 6?
UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is ready to make his second title defense. Since injuries have left other contenders on the shelf, dos Santos will be the one getting the shot. Dos Santos only has a one-fight win streak right now, but actually holds a decision win over Miocic from back in 2014. The two headlined a FOX card, and put on a sensational five-round fight. Both Miocic and dos Santos displayed a lot of heart as they battered each other, but dos Santos won the unanimous decision.
Since then, dos Santos was knocked out by Alistair Overeem, but bounced back with a convincing decision win over Ben Rothwell. It’s obvious that dos Santos remains one of the best heavyweights, but it’s hard to think Miocic won’t have his number this time around. After all, he opens as more than a two-to-one favorite.
Miocic has looked ultra-impressive lately. Not only did he bounce back from the dos Santos loss with two finishes, but he also won the belt from Fabricio Werdum and defended it against Alistair Overeem. Many are claiming Stipe Miocic will be the division’s next long-lasting champion. However, in order to do that, he must get past the man who defeated him last.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs Jessica Andrade
According to another UFC 211 fight card addition, the UFC’s women’s strawweight title will be on the line too. Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk will look for her 5th consecutive title defense in this bout. Challenging this feat will be Jessica Andrade, a fierce Brazilian woman who is 3-0 in the strawweight division.
Andrade is fresh off of a big victory over former Invicta champion Angela Hill. Before that, she captured a performance bonus against Joanna Calderwood. Andrade is a ferocious fighter known for her aggression, jiu-jitsu, and brawling striking style. Will it be enough to take the champ though?
Jedrzejczyk still remains a dominant champion, but it seems she finds herself having to battle through adversity in every performance. We saw Valerie Letourneau take her all five rounds while making it competitive. Then, Claudia Gadelha was able to smother her in the early going before gassing out. Most recently, Karolina Kowalkiewicz was able to drop her and take her the distance. However, Jedrzejczyk still has the belt, and is the baddest 125 lb female on the planet.
This UFC 211 fight card addition is a good one, and could definitely lead to a Fight of the Night performance.
Ben Rothwell vs Fabricio Werdum
The only other bout confirmed for UFC 211 is another heavyweight bout. Obviously, the title will be contested over in the main event, but Fabricio Werdum has a chance to earn himself another shot if he gets past Ben Rothwell.
Werdum looked unstoppable when he dethroned Cain Velasquez back at UFC 188 in Mexico City. However, an upset loss to Stipe Miocic sent him back down the ranks. Since then, Werdum has been relatively inactive other than a decision win over Travis Browne. A win over Rothwell could arguably put him back in line for a title shot. Of course, this is heavily dependant on who is available at the moment (*cough* Cain Velasquez)
Meanwhile, Rothwell will be looking to play the spoiler. Everything looked to be going great for him until he ran into Junior dos Santos in Croatia. Rothwell got lit up for five rounds, and has yet to attempt a rebound. Rothwell was initially matched up against Werdum for UFC 203, but had to pulled out due to injury. Now, he’ll hopefully get a chance to take out the former champion.
Other fights?
With these three big fights lined up, you have to wonder who else may end up on the UFC 211 fight card. I’d like there to be a lightweight bout on the main card, perhaps to start the card off. With two heavyweight bouts on the main card, you run the risk of them being snoozefests. Personally, I’d like to see Michael Johnson rebound from his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov. Someone like Evan Dunham would be a perfect opponent.
Thanks for reading! Check GetMoreSports for more UFC 211 fight card news!
