Don’t forget about UFC Fight Night: Phoenix! This fight card can be caught live on Fox Sports 1 on Sunday, January 15th! This card features the return of UFC legend and hall of famer BJ Penn as he puts his old school talent up against 24-year-old Yair “Pantera” Rodriguez. This featherweight scrap will headline UFC Fight Night: Phoenix in addition to some other really intriguing bouts. Don’t miss it!
UFC Fight Night: Phoenix Main Card
Yair Rodriguez vs BJ Penn
At the crux of this event is a very intriguing match up between old school and new. The ultra-talented hall of famer BJ Penn will be representing the old school. Penn held UFC belts at lightweight and welterweight. He’s most famous for his “anyone, anywhere” mentality, which is why we have seen Penn fight a 225 lb Lyoto Machida, a middleweight Renzo Gracie, and welterweight bouts against Nick Diaz, Rory MacDonald, and Jon Fitch. Clearly though, Penn’s frame is designed for the 145-155 range, but he pushed those limits.
After Penn lost his lightweight belt to Frankie Edgar and lost several bouts at 170 lbs, he retired. Penn then came out of retirement and sought revenge against Frankie Edgar, but lost convincingly. Now, a year and a half afterwards, Penn is coming back out of retirement. This time, he’s training at a new gym, and seems to be taking this much more seriously than he did before.
His opponent, Yair Rodriguez, is a tricky puzzle and really has a lot of momentum behind him though. Rodriguez is most known for his flamboyant fighting style; you’ll see him throw risky striking techniques like cartwheel kicks, spinning wheel kicks, and jumping switch kicks, and also aggressively pursue submissions. He’s a fan-friendly fighter for sure, but he’s also 5-0 in the UFC. Rodriguez has cemented himself as one of the top prospects in the entire roster.
There’s no denying Rodriguez’s skill, but this is the first time fighting an elite fighter who has world-class experience. The big questions lie in Penn’s physical condition and mentality however. As we’ve seen in the past, an unmotivated BJ Penn will probably eat a flying kick to he face, but a motivated and healthy BJ Penn can probably beat most guys in the division.
Joe Lauzon vs Marcin Held
In the co-main event feature, we have a contest between two very skilled grapplers. It’s also an old school vs new school match up in terms of age, but both fighters have a tremendous amount of experience.
Lauzon has been in the UFC since 2006, and has fought the who’s-who of the division. He hasn’t cracked into the upper echelon, he has cemented himself as a dangerous fighter who can finish the fight from anywhere, at any time. That being said, Lauzon has taken a substantial amount of damage throughout his career; he’s likely on his last leg as a fighter. He’s approaching his 40th professional fight, but he is still must-see TV because of his aggressive fighting style. Lauzon has racked up several performance of the night bonuses, and is rarely in a fight that doesn’t put the crowd on its feet.
His opponent, Marcin Held, is only 24 years old, but has almost 30 professional bouts. He was a serious prospect outside the UFC, but unfortunately lost his UFC debut to Diego Sanchez via decision. He may be 0-1 in the UFC, but he challenged for the Bellator lightweight title in 2015, and racked up a 10-1 record fighting in the Polish MMA circuit. He’s known for his submission skills, as is Lauzon. This means we could have a very intriguing grappling contest between young-and-hungry Marcin Held and the tested veteran Joe Lauzon.
Court McGee vs Ben Saunders
In the welterweight division, we have more UFC veterans taking the stage. Both McGee and Saunders have 7-4 records in the UFC. McGee comes from The Ultimate Fighter where he won Season 11. He’s known as a grinder – often going the distance, but overwhelming his opponents with volume, pressure, and tempo. Saunders, meanwhile, has a much higher finish percentage. He’s known to be a very crafty submission specialist (particularly off his back), but has racked up quite a few finishes with his kicks and knees. In addition to his UFC career, he has a 7-3 record under the Bellator banner. One thing to note is that Saunders will have a 4″ inch height advantage, so look for his long limbs to really come into the play against the much shorter, stockier Court McGee.
John Moraga vs Sergio Pettis
A pair of flyweights open up the main card of UFC Fight Night: Phoenix. John Moraga, former flyweight title challenger, is on a two-fight skid. He used to be considered a top 3 flyweight, but lost to John Dodson, Joseph Benavidez, and then most recently UFC debutee Matheus Nicolau. Now, he faces Sergio Pettis who has a 5-2 record in the UFC. Pettis is on a two-fight win streak, and needs this win if he wants a chance to crack into the top 10. It should be an entertaining fight because both fighters possess well-rounded skills. Expect Moraga to be a little more powerful on the feet, but Petts is quick and crafty. It’s a great fight to open up the UFC Fight Night: Phoenix main card!
UFC Fight Night: Phoenix Prelims
I won’t go through all of the prelims, but there are a few good ones that you may want to tune in to.
Before the main card kicks off on Fox Sports 1, you can catch Frankie Saenz vs Augusto Mendes. This is a bantamweight contest between two guys that could be serious contenders in the future. Saenz was off to a fantastic start in the UFC by upsetting Yuri Alcantara, but unfortunately lost to Urijah Faber and then Eddie Wineland. At 36 years old, it’s do-or-die for him. Mendes is a very green fighter at just 5-1. He unfortunately met Cody Garbrandt in his UFC debut, and lost in the first round. Previously though, he held a title in another organization, and has lots of time to improve. This should be a fun fight.
Russian fighter Oleksiy Oliynyk returns to action as well as he battles Viktor Pesta. Oliynyk has an astounding 50-10 professional MMA record, and has finished 41 of those wins by submission. He’s a remarkable Sambo fighter who has several wins via scarf hold. He’s 2-1 in the UFC, and is looking to rebound off a loss. Oliynyk could be a serious force in the heavyweight division if he can string just a few wins together.
Thanks for reading! Check back regularly for more UFC news and analysis!
