THE Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will push through with “UFC 216” on Sunday (Manila time) in Las Vegas despite the recent shooting incident that happened in the area where some 59 people were killed and hundreds injured. Featuring two title fights, the event is seen to present contrasting offering.
In a statement released early this week, the UFC said it is not pulling the plug on “216,” which will be headlined by the fight for the interim lightweight title between Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson (#2) and Kevin “The Motown Phenom” Lee (#7) with the flyweight title fight between champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Ray “The Tazmexican Devil” Borg as co-main event, albeit expressing its support to the community and donating $1 million to the victims of the attack.
It went on to say that plans will push through at the T-Mobile Arena “as scheduled until further notice.”
If UFC 216 does push through, local combat sports writer and observer Mike Miguel said fans should be in for an engaging mixed martial arts action for the “mix bag” it brings forth.
“UFC 216’s two title fights provide contrasting backgrounds with the fighters involved. With current lightweight champ Conor McGregor’s plans still up in the air, the interim title fight between Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee provides the most significance in the stacked division. “El Cucuy” aims to finally win one this weekend and place his name among the best in the division after Khabib Nurmagomedov fell ill prior their UFC 209 fight,” said Mr. Miguel when asked by BusinessWorld for his thoughts on the upcoming UFC event.
“Looking to hijack his hopes is the likewise streaking Kevin Lee. Currently on his own winning stretch, ‘The Motown Phenom’ can give Ferguson a run for his money, both standing and on the ground,” he added.
Entering the contest, Mr. Ferguson (22-3) has won nine straight that has propelled his impressive ascent in the division while Mr. Lee (16-2) has racked up five consecutive wins of his own.
In the co-main event, Mr. Johnson (26-2-1) goes for a record 11th straight successful title defense that will break the record of 10 he currently shares with legendary middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva.
Mr. Miguel said Mr. Johnson should expect a tough challenge from challenger Borg (11-2), one of the top prospects in the weight class. “Demetrious Johnson has been a picture of dominance at flyweight, clearing almost the entire division. Challenging him is number three-ranked Ray Borg, who has recently moved to Jackson-Winklejohn camp. Expect a highly technical affair as the two are coming off from the best coaching minds — Matt Hume and Greg Jackson. However, Mighty Mouse’s championship experience will very important for him to retain the belt,” said Mr. Miguel.
He went on to say that he expects Messrs. Ferguson and Johnson to win but not counting out their respective opponents outright.
Also on tap for UFC 216 are heavyweight clash between former champion Fabricio Werdum (#2) and Derrick Lewis (#6), women’s flyweight Mara Romero Borella against Kalindra Faria, and lightweight Beneil Dariush (#12) versus Evan Dunham (#14).
UFC 216: Ferguson vs. Lee will be shown live on Sunday beginning at 10 a.m. over Hyper Ch. 91 in SD or 261 in HD on Cignal TV. Replay is at 6 p.m. on the same day.
In the Philippines, Cignal TV, the country’s foremost direct-to-home (DTH) company, is the home of the UFC after the two groups agreed to an extensive deal that will see the UFC beamed on various platforms. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
