UFC 199: Overlooked Fights to Watch This Weekend

UFC 199 is probably one of my favorite UFC cards this year. It features two huge title fights and a lot of talent up and down the card. But there are some fights that I think are not getting the attention they deserve that make this fight card so interesting and versatile on paper. This is partly due to fighters in the lower weight classes not receiving as high a profile and respect from fans. Not everyone can be Conor McGregor, and that’s OK. But there are going to be some awesome, competitive match-ups this weekend. This week, I wanted to spotlight the fights for UFC 199 outside of the title main event and co-main events that fans should keep an eye out for this Saturday.

Max Holloway vs. Ricardo Lamas: Here is a fight between two legitimate top 5 UFC featherweights. The rising contender, Max Holloway, takes on the former title contender in Ricardo Lamas. For this fight, the No. 4-ranked Holloway is the man with everything to lose here. He’s the one going in with an incredible winning streak. Lamas’ time as a relevant contender is arguably over, but if he wins here, that moves him up the ranks and he has to be considered in the title mix again at some point. For Holloway, he’d probably be in the title mix already if there wasn’t a log jam at the top due to Conor McGregor being an absentee champion who will not defend his belt. Since a 2013 loss to McGregor, Holloway hasn’t lost a single fight. In fact, he’s won an insane eight fights in a row. He finished five of those fights. Holloway was a decent fighter before he fought McGregor, but now he’s even better. His striking is dynamic. His speed is amazing. He’s adapted his grappling very well so he can hang with top grapplers and BJJ black belts. Unfortunately, timing has just not worked out yet where he can fight for the title. Holloway needs a win here because he could very well be next in line. The problem is McGregor won’t do the right thing and relinquish the belt. There is no good reason the fight at UFC 200 is for an interim featherweight title. Lamas poses a lot of problems, but I think Holloway’s speed makes him a problem, plus his dynamic striking style, which will be too much for Lamas. Either way, this is a great, legit featherweight contest that is definitely getting over-looked.

Dustin Poirier vs. Bobby Green: Dustin Poirier arguably should be ranked higher than where he currently sits on the UFC featherweight rankings at No. 11. Green would be higher as well if for not a long period of inactivity. His last fight as against Edson Barboza in November 2014. Dustin Poirier was legitimately a top 5 contender when he was at featherweight, and he was damn good there. However, since moving to lightweight, a much deeper and more stacked field, he’s continued to impress. As a lightweight, Poirier looks just as slick, and he’s performed exceptionally well so far at 155 pounds. He’s rattled off three straight wins over Carlos Diego Ferreira, Yancy Medeiros, and Joseph Duffy. As the more active and impressive lightweight as of late, this is really a bigger opportunity for Green at this point since he’s coming off from a long layoff, and Poirier is the higher ranked fighter. Honestly, I’m not liking Green’s chances here. Green is a very good fighter. He’s come a long way from his Affliction days when he was ridiculed by Jeremy Lambert and Samer Kadi for being “Hood Style.” He went on an impressive run when he came into the UFC, beating Jacob Volkmann, James Krause, Pat Healy and Josh Thomson. That was after an equally impressive run in Strikeforce. Green went through quite a bit of turmoil in his personal life, and then his constant struggle through injuries. There’s a definite desire in wanting to see Green make a dramatic comeback here and show everyone just how good he is again. The reason I’m picking Poirier here is because he’s well rounded and deadly. His submissions are very dangerous, and that’s something Green really hasn’t matched up well against offensively in the past. Poirier’s weaker area is his striking, but even that’s gotten better in his recent fights. He won his first two UFC lightweight bouts via knockout. The man he dominated in his last fight, Joseph Duffy, was also the last man to beat Conor McGregor before the Nate Diaz fight. This is a tremendous lightweight contest, and it’s one I’m really looking forward to.

Beneil Dariush vs. James Vick: No. 10-ranked lightweight Beneil Dariush had all his momentum shut down by Michael Chiesa at UFC on FOX 19. At that point, Dariush was on a five-fight winning streak at lightweight. It’s symbolic of how shark-infested and competitive the lightweight scene is in MMA. Dariush looks to bounce back against the undefeated Texan James Vick. Vick made a successful return recently at UFC 197 after having not fought for about a year, and he beat Glaico Franca. Vick’s UFC winning streak sits at 5-0, and he’s undefeated overall in his MMA career. So for Dariush, this is a great way for him to get back on track by beating an undefeated lightweight prospect who is currently surging in the division. Vick is a very tough grinder. Dariush is also tough, but he also has some dangerous grappling and submissions in his pocket as well. This is a very tough fight, and I could see it going a number of ways. For James Vick, this is a huge opportunity to possibly break into UFC’s top 10 rankings at lightweight. Dariush, with an impressive win here, would be back on track and could go for a higher level opponent. So this is a very risky fight for Dariush, who arguably has more to lose here. I’m picking Dariush here, but I see it being a close decision. Dariush tends to out-perform my expectations and has pulled out some very impressive wins for his UFC career. Either way, I’m looking forward to this one.