UFC 216: Ferguson vs Lee – Preview

Peter Knox

October 6, 2017

After the tragedy that occurred in Las Vegas earlier this week, the UFC have given the people of Vegas and all MMA fans a fantastic night of fights this coming Saturday, demonstrating how the show must go on and what a show it is going to be…

This coming Saturday in Las Vegas, UFC 216 will take place at the T-Mobile Arena with the interim lightweight title on the line in the main event of the evening, which will see #2 Tony Ferguson (23-3) and #7 Kevin Lee (16-2) battle it out for the belt and a potential shot at lightweight champion and pay-per-view king, Conor McGregor. With Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson currently flying high on a 9 fight winning streak that includes wins over big names in the division like Edson Barboza and Rafael Dos Anjos, it is hard to find any faults in his game; making him a stand out contender in the lightweight division along with the unbeaten Khabib Nurmagomedov. Although Ferguson will be considered a huge favourite in this match up, “The Motown Phenom” Kevin Lee has proved he can back up his trash talk with spectacular performances, including his recent 1st round submission win over Michael Chiesa back in June. At only 25 years of age, Lee will be bringing a wealth of youth and confidence into this fight, as well as octagon experience with this being his 12th bout in the UFC and by far his biggest to date. This is a very significant fight in the lightweight division and a fight that the division needs having been on hold for so long. Can Tony Ferguson finally win gold in the UFC and prove he is the number 1 contender in the lightweight division or can Kevin Lee cause an upset and prove he belongs at the top of the division? What a fun fight this is going to be…

The co-main event on the night sees flyweight champion and P4P king, Demetrious Johnson (26-2-1) aim to make history and claim his 11th consecutive title defence when he takes on #3 Ray Borg (11-2). This fight was originally scheduled to headline UFC 215 back in September, but was unfortunately postponed with the challenger falling ill on fight week. If “Mighty Mouse” is to come away victorious on Saturday, he will cement his place as the best P4P fighter ever to grace the octagon, having dismantled every challenger the UFC has put in front of him. However, there is no disputing that Ray Borg is a worthy contender in the flyweight division, winning 5 of his last 6 fights in the UFC and training out of the highly respected Jackson Wink’s gym in Albuquerque. We know Ray Borg is a great fighter and will have his eyes firmly on the prize, but can he match up to the world-class calibre of Demetrious Johnson and be the first man to dethrone the champ or will Mighty Mouse write his name into the history books?

Another great fight on the main card comes from the heavyweight division where #2 Fabricio Werdum (21-7) takes on #6 Derrick Lewis (18-5) in a three-round bout. After both fighters came up short in their recent bouts, Werdum losing a close decision in a number 1 contender fight to Alistair Overeem and “The Black Beast” losing via TKO to Mark Hunt, this is a crucial fight in the career of both men and the division as a whole. The former heavyweight champion, Fabricio Werdum, will be looking to take the next step on his surge back to the title whereas this is a huge opportunity for Derrick Lewis who could jump straight into title contention with a victory on Saturday night. Can Werdum prove he can still compete at the highest level or will Derrick Lewis get back to winning ways and climb up the rankings in the heavyweight division?

UFC 216 – Main Card:

Interim Lightweight Championship
#2 Tony Ferguson vs #7 Kevin Lee

Flyweight Championship
(C) Demetrious Johnson vs #3 Ray Borg

Heavyweight Bout
#2 Fabricio Werdum vs #6 Derrick Lewis

(W) Flyweight Bout
Mara Romero Borella vs Kalindra Faria

Lightweight Bout
#12 Beneil Dariush vs #14 Evan Dunham

UFC 216 – Prelims:

Bantamweight Bout
Tom Duquesnoy vs Cody Stamann

Lightweight Bout
Will Brooks vs Nik Lentz

Lightweight Bout
Lando Vannata vs Bobby Green

(W) Strawweight Bout
Pearl Gonzalez vs Poliana Botelho

UFC 216 – Fight Pass Prelims: