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In the current world that we live in, there are more and more events coming up each week as the promotions from all around the world are holding fights every weekend. Given that we live in a time when there is so much content to consume, it is sometimes difficult to keep up with all the fights.
For that reason, while we occupy ourselves by watching 'bigger' names fight each other, a better fight might slip under the radar. This weekend, Bellator does not have an event, but the UFC does.
In this article, we take a look at four MMA fights that cannot be missed this weekend.
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#4 Yair Rodriguez vs Jeremy Stephens: UFC Fight Night 159
Let's talk about the obvious pick first.
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This week, Yair Rodriguez will finally return to the Octagon after his record-breaking, life-changing fight against 'The Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung.
Possibly one of the most exciting fights to ever happen in a UFC Octagon, both fighters went at it with all that they had.
In fact, there is a case for it to be called one of the best fights of all time, or at least the best ending in a UFC Octagon; with less than a second to go, Rodriguez knocked out Jung with an upwards elbow that no one saw coming.
On the other side of things, standing at #8 in the UFC Featherweight rankings, Jeremy Stephens has not had the best time lately. Not only has he lost to both Jose Aldo and Zabit Magomedsharipov, but the manner in which he suffered those defeats will also be quite unnerving.
At the moment, the best thing that could happen to him is for him to win this fight.
With one fighter having nothing to lose and the other coming off one of his greatest battles, this will surely be a bout to watch out for.
#3 Pat Sabatini vs Rafael Barbosa: CFFC 78
Another event being hosted over this weekend is the Cage Fury Fighting Championships.
The CFFC Featherweight title is on the line when two of the best Featherweight contenders come face to face.
On one side is 21-year-old Rafael Barbosa. Despite his age, he has a 12-1 record which is highly impressive. He now gets the chance to improve that when he takes on the Champion, Pat Sabatini.
Sabatini has several wins to his name already and will attempt a successful title defense to improve his 11-2 record in MMA.
#2 Carla Esparza vs Alexa Grasso: UFC Fight Night 159
In the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 159, Carla Esparza and Alexa Grasso will square off against one another. Esparza enters this fight on the back of a win that put an end to her two-fight losing streak, having previously lost to Tatiana Suarez and Claudia Gadelha.
Alexa Grasso also suffered a loss against Tatiana Suarez, and she too bounced back strongly, defeating Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Heading into this fight as the #9 ranked Strawweight in the UFC, she will be facing #8 ranked Carla Esparza. A win for either fighter will ensure they move up the rankings.
#1 Brandon Moreno vs Askar Askarov
One of the fights that has been overlooked on this week's UFC Fight Night 159 card is the bout between Brandon Moreno and Askar Askarov.
Moreno is making his return to the UFC after a short hiatus from the company following two losses. He had a fight in LFA, which he was able to win, and will now return to the UFC as he looks to change his fortunes.
Before leaving for LFA, Moreno had beaten Louis Smolka, Dustin Ortiz, and Ryan Benoit, but had also lost back to back fights, to Sergio Pettis and then Alexandre Pantoja.
The man he is facing, however, is no pushover.
Askar Askarov is undefeated and has a 10-fight win-streak at the moment. He will look to make his mark in his UFC debut by defeating the returning Moreno. Given that he has won almost all his fights by stoppage, the fight could prove to be a cracker.
Askarov has fought mainly in Absolute Championship Berkut, so it will be interesting to see if he brings the same style over to the UFC and also how successful it is against someone with the experience of Moreno.
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