It’ll be a hot night in Las Vegas on Saturday evening (May 24th), as the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to the MGM Grand Garden Arena with “UFC 173” going live on PPV at 10 P.M.
Bantamweight titleholder Renan Barao (32-1 1 NC, 7-0 UFC) faces off against T.J. Dillashaw (9-2, 5-2 UFC) in the UFC 173 main event, which promises to be a classic if the bout lives up to any of the hype that it’s getting.
Renan Barao will enter UFC 173 as a heavy favorite according to http://sports.williamhill.com/bet/en-gb/betting/c/402/UFC+++MMA.html, having finished off his last three opponents with relative ease and with a quick finish. Despite the fact that Barao has been very good in recent fights, don’t count Dillashaw out, as his athleticism and his sudden improvement in the stand-up game could very well make this for a much better fight than one think.
Dillashaw’s stand-up game could keep Barao off base, and it will be up to Barao to try and counter that with his attack which includes spinning back kicks and flying knees. He will look to end Dillashaw’s dream of a win rather quickly by imposing his wrestling, takedowns, and his use of his confidence, which has to be sky high going into this event.
The co-main event will feature a battle of Olympic wrestlers, as Daniel Cormier will take on Dan Henderson in what promises to be a fantastic bout between the two grapplers. The light heavyweight matchup will showcase the 14-0 Cormier, who is 3-0 in UFC action against the 30-11 Henderson, who is 7-5 in UFC.
The matchup is a late addition to the card, but will add a lot more eyes to the event. Cormier is a former heavyweight champ in the Strikeforce promotion, and is gaining a quick following in UFC. He will be making his is second appearance at 205 pounds. It will be a true test in taking on Henderson, who also previously held a Strikeforce championship.
Henderson is by no means no slouch, as he also held two titles in Japan’s PRIDE organization, and is currently the UFC’s oldest active fighter at 43, but has plenty of fight left in him and despite dropping three straight contests in 2013, he finally got back on track with a huge win earning a TKO victory over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in March.
Make sure to check with your cable or satellite provider for info on “UFC 173” this weekend from Las Vegas!