UFC 236: Preview

UFC 236: Preview 

By Anuj Datta

Interim titles are back in fashion at UFC 236 in Atlanta, Georgia. Dustin Poirier and current featherweight king Max Holloway will battle for the interim lightweight championship in the main event. In the co-main, Kelvin Gastelum will take on Israel Adesanya for the interim middleweight championship.

This strong double-header was put together due to the uncertain cloud currently looming at the top of both respective divisions. Lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov has been given a long suspension, retrospective to October 6th 2018 because of the infamous melee with Conor McGregor’s team after the fight. He had the option to shorten it however has declined to, and has made it clear he will sit out until the end of the year.

Middleweight champ Robert Whittaker has had the worst luck with injury. Pulling out of the main event of UFC 234 against Gastelum just a few hours prior, due to a hernia and collapsed bowel that forced him to undergo emergency surgery. Heart-breaking as he missed out on defending the crown in his home country.

There was a plethora of top contenders that could have fought for the 155 belt, but the decision was to pit Dustin Poirier against Max Holloway. Running back the fight from UFC 143 when Poirier submitted Holloway in the first round, much has changed since then. ‘Blessed’ has been on a tear, losing only twice in the last eighteen fights and capturing featherweight gold against legend Jose Aldo.

Currently riding a 13-fight win streak, he was encouraged by boss Dana White to move up a weight class after dismantling number one contender Brian Ortega. The weight was getting harder to make for Holloway, who is naturally big for the division.

Dustin moved up to lightweight and has flourished – winning eight of ten and finishing former champions Pettis and Alvarez on his way to being a top contender. Poirier often felt overlooked by the brass at UFC and even asked for his release on social media, after hearing Tony Ferguson vs Max Holloway was the desired fight instead.

The expectation was that former interim champ Tony Ferguson would be in the mix as he never lost it, (forfeit due to injury) but ‘El Cucuy’ has been struggling with issues in his personal life and turned it down. Number 4 ranked Raging Al Iaquinta also campaigned for a shot, after beating the highly rated Kevin Lee for the second time.

Conor McGregor taunts both occasionally as he holds victories over them, but it is unlikely he will return full-time after making his fortune. The decision to give the reigning 145 champ a shot at becoming double champ is the right one. Seven years on from their first fight, these two warriors have evolved and will give the fans their money’s worth. With a combined 31 finishes between them, don’t be surprised if this one doesn’t go the distance.

Israel Adesanya has had a meteoric rise since making his debut in the octagon last year. Fighting five times in 12 months, he is one of if not the most active fighter on the roster. Coming into the UFC with an outstanding amateur pedigree, proven kickboxing skills and 11-0 MMA record– the big question was how would he cope amongst the elite. He silenced those critics quickly, with three performance of the night bonuses in his first four outings. Not to mention a fight of the night win over all-time great Anderson Silva, in what was an emotionally charged night in Melbourne. The naturally flamboyant and charismatic fighter has even drawn comparisons with Jon Jones but remains level-headed.

He faces his toughest challenge yet, in Kelvin Gastelum. The TUF season 17 winner is used to the underdog tag but shines brightest when the odds are against him. Kelvin missed out on his main event shot, but has the opportunity to set up a unification bout with Whittaker down the line should he get past Stylebender.

With impressive wins against Michael Bisping and Jacare Souza recently, he provides a real test to Adesanya’s overall MMA game. He has legitimate one punch knockout power and a well-rounded ground game, the latter could prove more useful to combat Adesanya’s reach advantage.

The theme of UFC 236 is “Whatever It Takes”. Aptly named when looking at the two featured bouts. All four fighters have proven themselves at the highest level, and in two of the most stacked divisions in the UFC. They will need to be the best version of themselves to emerge with the belt. Expect fireworks come April 13th.