UFC Ottawa Preview: Iaquinta vs Cerrone

UFC Ottawa Preview: Iaquinta vs Cerrone 

By Anuj Datta

The UFC lightweight division has never looked better, with a queue starting to form for the next shot at the 155lb strap. Al Iaquinta vs Donald Cerrone will serve as the main event for the 151st fight night (although it has an official ESPN name now), which is fitting for two of the most revered combatants on the roster.

Iaquinta headlined the last ever card on FOX in December, putting his rivalry with Kevin Lee to bed with a dominant performance. Not getting as much recognition as he deserves, because he’s also an estate agent which often gets brought up – Raging Al has embraced this and quietly risen to number 4 in the rankings. A 7-year, 12 fight UFC veteran, he is not to be overlooked. His resume’ includes wins over household names Diego Sanchez and Jorge Masvidal, and he even looked impressive in defeat to current champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, taking him the distance on a day’s notice.

An intriguing matchup awaits, with sure-fire future hall of famer Donald Cerrone. Cowboy has had an illustrious career and isn’t finished yet. Holding the record for most victories, finishes and bonuses – that puts him in a league of his own. Perhaps the most surprising statistic is that Cerrone has never been a UFC champion, and has admittedly never cared about it – until now.

Known for his laid-back attitude in the past, Cowboy has a different motivation since the birth of his son. His return to lightweight was nothing short of spectacular, knocking out top prospect Alexander Hernandez and calling out Conor McGregor. That fight seemed a done deal with McGregor verbally agreeing on Twitter, before abruptly retiring. This has set up an eliminator of sorts, the winner not guaranteed a title shot, but will undeniably be given serious consideration.

Derek Brunson and Elias Theodorou will collide in a middleweight bout. In the past, Brunson seemed to be on the verge of breaking into title contention only to lose that one big step up. After defeat to Yoel Romero, he went on a 5-fight win streak including 4 first round knockouts but then suffered a KO to current 185lb king Whittaker and a debatable loss to Silva. Again, a crowd silencing knockout of legend Lyoto Machida put his name in the conversation before back to back losses to Jacare and Adesanya have now left him in limbo.

A win for Theodorou would surely put him in the top 10. The Spartan is highly rated by boss Dana White and has looked good since winning a nations version of The Ultimate Fighter in 2014. A former ECC and NAAFS middleweight champion, he has amassed an 8-2 record in the UFC and 16-2 overall. He will have to be weary though as Brunson possesses legitimate one punch knockout power but should he avoid that, has proven he can do well when it goes to the judges’ scorecards.

Elsewhere on the main card, perennial featherweight contender Cub Swanson takes on Shane Burgos. Swanson will be determined to win his first fight since 2017, against up and comer Shane Burgos. A well-rounded student of the famed New York Tiger Schulman’s gym, Burgos will have the distinct reach advantage.

TUF winning alumni Brad Katona and Andrew Sanchez will be in action against Merab Dvalishvili and Marc Andre Barriault respectively. Katona will be looking to extend his unbeaten record to 9-0 while Sanchez who won the tournament at light heavyweight, will be looking to make his mark at 185lbs after recent lacklustre performances.

Walt Harris will face stand-in Sergey Spivak, after his original opponent Alexei Oleynik stepped in to fight Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC St Petersburg. Notable fights on the prelims include: Nordine Taleb vs Siyar Bahadurzada and Arjan Bhullar vs Juan Adams. Both have the potential for fight of the night.

With the championship picture looking cloudy at lightweight, to win and win emphatically is vital in staking a claim. Khabib will return later this year hoping to unify, and Tony Ferguson’s return is imminent. It is unpredictable as always if or when Conor McGregor will return. It is likely that the victor will have to win once more before getting the nod – Justin Gaethje waiting in the wings, has declared an interest to be next. Losing isn’t an option for either man, it’ll be a long road back to the top.

MAIN CARD:

Al Iaquinta vs. Donald Cerrone

Derek Brunson vs. Elias Theodorou

Cub Swanson vs. Shane Burgos

Brad Katona vs. Merab Dvalishvili

Walt Harris vs. Sergey Spivak

Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Andrew Sanchez