UFC Fight Night 63 will see top Featherweight contenders Ricardo “The Bully” Lamas and Chad “Money” Mendes face off in the main event, live from the Patriot Centre, Fairfax, Virginia. Before they square off to determine the next number one contender for another shot at the Featherweight crown, there’s a night of great fights to watch. Here’s a look at the three fights you should be watching this weekend.
Dustin Poirier Vs Carlos Diego Ferreira
Dustin Poirier will make his UFC lightweight debut this weekend, as he looks to bounce back from his devastating knockout loss to Conor McGregor. Poirier had a good stint at featherweight with an overall record of 8-3, but the weight cut was hard for him and ‘The Diamond’ feels he is now better suited as a lightweight. Ferreira who has gone 2-1 since joining the UFC, will provide a solid test for Poirier in what promises to be an entertaining bout.Ferriera has heavy hands and is very well skilled on the ground, scoring a performance of the night bonus on his UFC debut, by submitting Colton Smith. I believe Poirier will have the technical advantage in the striking department, but Poirier can often leave himself open to strikes and if he gives Ferreira any sort of opening it could be lights out. Both fighters will be comfortable wherever the fight goes and I expect to see wild exchanges, as well as submission scrambles. This fight is a great way to start the main card, and I expect to see a three round war.
Jorge Masvidal Vs Al Iaquinta
In the co-main event of the evening, lightweight standouts Masvidal and Iaquinta will both look to win their fourth consecutive fight. Iaquinta loves to stand and bang and has knocked his last three opponents out, including former Ultimate Fighter winner Ross Pearson. Masvidal is a step up in competition for Iaquinta though and also has great striking skills, winning six of his last seven fights.Although both fighters have good BJJ skills, I expect to see the fight stay standing, with heavy shots exchanged right from the start. Iaquinta will have a four inch reach advantage going into this fight, so may look to keep Masvidal on the outside and pepper him with counter strikes. Masvidal will look to make this fight as scrappy as possible and keep constant pressure on Iaquinta, pressing him against the cage and wearing him down. I expect fireworks right from the very start of this match, and both fighters will be looking for a performance of the night bonus.
Chad Mendes Vs Ricardo Lamas
After both losing close decisions to champion Jose Aldo, both fighters are looking to regain their place as number one contender and earn another crack at the gold. Lamas has been impressive since his loss to Aldo, winning his last two fights, and he looked great in his last outing submitting standout Dennis Bermudez in the first round. Mendes will return to the octagon for the first time since his second loss to Aldo, and will be looking for a dominant performance to cement his number one featherweight spot.Ricardo Lamas likes to keep constant pressure on his opponents, take them down and then work his vicious ground and pound to get the job done. This will be a very tough task against Mendes who has never been taken down in his UFC career, and the Team Alpha Male star is also an outstanding wrestler. Working with the likes of Duane Ludwig, Mendes has drastically improved his striking, and was even able to tag featherweight king Aldo several times. Lamas will have to keep his chin down, and control the distance as Mendes likes to leap in with powerful strikes. I feel both fighters wrestling skills will cancel each other out, and we can expect an entertaining stand-up fight. With the fast pace both Lamas and Mendes set, no way will this fight be boring.
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