UFC 173: Junior dos Santos Returns Against Miocic and Other Bouts!

UFC 173 is shaping up to be a solid card just in time for the summer as Lyoto Machida has stepped up to face UFC Chris Weidman for the UFC Middleweight Championship.  A huge fight has been added to what was already an attractive fight.  The UFC has confirmed that former UFC champ Junior dos Santos will be facing fellow heavyweight striker Stipe Miocic in Las Vegas this May.

Both men represent the cream of the crop in the UFC's Heavyweight Division and are outstanding strikers.  The biggest question that comes to mind when I heard about this fight is how much has JDS improved his wrestling since getting throttled by Cain Velasquez in their las bout this past October.  It makes one wonder if he will be able to handle Miocic's elite wrestling.  Like Velasquez, Miocic comes from a very high caliber wrestling background.  I love to see a good grappling match or clinch fight, but between two men with accurate heat-seeking missiles like the two of them, I hope the fight stays on the feet.  Both men have technical striking plus power.

Who wins at UFC 173?

Junior dos Santos

Stipe Miocic

Poll Maker

Below is the list of confirmed bouts scheduled to take place on May 24, 2014:

UFC 173 Fight Card*

Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida
Junior Dos Santos vs. Stipe Mioci
Jamie Varner vs. James Krause
T.J. Dillashaw vs. Takeya Mizugaki
Tony Ferguson vs. Katsunori Kikuno
Chris Holdsworth vs. Kyung Ho Kang
Doo Ho Choi vs. Sam Sicilia
Al Iaquinta vs. Mitch Clarke
Mike Chiesa vs. Francisco Trinaldo
Yves Edwards vs. Piotr Hallmann 

* as of 3/4/14. Card subject to change

Davey Grant Joins the UFC Roster

Despite losing an entertaining fight to the Chris Holdsworth, Davey Grant has been added as a fighter in the UFC's Mens' Bantamweight Division.  He confirmed the news via Twitter stating that he was getting a contract with the UFC.

I think that it was a wise decision for them to go ahead and and bring Grant to the UFC  considering how unexciting the UFC's Bantamweight Division is. The division has a champion who has stood on top of the division without even fighting in it for two years. The Bantamweight division is the only division that the word 'blah' comes to mind and doing TUF for that division was the best move for the company to bring in some great talent and Grant is one of those great talents.

TUF 18 Finale Results

Main Card:

Nate Diaz def. Gray Maynard via first-
round TKO
Julianna Pena def. Jessica Rakoczy via
first-round TKO
Chris Holdsworth def. David Grant via
submission (rear-naked choke)
Jessamyn Duke def. Peggy Morgan via
unanimous decision
Raquel Pennington def. Roxanne
Modafferi via unanimous decision

Preliminary Card:

Akira Corassani def. Maximo Blanco
via disqualification (intentional foul)
Tom Niinimaki def. Rani Yaha via split
decision
Jared Rosholt def. Walt Harris via
unanimous decision
Sean Spencer def. Drew Dober via
unanimous decision
Joshua Sampo def. Ryan Benoit via
submission (rear-naked choke)

TUF 18 Finale Weigh-in Results

MAIN CARD:

Nate Diaz (156) vs. Gray Maynard (156)
Julianna Pena (134) vs. Jessica Rakoczy (132)
Davey Grant (135) vs. Chris Holdsworth (136)
Jessamyn Duke (135.5) vs. Peggy Morgan (136)
Roxanne Modafferi (134) vs. Raquel Pennington (135)

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Maximo Blanco (146) vs. Akira Corassani (146)
Tom Niinimaki (145) vs. Rani Yahya (145.5)
Walter Harris (244) vs. Jared Rosholt (240)
Drew Dober (170) vs. Sean Spencer (171)
Ryan Benoit (126) vs. Joshua Sampo (127.5)