The UFC closes out its first run on “Fight Island” on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 14. Of the four-event stretch at Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, the upcoming show features the richest lineup of names of the three non-pay-per-view cards. Four former UFC champions are slated to compete in on the ESPN main card.
Who between Robert Whittaker, Mauricio Rua, Fabricio Werdum, and Carla Esparza is in greatest need of a victory in their respective matchup, though? MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, Farah Hannoun and Simon Head debate in this edition of Triple Take.
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Mike Bohn: Carla Esparza
Seeing that Carla Esparza is the only former champion going into this weekend’s event coming off a win, one would think she doesn’t have all that much pressure going into her strawweight fight with unbeaten Marina Rodriguez.
Although the question is posed as who needs a win the most, I choose to look at it this way: Who can afford a loss the least? To me, that’s easily Esparza.
Robert Whittaker is 28, and losing a main event to another contender is recoverable. “Shogun” Rua is at the tail end of his career, and a loss doesn’t change his legacy one way or another. Fabricio Werdum, meanwhile, is on the final fight of his current contract and seemingly on his way out of the UFC regardless.
Esparza, for her part, is in quite a precious position and one that’s somewhat familiar, too. “The Cookie Monster” lost her UFC belt in March 2015 and hasn’t been able to return to the mountain top since. She’s had mixed results along the way, but after a TKO loss to Tatiana Suarez nearly two years ago, she’s managed to go on a run, with her current three-fight winning streak putting her in a big-time fight with Rodriguez.
Let’s not forget, however, that many believe two of the wins in Esparza’s streak against Michelle Waterson and Alexa Grasso could’ve gone the other way. She wouldn’t even be in this position had one or both those decisions been scored against her, so that puts pressure to make the most of her current opportunity.
Could Esparza take a loss to Rodriguez and rebuild after? Perhaps. But time is not on her side. She’s 32, and having to work another two to three years to make it back into title contention would be rolling the dice on her physical prime holding up. Because of that, she needs this win badly.
Next page – Farah Hannoun: Fabricio Werdum
Farah Hannoun: Fabricio Werdum
Fabricio Werdum is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time in his career. He returned after a two-year layoff in May and looked a little sluggish in his split decision loss to Aleksei Oleinik at UFC 249.
Sure we can give him the benefit of the doubt because of the long layoff, but losing three straight will put him in a tough spot. Werdum is undoubtedly a future Hall of Famer and has already reached the pinnacle of the sport by winning the UFC heavyweight title. He has nothing left to prove, which is why Saturday can dictate his fighting future.
He has one fight left on his UFC contract and depending on how he looks against Alexander Gustafsson, this could be it. I’m not sure if another run at the title is even on his mind, but the returning Gustafsson will be a good indicator to show if he’s still a top contender in the division.
Werdum has finished the likes of Fedor Emelianenko, Cain Velasquez, Alistair Overeem, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Heavyweight resumes don’t get better than this, so if he loses to Gustafsson, he certainly doesn’t need to stick around and fight young prospects who will try and build their name off of him.
Whether he re-signs with the UFC, goes to another promotion or retires, Werdum is a legend. And if Saturday is the last time we see him compete, he’s achieved more than enough in his storied career.
Next page – Simon Head: Robert Whittaker
Simon Head: Robert Whittaker
Often when a champion loses his title he’s granted an immediate rematch and a chance to win back the belt. But that chance wasn’t afforded to former UFC middleweight champ Robert Whittaker and now, after taking some time away from the sport to rest, recuperate and refresh, “The Reaper” is back and seemingly in great spirits ahead of his octagon return.
But his comeback gig is anything but a tune-up fight. England’s Darren Till looked superb as he controlled the action against Kelvin Gastelum and now, after more time spent training and preparing as a middleweight, the former 170-pound title challenger will be keen to make a statement against the former middleweight champion this weekend.
It means Whittaker can’t afford to come at anything less than 100 percent if he wants to get the victory. And if the Aussie wants to land himself a shot at his old belt, he’ll need to look good doing it.
All eyes will be on Whittaker this weekend. If he shows up and shows out, he’ll be right back in the title mix. But defeat will put him right behind the eight ball, with a clutch of rising contenders ahead of him in the race for a title shot.
