The octagon returns from a short two-week break to kick off the new year in St. Louis, Missouri. It marks the first event in the city since the turn of the millennium and whilst the face of the sport has changed, the same eight-sided fighting plateau will grace the Scottrade Center this evening.
Jeremy Stephens, who despite his twenty-six fight resume in the octagon, may be most famous for his press-conference war-of-words with Conor McGregor headlines against the ‘Korean Superboy’ Doo Ho Choi in a featherweight main event, with the winner likely to command a ranking inside the top seven at 145-pounds.
Stephens will be looking to win consecutive octagon bouts for the first time since 2014, after outpointing Gilbert Melendez at UFC 215 in September. He will also tie the likes of Frank Mir, Tito Ortiz and Demian Maia as making the second-most appearances in the octagon.
South-Korean Doo Ho Choi returns to action for the first time since his fight-of-the-year contender with Cub Swanson in December 2016. The loss was Choi’s first in the UFC, but his stock appears to have risen due to his performance in that bout. He has clinched three consecutive performance of the night awards, and is certain to bring the fight to Stephens in St. Louis!
The dangerous weight cutting element of the sport claimed its first of a potential many victims of the year with the co-main event between Uriah Hall and the outgoing legend Vitor Belfort scrapped with just over twenty-four hours remaining. Hall was said to have been on his way to weigh in, before feinting and subsequently being hospitalised.
Brazilian legend Belfort was due to make his last octagon appearance in St. Louis, but it remains to be seen when his final bow in the sport will go ahead. A women’s flyweight bout between popular flyweight Paige VanZant and Jessica Rose-Clark has been moved up to the co-main event slot.
Welterweight prospects Kamaru Usman and Emil Meek will also meet on the main card, with Usman riding a twelve-fight winning streak, with six of those coming in the UFC. He is said to be one of the most dangerous prospects in the octagon with his dangerous wrestling and dominant clinchwork. Meek is a huge underdog, but can the Norwegian upset the odds?
Ranked featherweights Michael Johnson and Darren Elkins open up the main card at the usual eye watering time of 3AM on Monday morning. Perennial lightweight contender Johnson drops to featherweight for the first time and had no problems making the limit, weighing in at exactly 145lbs.
If you’re lucky to have the Monday off… give this card a chance. For a fight night card, it actually has quite a bit of depth! The action kicks off at 23:30 on UFC Fight Pass!
Full Fight Card
Main Card (3AM on BT Sport)
Featherweight: Jeremy Stephens vs. Doo Ho Choi
Women’s Flyweight: Paige VanZant vs. Jessica Rose-Clark
Welterweight: Kamaru Usman vs. Emil Meek
Featherweight: Michael Johnson vs. Darren Elkins
Prelims (1AM on BT Sport)
Lightweight: James Krause vs. Alex White
Lightweight: Matt Frevola vs. Marco Polo Reyes
Women’s Bantamweight: Talita Bernardo vs. Irene Aldana
Bantamweight: Kyung Ho Kang vs. Guido Cannetti
Early Prelims (11:30PM on UFC Fight Pass)
Women’s Flyweight: Kalinda Faria vs. Jessica Eye
Women’s Strawweight: Danielle Taylor vs. JJ Aldrich
Featherweight: Mads Burnell vs. Mike Santiago
