On a packed MMA weekend that also includes Bellator 136 and World Series of Fighting 20, the UFC will be in Krakow, Poland for another Fight Night card. April’s schedule is a feast worth gorging on, with a UFC show every weekend as well as One Championship 26 on April 24th.
Add to that season 4 of the Ultimate Fighter Brazil starting this week, and you could be forgiven for overlooking the show in Poland this weekend. Here are ten good reasons why you shouldn’t.
New Market Excitement
The April 11th show will take place at the Krakow Arena, and marks the first time the UFC have promoted a show in Poland. Whenever the UFC expand into a new market it makes for an interesting and exciting atmosphere. The sport’s popularity has shown continued growth in Poland over the past decade. Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW) have led the way, and the country can now boast its own UFC World Champion in Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
More Daytime Fighting
After UFC Fight Night 63 provided USA fans with daytime MMA, it’s another early Saturday start for Gonzaga Vs Cro Cop II. The prelims begin at 11.45am Eastern, with the main card set to start at 3pm. What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon? For European fans the timing is even more welcome. With UFC cards often finishing at around 5am in the UK, the show marks back to back weekends where sleeping at a normal time is possible.
Enjoy Your UFC Fight Pass Subscription
There are a number of reasons you could be paying for UFC Fight Pass. Maybe you can’t get enough of the Ultimate Fighter series. Perhaps it’s that extensive fight library that goes far beyond just UFC fights. It could be the chance to see those extra fight pass prelims live on each card. Whatever the reason, Gonzaga – Cro Cop II reminds us that we also get full exclusive events as part of our package. This is one of those opportunities we get to laud it over our casual MMA fan friends who don’t subscribe. Make the most of it.
Desperate Gonzaga Clinging on to Ranking
After going an impressive 3-1 in 2013, Gabriel Gonzaga suffered back to back losses in 2014 against Stipe Miocic and Matt Mitrione. The Brazilian is currently ranked at number 14 in the UFC’s heavyweight division. Defeat against Cro Cop on Saturday night would almost certainly see him fall out of the top 15. With UFC rankings set to be linked directly to fighter income as part of the Reebok sponsorship deal later this year, Gonzaga is a heavyweight in desperate need of a win.
MMA Legend’s Last Hurrah
At 40 years old, and with two unspectacular UFC runs already in the bag, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic’s best days are far behind him. With back to back wins over Satoshi Ishii in the bag, and a re-run of his most memorable fight inside the UFC taking place, lets not pretend that there isn’t still a part of you, no matter how small, that is intrigued to see what happens when he steps back into the octagon. He is still Cro Cop, and he is still facing the guy who “Cro Copped” him back in 2007.
Top 10 Light Heavyweight Looking to Rebound
Following three UFC wins that took his career record to 14-0, Jimi Manuwa was beaten in March of last year by Alexander Gustafsson. No shame there at all, but at 35 years old, having not fought in over a year due to injury, Manuwa should see his fight against Jan Blachowicz as an opportunity to kickstart another run. Manuwa’s style is exciting enough to make him a marketable entity at 205lbs, and he will be looking to make a statement in Poland on Saturday.
Women’s Strawweight Title Shot For a Winner?
When Joanna Jedrzejczyk won the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship from Carla Esparza at UFC 185, discussion began on who would present her first challenge. Having pushed Jedrzejczyk to a close decision previously, Claudia Gadelha appeared to be the favourite. Gadelha was forced to pull out of her fight with Aisling Daly due to injury. That has paved the way for two undefeated fighters to stake their claim in Poland. Joanne Calderwood is undefeated and currently sits at number 6 in the UFC rankings. An impressive win over Maryna Moroz in Poland, where you would expect the strawweight champion to be in the crowd looking on, could set up an all European title clash later in the year.
Baczynski Looking for Fight of the Night Hat-Trick
33 year old Seth Baczynski goes into his Welterweight tussle against Leon Edwards having lost 4 of his last 5 outings inside the Octagon. He has however picked up Fight of the Night bonuses in both of his last two fights, defeats against Thiago Alves and Alan Jouban. In Edwards he may have the opponent to make it a clean three. The Brit is also coming off a loss, but showed during his time with UK promotion BAMMA that he has power and the ability to finish.
Aleksandra Albu
We are often told that a picture paints a thousand words. A google image search of Aleksandra Albu gives a clear answer for those wondering why she was signed by the UFC with just one professional bout to her name. The Russian was scheduled to make her UFC debut against Julie Kedzie in 2013, but pulled out with an injury before missing all of 2014. Albu will now face Poland’s Izabela Badurek on Saturday and we will get to see whether there is any real potential there to back up the hard bodied hype.
Polish Submission Machine Looking for First UFC Win
When he made his UFC debut back in October 2014, Marcin Bandel had picked up first round submission wins against his previous 12 opponents. That run was halted when Mairbek Taisumov starched him with a straight right hand in Sweden. Bandel will be hoping to get his first UFC win against Cage Warriors Lightweight Champion Steven Ray. Bandel’s list of wins includes heel hooks – six of them – and omoplatas so a highlight reel submission finish is a real possibility when he steps into the cage on Saturday.
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