Bisping (left) and Leites (right) are in the main fight in Scotland. Photo: SUPER FIGHTS Production (Disclosure/UFC)
UFC Fight Night 72, which will take place this Saturday morning (11), should put a damper on the intentions of one of the two veterans who will take part in the main fight of the attraction. At the debut of Ultimate in Scotland, Michael Bisping e Thales leites they try to take another step towards the long-awaited title fight, with the loser being almost permanently removed from their goal.
The person in the most decisive situation is the 36-year-old veteran Bisping. The Englishman, who is going through an unstable phase in his career, will try to make one last push towards the belt, something he never had the chance to compete in due to some defeats he suffered at important moments. Thales, in turn, has fought for the title in the past. It was in 2009, when he ended up defeated by Anderson Silva. The Brazilian could still be considered a “raw” fighter at the time, but now, more experienced, he will try to show that he deserves a new opportunity.
Training partner José Aldo at the Nova União academy, Leites has been on a good winning streak since returning to Ultimate. There are five setbacks in a row, and, more important than the numbers, are the qualities presented in the octagon.
Thales has been showing intense progress on the feet, including knockouts over Trevor Smith and Francis Carmont. The fighter is trying to shake off the “one-dimensional” image once and for all, which was evident in the fight against Anderson – in which he was able to do little in terms of striking, as his specialty is the ground game.
The duel with Bisping will be a good indicator to assess Leites' standing level. The Englishman is known for his sharp kickboxing, marked by a large volume of blows and an intense rhythm. However, since suffering a serious eye injury in 2013, Bisping has shown some gaps in his defense, something that Thales could capitalize on.
If he emerges with victory, the Brazilian will place himself in a prominent position in the middleweight division, as Bisping, despite not being at his peak, has a good name. However, a setback will force Leites to start all over again on his way to the belt.
Rest of the card has little appeal, but potential for good fights
JoJo (left) and Cortney (right) in a tense look. Photo: Reproduction
As is often the case with events held in Europe, the UFC FN 72 card basically features athletes from the Old Continent. This is seen in the co-main event between TUF 9 champion Ross Pearson and Evan dunham. In addition, the attraction will also feature the Scottish Joanne calderwood, who, in front of her fans, will try to recover from her defeat against newcomer Cortney Casey.
Who will also fight in “hostile territory” is one of the Brazilians at the event, Leonardo Macarrão. A veteran of TUF Brasil 1, the Santa Catarina native will try to win his second consecutive UFC fight against the Scottish Steven Ray, who is also coming off a victory within the organization.
The other Brazilian athlete at UFC FN 72 is Ivan Batman, who will have a tough time ahead: his opponent is the Irishman Joseph Duffy, known for being the last to defeat Conor McGregor and who is coming off a stunning victory in his Ultimate debut.
Check out the UFC FN 72 technical sheet below:
DATE AND TIME: 18/07/2015, from 11 pm (Brasília time)
PLACE: SSE Hydro Arena, Glasgow, Scotland
STREAMING: Combat Channel
MAIN CARD
Average weight (up to 84 kg): Michael Bisping (84 kg) x Thales leites (84 kg);
Light weight (up to 70,3 kg):Evan dunham (70,7 kg) x Ross Pearson (70,3 kg);
Light weight (up to 70,3 kg): Joseph Duffy (70,3 kg) x Ivan Batman (69,9 kg);
Straw weight (up to 52,1 kg): Joanne calderwood (52,1 kg) x Cortney Casey (51,7 kg);
Welterweight weight (up to 77,1 kg): Leon edwards (76,7 kg) x Pawel Pawlak (77,1 kg);
Light weight (up to 70,3 kg): Leonardo Macarrão (70,3 kg) x Stevie Ray (70,3 kg).
PRELIMINARY CARD
Flyweight (up to 57 kg): Paddy Holohan (57,1 kg) x Vaughan Lee (57,1 kg);
Light heavyweight (up to 93 kg): Ilir Latifi (93,4 kg) x Hans Stringer (93 kg);
Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Mickael Lebout (70,3 kg) x Teemu Packalen (70,3 kg);
Featherweight (up to 66 kg): Paul Redmond (65,8 kg) x Robert Whiteford (66,2 kg);
Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Marcus Brimage (61,7 kg) x Jimmie rivera (61,2 kg);
Heavyweight (up to 120 kg): Chris de la Rocha (111,1 kg) x Daniel Omielanczuk (109,8 kg).
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