Arlovski (left) and Barnett (right) take part in the main fight of UFC Fight Night 93. (Photo: Reproduction).
UFC Fight Night 93, this Saturday (03), in Hamburg, Germany, features a card without many stars, but with well-balanced fights that promise to excite fans of the sport. The veterans Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett will be the protagonists of the show, and the winner places himself close to the top 5 heavyweights.
See too
Andrei Arlovski, ranked sixth in the heavyweight category, returned to Ultimate in 2014 and showed that he still had fuel to burn, scoring four consecutive victories. However, the current phase of “Pitbull”, as he is known, is not the best: he comes from two consecutive defeats, to the champion Stipe Miocic and the next title challenger alistair overeem, both by knockout. At 37 years old, Arlovski knows that a victory next Saturday could put him back on the list of possible title challengers.
Josh Barnett, in turn, aims to regain his status as one of the division's main threats. The “Warmaster”, as he is known, is coming off a submission defeat – the first of his career using this method – to compatriot Ben Rothwell last January. Currently, Barnett occupies ninth place in the heavyweight division rankings and has alternated between good and bad results since returning to the UFC, such as the knockout over Frank mir in the re-debut, and the defeat in 60 seconds to Travis Browne.
Gustafsson returns after 11 months
Gustafsson returns to the Octagon at UFC Hamburg. Photo: Disclosure/UFC
In the second most important attraction of the night, the light heavyweight Alexander Gustafson returns to the Octagon after 11 months to face the underrated Jan Blachowicz. Gustafsson wants to prove that he is still capable of challenging the champion Daniel Cormier, while the Pole lacks a resounding victory to establish his name as a real threat in the category. Still on the main card, the ranked Ryan bader e Ilir Latifi they compete for a spot at the top of the under-93 kg division.
In the preliminary portion, the highlights are Brazilians Leandro Buscapé and Leandro Issa, who face Rustam Khabilov and Taylor Lapilus, respectively. In the lightweight category, Buscapé is coming off a controversial loss to Jason Saggo and will need to beat the thick-skinned Russian Khabilov to get back on track to winning ways. In total in the UFC, his record has three wins, two negative results and one fight without result.
Bantamweight Issa, who hasn't fought in over a year, was also outclassed in his last appearance – he lost on points to his compatriot Iuri Marajó -, and a new setback could mean the end of the line, which is why a victory over Lapilus is essential for the Brazilian's aspirations. He has two wins and two defeats in Ultimate.
Check out the UFC Fight Night 93 technical sheet below:
DATE AND TIME: 03/09/2016, from 12pm (Brasília time)
PLACE: Barclaycard Arena, Hamburg, Germany
STREAMING: Combat Channel
MAIN CARD
Heavy: Andrei Arlovski x Josh Barnett
Light heavyweight: Alexander Gustafson x Jan Blachowicz
Light heavyweight: Ryan bader x Ilir Latifi
Light: Nick Hein x Tae Hyun Bang
PRELIMINARY CARD
Welterweight: Jessin Ayari vs Jim Wallhead
Welterweight: Peter sobotta x Nicholas Dalby
Cock: Ashlee Evans-Smith x Veronica macedo
Rooster: Taylor Lapilus x Leandro Issa
Heavyweight: Jarjis Danho x Christian Colombo
Midfielder: Scott Askham x Jack hermansson
Lightweight: Rustam Khabilov x Leandro Buscapé
Comments