MMA fans have a busy weekend ahead.
Between the UFC on FX 4 fight card on Friday night in Atlantic City, the Bellator 71 fight card on Friday night in Chester, W. Va., and Saturday night's UFC 147 fight card in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, fans will have access to no fewer than 34 fights this weekend, including bouts featuring top names like Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin, Clay Guida, Gray Maynard, and Brett Rogers, who will make his Bellator debut when he takes on 15-1 Kevin Asplund.
The biggest fight of the weekend, however, may well be the second fight on the main card on Saturday night, when Fabricio Werdum takes on Mike Russow, as the winner could find himself on the fast track to a UFC Heavyweight Championship bout against Junior dos Santos.
Of course, former champion Cain Velasquez is next in line to take on dos Santos, a bout that has ben tentatively targeted for UFC 152 in Toronto in September. After that, however, there is no clear-cut "next man up" to fight for the title. With Alistair Overeem not eligible for a license again until December and Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner Daniel Cormier still obligated to fight once more in Strikeforce before he can come to the UFC, the winner of Werdum vs. Russow would make the most sense as a No. 1 contender for the winner of dos Santos vs. Velasquez.
Werdum, of course, was dos Santos' first opponent in the UFC, the victim of a stunning upset knockout at UFC 90. Since then, he's made headlines by becoming the first fighter in nearly a decade to defeat Fedor Emelianenko, and he made a successful UFC return in February by defeating durable Ultimate Fighter winner Roy "Big Country" Nelson. With a win over Russow, the stage could be set for a compelling rematch.
Russow, meanwhile, hasn't lost in more than five years, bringing an 11-fight win streak into the Octagon on Saturday night. None of his victims have much of a pedigree, but a win over Werdum - considered by some to be the heavyweight division's foremost practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu - would certainly change that.
There are certainly other compelling fights on tap for this weekend, particularly the Maynard vs. Guida bout, which could put Gray Maynard back on track to challenge for the UFC Lightweight Championship (although he'd be in line behind former champion Frankie Edgar and old rival Nick Diaz). Franklin and Silva should also deliver an entertaining bout, a reprise of their Fight of the Night at UFC 99.
However, if you're looking for a fighter who could fight for a UFC title in the next 12 months, look no further than Silva and Russow.
