Well, this one just got interesting. Last week it was reported that Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson would be competing on the TUF 22 Finale, but for some reason the third and ninth ranked lightweights wouldn’t be the main event of the card. That got people wondering what the main event would be, as Nurmagomedov’s reticence to fight five round would force an ever higher profile bout to headline the show. On Tuesday night, we found out what that bout would be, and boy is it a good one. Former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and three-time featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes will square off in a bout that seems more suited to headline a pay-per-view card than a Fox Sports 1 effort. After reviewing the list of events in 2015 and looking at what is left to go, Edgar/Mendes ranks as the fourth best main event the UFC has put on this year (behind Jones/Cormier, Lawler/Condit, and Aldo/McGregor, two of which could potentially not even happen). This fight is that good. Aside from an early career loss to Gray Maynard (which he avenged in some of the most dramatic fashion in UFC history), Frankie Edgar has only been defeated in title bouts in his MMA career. There are those who will claim that he deserved the decision in all three of his title losses as well. I wouldn’t go that far, but the second Benson Henderson fight definitely should have seen him regain his lightweight title. Since dropping to featherweight, Edgar provided Jose Aldo one of his sternest tests, and has since gone on a four-fight winning streak. His style has evolved throughout the years too, as he is now one of the most brutal ground-and-pounders in the UFC after utilizing his movement and boxing for much of his lightweight title run. Chad Mendes’ career hasn’t seen the title reign that Edgar’s has, but his only blemishes have come when trying to wrest the featherweight title away from Jose Aldo, or most recently stepping in on short notice to take on Conor McGregor for the interim title. Mendes has also undergone a big transformation in his fighting style. Back in his WEC and early UFC days, he was a top position grappler without much in the way of offense. Following his first loss to Jose Aldo we began to see Mendes develop his hands, and he has become one of the most devastating punchers in the division. Five of his past six wins have come via (T)KO, and he pushed Aldo to the absolute limit in a 25-minute striking battle in their rematch. I don’t see much other way to open this fight than as something close to a pick em. Edgar may get the slight nod because he’s historically had the better cardio and been the more active fighter, but Mendes has more stopping power, and is still yet to be taken down in his MMA career. Normally when fights are announced, I immediately have a lean to one side, but this is one I’m truly unsure of. All I know is that breaking it down and watching the eventual fight will be fantastic. 
There’s also the small matter of a highly anticipated heavyweight fight being booked yesterday as the UFC on Fox 17 co-main event. In a time before Cain Velasquez had a stranglehold on the division, Junior dos Santos had shocked him and looked to be a dominant champion in his own right. Alistair Overeem debuted in the UFC the month after Overeem captured the title, and kicked Brock Lesnar’s guts out. This set up a showdown between two of the most punishing strikers in MMA for the heavyweight title, but we’re not allowed to have nice things, and Overeem failed a pre-fight drug test. When he returned, he suffered comeback losses to Antonio Silva and Travis Browne, while dos Santos only defended his title once before losing it back to Velasquez. This has been the best opportunity to remake the fight since then, and the UFC isn’t wasting it. Dos Santos is coming off of an exciting win over top contender Stipe Miocic, while Overeem has strung two wins together for the first time since joining the UFC. I fully expect dos Santos to open a solid favorite in this bout and likely knock Overeem out, but the former champion has now been in four straight bouts (three of them five-rounders that went into the fifth round) that have seen him take lots of damage, and eventually his body just won’t be the same anymore. Joining the heavyweights on the UFC on Fox 17 card, Nik Lentz will return to lightweight to face Danny Castillo. This could be a good spot for Lentz to capitalize on an aging Castillo who is now 1-4 in his last five fights, especially since Lentz was perfectly capable of holding his own at lightweight prior to dropping down a weight class.
