UFC Fight Night 108 - Cub Swanson vs Artem Lobov
Date: 23rd April 2017 (3am BST)
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Venue: Bridgestone Arena
Fight Night 108 will wrap up another action-packed month of UFC events with the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter also airing this week. Featherweight fighters Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov headline the event which has raised a few eyebrows as this was an odd fight for Swanson to take. He is enjoying a resurgence in his career, climbing up the rankings to #4 in the featherweight division and has just come off an unbelievable win against Doo Ho Choi which was the UFC’s ‘Fight of the Year’. You would have thought a top contender would be up next for Swanson, or at least a big name, but instead he has been handed the unranked Lobov. This fight has obviously been made with the intention of more fireworks and although Lobov has one of the worst records on the roster, he will gladly accept an invitation to put on a show. One of the reasons his record is unimpressive is that he will swing for the fences with little regard for protecting his chin. In many ways, you could argue that Lobov is the perfect opponent for Swanson who will do the same but with vastly more technical ability and experience; he will be the heavy favourite in this one but there is always the puncher’s chance for Lobov.
See below for a statistical breakdown of the fight:
The co-main event features seasoned sluggers Al Iaquinta and Diego Sanchez at lightweight. Iaquinta has won his last four fights, looking superb in the process, but hasn’t fought since April 2015 after butting heads with the UFC brass in a contract dispute. After an injury, he was very unhappy with how he was treated, believing he was owed more compensation during his time off. Thankfully, instead of retiring he has made up with the UFC and as a result he will face veteran and fan-favourite, Diego Sanchez. Doing his best to stay afloat with the young up-and-coming talent in the lightweight division, Sanchez will have to be at his best to string two wins together.
See below for a statistical breakdown of the fight:
Ovince Saint Preux and Marcos Rogério de Lima take the next spot on the card, with Saint Preux experiencing the most difficult stage of his career on the back of three straight losses. If you lose three times in a row in the UFC you’re on thin ice due to the ruthless level of competition and a fourth loss is usually terminal. That said, his first loss was against arguably the greatest light heavyweight of all time in Jon Jones, which was actually a close fight and went the distance even with a broken arm for St Preux. The second loss was a result of eating a left hook from Jimi Manuwa, which is a menu no fighter wants to eat off. In all honesty, he did under-perform in his third loss against Volkan Oezdemir but he should be given another chance if he comes up short against De Lima.
See below for a statistical breakdown of the fight:
Former flyweight John Dodson is looking to blaze a new path in the bantamweight division but has an Eddie Wineland-shaped obstacle to get through. Although Dodson is adjusting to fighting bigger UFC opponents, he still has more than enough power to put them to sleep, but Wineland has been knocking out bantamweights his whole career. Dodson will have to rely on his crazy speed and as both of these guys prefer to stand and hunt the knock-out, this fight should be an absolute spectacle for the fans.
See below for a statistical breakdown of the fight:
Stevie Ray makes his first appearance on American soil and will be proudly waving the Scottish flag all the way to the octagon. He has won four out of his five UFC fights and now faces his biggest opponent to date in the form of UFC veteran and the ‘Human Bonus Machine’, Joe Lauzon. Lauzon has been fighting in the UFC for nearly ten years, accumulating a mass of awards on the way to becoming a heavy favourite among the fans. This fight may be a changing of the guard but you can never count out Lauzon.
See below for a statistical breakdown of the fight:
The final fight on the card is between Jake Ellenberger and Mike Perry. Ellenberger is also just clinging on to his job. At UFC 201, he was given Matt Brown as a chance to save his UFC career, where he pulled off one of his best career performances, puncturing Brown with a vicious body kick. He then suffered a controversial loss against Jorge Masvidal after his foot got caught in the cage/canvas, making his future uncertain again. However, he can’t be focusing on that as Perry is a terrifying opponent. An aggressive brawler and born to fight, who prior to his loss against Jouban, knocked out all nine of his opponents. He will only want one outcome and that is to add Ellenberger to his knock-out list.
See below for a statistical breakdown of the fight:
