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The UFC is returning to Japan after an excellent UFC 144 event featuring PRIDE legend Wanderlei Silva in the main event. Other PRIDE greats like Mark Hunt and Takanori Gomi will look to score victories this coming Saturday Night. Also, Diego Sanchez returns to the lightweight division and there is a huge fight happening in the middleweight division.
Kicking off the action is a welterweight division fight as Siyar “The Great†Bahadurzada (21-4-1) competes against Dong Hyun “Stun Gun†Kim (16-2-1-1NC). Bahadurzada is currently undefeated in UFC competition, having defeated Paulo Thiago back at UFC On Fuel TV II. Kim has rotated wins and losses in his last fight UFC appearances, with his last fight being a victory over Paulo Thiago. Kim has just the style to neutralize and defeat Bahadurzada, which is what’s going to happen in the opener.
Featherweights will be stepping into the cage next as Mizuto “Pugnus†Hirota (14-5-1) does battle with Rani Yahya (17-7-0). Hirota comes over to the UFC after a poor run in Strikeforce, losing to Pat Healy in his lone promotional fight. Yahya has won two of three fights under the UFC banner, with those victories coming over Mike Brown and Josh Grispi. Yahya has been one of the more underrated featherweights in the UFC right now and he will win his fourth in the UFC.
A middleweight division fight is coming up next as Hector “Lightning†Lombard (32-3-1-1NC) is in action against Yushin “Thunder†Okami (28-7-0). Lombard will be looking to build on the momentum of his first UFC victory, which came over Rousimar Palhares at UFC On FX VI. Okami enters the fight riding a two fight winning streak, last defeating Alan Belcher by decision at UFC 155. This is a fight that Lombard must win if he is to be a threat in the UFC and he will become that threat as he gets the victory.
We move to the lightweight division for the next fight as “The Fireball Kid†Takanori Gomi (34-8-0-1NC) faces Diego “The Dream†Sanchez (23-5-0). Gomi enters the fight riding a two fight winning streak, with those victories coming over Eiji Mitsuoka and Mac Danzig. Sanchez returns to the lightweight division after a three year break, winning two of four in his last welterweight run. Gomi has started to look like the fighter of old and he will be spoiling the lightweight return of Sanchez.
Up next is a heavyweight division fight as Mark Hunt (8-7-0) takes on Stefan “Skyscraper†Struve (25-5-0). Hunt enters the fight on the strength of a three fight winning streak, last defeating Cheick Kongo by knockout at UFC 144. Struve has won six of his last seven under the UFC banner, with that lone defeat coming to Travis Browne at UFC 130. Hunt has been on a career resurgence since joining the UFC and he will be inching closer to a title shot by defeating Struve in the co-main event.
Headlining this card is a light heavyweight division fight as Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer†Silva (34-12-1-1NC) battles “All American†Brian Stann (12-5-0). Silva has only won two of his last six fights, with his last light heavyweight fight coming in December 2008. Stann has only won one of his last three entering this fight and also returns to the light heavyweight division for the first time since February 2010. This fight should be nothing short of a slugfest and it will be Stann winning that main event striking war.
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