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Finishing off another big weekend off mixed martial action will be the stellar UFC Fight Night 40 event from Cincinnati. The event will be headlined by a big welterweight division battle as Matt Brown collides with Erick Silva. Also, Lorenz Larkin faces Constas Philippou in a middleweight battle and Erik Koch looks to stay undefeated at lightweight.
Kicking off the action is a flyweight division attraction as Chris “Kamikaze†Cariaso (16-5-0) competes against Louis “Da Last Samurai†Smolka (7-0-0). Cariaso has won five of his last seven fights under the UFC banner, most notably defeating Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 144. Smolka has competed once before in the UFC, which was a win over Alptekin Ozkilic at UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Philippou. Cariaso could easily be a win or two away from a potential title shot and he will get closer to that shot when he ends Smolka's undefeated streak.
Heavyweight division action is happening next as Soa “The Hulk†Palelei (20-3-0) is in action against Ruan “Fangzz†Potts (8-1-0). Palelei is currently undefeated in his second UFC run, defeating both Pat Barry and Nikita Krylov respectively. Potts will be making his UFC debut in this fight and he is a former Extreme Fighting Championship Africa Heavyweight Champion. Palelei has looked vastly improved in his second UFC run and he will stay unbeaten in his second run when he defeats Potts.
A welterweight division contest is on the card next as Neil Magny (9-3-0) does battle against Tim “The Dirty Bird†Means (20-5-1). Magny has won just one of his last three under the UFC banner, with that lone win coming over Gasan Umalatov at UFC 169. Means is returning to the UFC after getting released a little less than a year ago, but he did go undefeated since that release. Means should have never been released by the UFC in the first place and he will show why when he makes a successful return against Magny.
The lightweight division will be featured next as “The Detroit Superstar†Daron Cruickshank (14-4-0) battles Erik “New Breed†Koch (14-3-0). Cruickshank has rotated wins and losses in his last five UFC fights, with his last fight being a win over Mike Rio at UFC On Fox X. Koch is currently undefeated as a lightweight in the UFC, having defeated Rafaello Oliveira at UFC 170. This is a lot bigger fight than most folks believe going into it, but it will be Koch using his more versatile game to get the victory.
Up next is a middleweight division fight as Lorenz “The Monsoon†Larkin (14-2-0-1NC) takes on Costas Philippou (12-4-0-1NC). Larkin has won just one of three fights under the UFC banner, with that lone win coming over Chris Camozzi at UFC Fights For The Troops III. Philippou will enter the fight riding a two fight losing streak and he has not won a bout in well over a year. This is a must win situation if either competitor is to remain viable in the UFC and it will be Larkin using his better striking to get the much needed win.
Headlining this card is a welterweight division bout as Matt “The Immortal†Brown (18-11-0) faces Erick “Indio†Silva (16-4-0-1NC). Brown will enter the fight riding a six fight winning streak and he has not last a bout in almost three years. Silva has rotated wins and losses throughout his UFC run, with his last fight being a win over Takenori Sato at UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi. Brown has been on a incredible run in recent months and that run will be continuing as he defeats Silva.
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