The UFC makes its way to Tampa on Saturday night with a strong offering on Fox.
Khabib Nurmagomedov was originally scheduled to headline the event against Tony Ferguson, but a serious injury to Ferguson resulted in veteran light heavyweights Glover Teixeira and Rashad Evans moving into the five-round main event.
This is still a good fight, though it lacks the urgency of the original headliner between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson. Evans badly needs a win to stay at the top of the division, while Teixeira is trying to state his case for one more shot at the division's elite.
In the co-main event, Lyoto Machida will take on Dan Henderson at middleweight in a rematch of a 2013 bout contested at 205 pounds. Both fighters have fallen since then, and the loser will effectively be out of the running for big-time fights. The winner will hang on a bit longer.
Thankfully, Nurmagomedov will still be on the card. He'll fight newcomer Darrell Horcher in what amounts to a tune-up fight after two years on the shelf battling injuries.
Perhaps the best fight on the card opens the Fox portion of the event. Tecia Torres takes on Rose Namajunas in what probably amounts to a top-contender bout at 115 pounds. The two first met in 2013 in a fantastic back-and-forth scrap that Torres won, and both have grown substantially since then. It should be a barnburner.
The preliminary card is stacked with well-matched fights. In the Fox Sports 1 headliner, Beneil Dariush and Michael Chiesa meet in a fantastic matchup of rising lightweights. Court McGee and Santiago Ponzinibbio will also throw down in an excellent welterweight donnybrook on FS1. Cub Swanson returns to action as well.
John Dodson returns to bantamweight to headline the Fight Pass portion of the card against Manny Gamburyan. Keep an eye on the welterweight matchup between prospects Michael Graves and Randy Brown, which could steal the show.
Let's take a look at each matchup.
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