This weekend, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, for the first time since 2016. Headlining UFC Fight Night 151 is a pivotal lightweight bout between ranked contenders Al Iaquinta and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
Both Iaquinta (14-4-1) and Cerrone (35-11, 1 NC) have momentum on their side. Iaquinta bounced back from his defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov by outpointing longtime rival Kevin Lee in December. Meanwhile, Cerrone has won three of his last four and made a successful return to lightweight with his TKO win over Alex Hernandez in January.
Iaquinta is currently rated as the seventh-best lightweight in the world by Sherdog, fifth by ESPN, and is the No. 4-ranked contender in the UFC rankings. Cerrone is unranked in Sherdog’s top 10, but is ranked ninth by ESPN, and is the current No. 8 contender in the UFC rankings.
“Cowboy” has much more to gain ranking-wise with a win, but even a win for Iaquinta could put him in a position to challenge for the title next given the fighters above him. If not that, then possibly a fight with another top contender in what would surely be a title eliminator bout.
In the co-main event, Derek Brunson collides with Elias Theodorou in a middleweight encounter. Brunson (18-7) is coming off two knockout losses and will look to avoid suffering a third consecutive loss for the first time in his career. The American is unranked in Sherdog and ESPN’s top 10 but is still the No. 9 contender in the UFC rankings.
As for Theodorou (16-2), he will be looking to not only get a fourth consecutive win but also one over arguably his biggest opponent so far. “The Spartan” is currently ranked No. 13 in the UFC rankings and a win over Brunson could see him enter the top 10 for the first time.
Featherweight contender Cub Swanson also returns to action as he takes on the rising Shane Burgos. Swanson (25-10) is currently on a three-fight losing streak that has seen him drop in the rankings. Sherdog currently rates him as the ninth-best featherweight in the world while he is also the No. 10 contender in the UFC rankings.
However, a win could get Swanson back on track. His opponent in Burgos (11-1) is 4-1 inside the Octagon so far and last defeated Kurt Holobaugh via submission at UFC 230 last year. “Hurricane” is not ranked but a win over the veteran would almost certainly see him crack the rankings.
Lastly, “The Ultimate Fighter 28” winner Macy Chiasson is also competing as she faces Sarah Moras in a women’s bantamweight bout. Chiasson (4-0) got her first official win in the UFC with a TKO finish over Gina Mazany at UFC 235 in March. The 27-year-old is currently the No. 14 contender in the UFC rankings and will look to further climb up with another win. As for Moras (5-4), she is on a two-fight losing streak, but a win over the 27-year-old could see her not only return to the win column but enter the top 15 of the women’s bantamweight rankings.