The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday will return to Charlotte, North Carolina, with UFC on ABC 4—an event that calls upon a promising seven-bout undercard as an appetizer at the Spectrum Center. Welterweight veterans rightfully get the featured slot, as Court McGee and Matt Brown collide in a well-matched affair that somehow has not happened until now. Beyond that, entertainment abounds: Cody Stamann and Douglas Silva de Andrade are matched in an interesting encounter between bantamweight gatekeepers, and a welterweight contest between Bryan Battle and Gabriel Green pairs two men who look to set the pace.
Welterweights
Court McGee (21-11, 10-10 UFC) vs. Matt Brown (23-19, 16-13 UFC)ODDS: McGee (-205), Brown (+175)
Seasoned vets go to war in what is somehow a first-time pairing. Brown’s UFC tenure got off to a rocky start until a 2012 win over Chris Cope started a career-defining run that saw “The Immortal” become a fringe title contender and one of the sport’s most beloved purveyors of violence. A 2014 victory over Erick Silva was the highlight and the capper of Brown’s seven-fight winning streak. Headlining what was essentially a hometown card in Cincinnati, Brown came back from the brink of defeat to stage a comeback and earn a third-round finish. Brown’s next fight was a loss to Robbie Lawler that essentially closed his championship window and led to a slide that saw him put in some solid performances but earn few victories. When Brown announced his retirement after a 2017 destruction of Diego Sanchez, the timing felt about right. However, Brown was back in the cage about two years later, earning a win over Ben Saunders and kicking off a late-career run that has been solid, all things considered. Brown has still struggled to get into the win column more often than not, and age has left him with about one round worth of hard offense. With that said, he is a dangerous man when given the opportunity and tough as nails. He knocked out Dhiego Lima two fights ago, and his last appearance was an all-out war against Bryan Barberena. This time around, Brown draws someone close to his age bracket in McGee, who is in the rare spot of having to prove some things after years of consistency. “The Ultimate Fighter 11” winner has been a reliable fan favorite thanks to his openness about struggling with addiction and using his platform to help others. Inside the cage, McGee has been the textbook definition of solid but unspectacular. Fundamentally sound and historically durable, McGee plugs away for 15 minutes and rarely gets blown out, as only two of his fights in the last decade have failed to reach the final horn. The the worry is that one of those fights was his most recent. McGee was riding a bit of a renaissance with a winning streak heading into his bout against Jeremiah Wells in June, only to get obliterated by his counterpart’s knockout power in 94 seconds. Admittedly, Wells has a rare level of power, but it was still a concerning sign for someone so reliant on his toughness to make his game work. The bet is that McGee’s chin is still strong enough to survive whatever bursts of offense Brown brings to the table, and from there, “The Crusher” should be able to win a bit of a grind. The pick is McGee via decision.
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McGee vs. Brown
Williams vs. Sherman
Stamann vs. Silva de Andrade
Levy vs. Rodriguez
Kim vs. Bohm
Green vs. Battle
Clark vs. Lisboa