The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Vancouver as UFC Fight Night 158 takes place this Saturday. A number of ranked fighters are competing in the event, so let’s take a look at them and the possible implications their fights could have on the rankings.
In the main event is the extremely fan-friendly lightweight bout between Justin Gaethje and Donald Cerrone. Following two successive knockout defeats, Gaethje (20-2) looks deadlier than ever with two first-round finishes in his last two outings against James Vick and Edson Barboza. One more win against Cerrone could put “The Highlight” in a position to challenge for the title next after Tony Ferguson, or into a money fight with Conor McGregor at the very least. Gaethje is currently rated as the seventh-best lightweight in the world by Sherdog, the fifth-best by ESPN and is No. 5 in the UFC rankings.
Cerrone (36-12, 1 NC) saw his attempts at another lightweight title shot cut short following his doctor stoppage loss to Ferguson at UFC 238 earlier in the summer. However, “Cowboy” certainly looked to be undergoing a career renaissance leading up to that fight with impressive wins over Alexander Hernandez and Al Iaquinta. Because of those victories, Cerrone is still ranked high. Sherdog and ESPN have him as the fourth-best lightweight in the world while he is also the No. 4 contender in the UFC rankings. Like Gaethje, a win for Cerrone could land him the next title shot after Ferguson.
In the co-main event, ranked light heavyweights are in action as Glover Teixeira meets Nikita Krylov. Teixeira (29-7) is on a two-fight winning streak following submission victories over Karl Roberson and Ion Cutelaba this year. However, three losses in his previous five outings before that have seen the Brazilian drop down the ranks. Still, he is rated as the ninth-best light heavyweight in the world by ESPN while he is also No. 9 in the UFC rankings. A third win on the bounce could see Teixeira potentially climb back into title contention.
His opponent in Krylov (25-6) will also be looking to enter title contention. The 27-year-old is coming off a submission win over former title challenger Ovince St. Preux and has won five of his last six bouts. As a result, “The Miner” is ranked No. 13 in the UFC rankings. Victory over Teixiera could see Krylov enter the top 10.
Antonio Carlos Jr. also returns to action as he will look to get back to winning ways against Uriah Hall in their middleweight contest. Carlos Jr. (10-3, 1 NC) suffered his first loss since 2016 when he was outpointed by Ian Heinisch earlier this year. However, he had emerged victorious in his previous five bouts before that setback. Because of that, "Cara de Sapato" is ranked No. 13 in the UFC middleweight rankings.
Hall (14-9) will be looking to make it two wins in a row when he collides with the Brazilian. The former “TUF” combatant bounced back from his TKO defeat to Paulo Costa with a knockout win over Bevon Lewis at UFC 232. A win over Carlos Jr. would not only be the biggest in recent times for “Primetime,” but also potentially enter the No. 12 middleweight in the UFC into the top 10.
Lastly, more light heavyweights are in action as Misha Cirkunov takes on the undefeated Jim Crute. Cirkunov (14-5) is coming off a quick TKO loss against Johnny Walker earlier this year. He has also suffered defeat in three of his last four outings. However, he still remains ranked at No. 15 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings.
That rank will be appealing to Crute (10-0) who will be looking to make it three wins out of three under the promotion’s banner. The Australian debuted with a submission victory over Paul Craig and most recently knocked out Sam Alvey at UFC 234 earlier this year. Cirkunov would undoubtedly be the biggest name on his resume if he gets the win, and also represents a chance to crack the top 15 of the rankings.