UFC on Fox 9 had been hyped as one of the best cards on paper for the past few months. Unfortunately for everyone, this card has gone through a 2012 like implosion. We’ve seen both Anthony Pettis versus Josh Thomson and Carlos Condit versus Matt Brown be removed from the card, due to injuries to both Pettis and Brown. Those were two fights that people were ecstatic for, particularly Condit-Brown.

This is still one of the best free cards on paper, but it has taken a significant hit. The Sacramento crowd should still be rowdy, since this card is being taken over by team Alpha Male. Benavidez, Faber, Mendes, and Danny Castillo will all be fighting on this card. It’ll be nice to see the “coach of the year” Duane Ludwig make plenty of appearances on camera for the event.

The reason why this is still one of the best free cards is because the top two fights feature the best against the best as it should be. Joseph Benavidez has been a man on a mission, since losing by split decision to Demetrious Johnson at UFC 152. Michael McDonald is one of the fastest rising stars in the UFC and has been a standout in the bantamweight division. He deserves to be in a big fight against Urijah Faber, who has also been a man on a mission since losing to Renan Barao at UFC 149. I’m joined by Suraj Sukumar, who is making his debut for this column.

Five questions for UFC on Fox 9

1. Which preliminary fight are you looking forward to the most?

Strk: Bobby Green versus Pat Healy is my choice, although there were plenty of good fights to choose from. If Kelvin Gastelum didn’t get injured, then I would have chosen his fight against Court McGee. It has been an odd year for Pat Healy, who seemed to be riding a lot of momentum after his win over Jim Miller, which was considered to be a major upset. Then he failed the post-fight drug test and was soundly defeated in his last fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov. Now he has to face an explosive up and comer in Bobby Green, who has nothing to lose.

Green just fought last November and is a last minute replacement for Jamie Varner, so there is a story behind this fight. Can Healy use his superior grappling skills to smother Green, before setting up a choke or ground and pound. He should be able to, but he needs to be wary of Green’s speed. The issue with Healy is that he’s one of the slower lightweights. That is one of the main reasons why Nurmagomedov had his way with him. It should be an exciting back and forth fight that should set the tone for an excellent batch of preliminary fights.

Sukumar: It has to be the Danny Castillo-Edson Barboza fight. I think this brings a matchup between good past and future type fighters. Castillo has fought some of the best competition back in the WEC days and has been in the octagon with some UFC greats like Joe Stevenson. Nevertheless, Barboza has been terrorizing the undercards for sometime, and after only losing to Jamie Varner, he will likely continue to do so as me makes his way on to the main card.

2. Who would you give the advantage to on the ground between Joe Lauzon and Matt Danzig?

Strk: I’d give the slight edge to Lauzon. Danzig is no slouch on the ground and can hold his own, if he were on the bottom. Lauzon is the better grappler and has more tools on the ground than Danzig. We’ve seen him submit the likes of Gabe Ruediger and Jeremy Stephens, who were both black belts in BJJ. That is an impressive resume, especially when you look at the variety of submissions from arm-bars to triangle chokes.

The best game plan for Danzig is to keep the fight standing and use his kickboxing, along with his agility. We saw seen in the past that Lauzon struggles against faster lightweights. Danzig can get a bit wild, but that is his best shot to win and secure his spot in the UFC. This is a do or die fight for him, considering he’s already gone through one three fight losing streak. Lauzon has the advantage on the ground, although Danzig is more than capable of winning especially if he keeps the fight standing.

Sukumar: This should be an interesting fight with two fighters that have lost their last two fights. No matter what, it would be interesting to see what Dana White does if Lauzon loses, I really don’t see him going anywhere, he deserves to be in there for what he does for the company and the fans. With that said, I really think Lauzon has the advantage and will get back to his winning ways. He’s fought a who’s who of MMA fighters and should be able to get on the right track against Danzig, a fighter who has yet to find consistent success in the UFC, and has not been able to beat higher-end competition.

3. Do you see Nik Lentz having any chance against Chad Mendes? It seems odd that Mendes continues to be matched up against opponents, who aren’t on his level.

Strk: I’ve tried to find ways, where Lentz can win this fight and there isn’t any way possible besides a flash knockout. His best chance to win would be by making this fight as slow as possible. He’ll likely get booed for it, but he needs to make the fight ugly by grappling and constantly being in the better position. That’s a tall order against a wrestler of Mendes’ caliber. If you get into a brawl with Mendes, you’ll more than likely get knocked out. No featherweight has more power in his punches than Mendes.

Lentz will likely seem out of his element, due to the match matching being odd. Why Mendes wasn’t matched up against Cub Swanson for a number one contender fight is beyond me. This seems to be just another featherweight that he’s going to knock out and add to his resume. Unless Lentz holds him against the cage and lands some strikes in the clinch, this fight will likely be the most one-sided bout on the main card in favor of Mendes.

Sukumar: No, I really don’t. I think Mendes keeps destroying the competition and there’s only so many opponents you can give him till he has to fight the same fighters at the top. My best guess is they’re trying to make sure that he’s the real deal before giving him another title shot. It seems like he’s proving that with every victory.

4. Will Michael McDonald be the first fighter ever to submit Urijah Faber?

Strk: This is the perfect opportunity for McDonald, since he is clearly in the upper echelon of the bantamweight division. That being said, this is a bad matchup for him. Faber has excellent cardio, not to mention he’s so fundamentally sound in his wrestling and on the ground. Even during the wildest sprawls, he will usually end up having top position. Then when he has that position, he’ll be relentless and start throwing elbows at will. That could very well lead to getting his opponent’s back, which allows Faber to attempt his signature rear naked choke.

McDonald has shown how good he is off his back, but Faber is too good to get caught like Brad Pickett did. He is much stronger than anyone that McDonald has ever faced. Unless McDonald lands a flash knockout, I can’t see Faber losing this one. He will impose his will and overwhelm him through all three rounds. You can complain about the title shots he has received, but he truly deserves one if he wins on Saturday.

Sukumar: Doubtful. I don’t believe McDonald has fought the very best fighters just yet. He beat Brad Pickett after losing to Renan Barao, which is a step in the right direction, but is definitely no Urijah Faber. Faber is one of the those fighters that is either a champion, or a really high gatekeeper. I think McDonald will have his hands full with the elusive California Kid.

5. For the first time in quite some time, there is major buzz about a flyweight fight. Do you believe that Demetrius Johnson is as indestructible as some people make him out to be?

Strk: I’m not going to completely discount Johnson’s success as champion. He has continued to evolve as a fighter by showing improvements in his striking and not leaning on his wrestling as much as he used to. That being said, I’ve never really bought into Johnson being that dominant of a fighter. Both John Dodson and John Moraga had their moments, where they clipped him and could have finished the fight. He tends to leave his chin out at times.

Joseph Benavidez doesn’t get enough credit for what he has accomplished in his career. Ever since he lost to Johnson, he’s been on an absolute tear. Not only his striking, but also his timing has improved dramatically with the help of Duane Ludwig. He’s always been a great wrestler, which makes this fight so intriguing. They match up so well and I’m happy that title fights are starting to feature the true number one contender. Johnson’s agility, wrestling, and being so well rounded have made him into a great champion. It hasn’t made him indestructible though.

Sukumar: Similar to GSP, he has figured out ways to dominate the competition at his weight class. As it stands, some fighters have come close, but Johnson really has found ways of winning rounds. I actually think Benavidez is a great fighter and stands a chance against Mighty Mouse. That being said, I also believe it will take a whole lot of speed, patience, and technique to overthrow the current champ.

You can follow us on @Allen_Strk & @Sukumar_S87