Twas the weekend before Christmas, and all through the UFC "house," not a creature was stirring, not even Mighty Mouse. Except, of course, for the boatload of fighters heading down to Brazil for UFC Fight Night 58, otherwise known as UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway. The event airs live Saturday from Barueri, Brazil, and will be the final UFC event of 2014 (UFC 182 airs January 3rd). The UFC entered December with a bang, and they're looking to ride that high right into next month. Is Machida vs. Dollaway the event to do it with? On paper, maybe. It's a bit of a mixed bag, and coming off a strong pair of events last weekend (The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale, and UFC on Fox 13), it probably can't top the month's earlier events. That said, there's a strong main and co-main event here, and a couple of key fights. Even the undercard, for a change, is more than just Brazilian locals getting inserted into higher than usual fight slots. Tim Means, Igor Pokrajac, and 13th ranked featherweight Darren Elkins (taking on Hacran Dias) turn up on the preliminary card, and while they're not huge stars, they're recognizable names in the MMA world. Our concern, mind you, is the main card. Six fights go down as part of the main portion of the even, capped off with the return of former light heavyweight champion and middleweight contender Lyoto Machida. "The Dragon" is at a crossroads in his career, having lost a five round decision against Chris Weidman in Weidman's first title fight not involving Anderson Silva. It was a great fight, a close fight, but Machida just couldn't get past the American. Another shot could be within reach if Machida really works his way up, but there has been a lot of movement in the division, so it will take some convincing wins. Speaking of title shots, in the co-main event, former bantamweight champion Renan Barao makes his return after suffering a freak weight cut injury that almost destroyed the UFC 177 card, taking on Canada's Mitch Gagnon in a clear mismatch. We'll cover that and more - here are six main card predictions for UFC Fight Night 58!
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
