Here, you will find my “Super 8” fight ratings for UFC 212. Every UFC card is a mixed bag, and often the highlights are sprinkled throughout the entire lineup. However, fight night is always full of distractions for the home viewer. You know how it is: You need to make a beer run, pay the pizza delivery guy or head to the bathroom every half hour. In order to time your intermissions wisely, please consult this helpful list, wherein I have ranked the top eight fights -- the Octagon has eight sides, of course -- on the card from most promising to least, based on relevance, style matchup and the promise of action:
This is an obvious choice, but there is no other choice to make. Aldo and Holloway make for a fascinating style matchup, and this fight means a lot. With young Holloway getting more and more comfortable on the mic, a win over Aldo would make him one of the most compelling champions in the UFC -- with the right to boast that he beat the greatest featherweight of all-time, to boot. For Aldo, a win over Holloway would further cement his titanic legacy. It will be technical. It will be fun. Watch it.
2. Raphael Assuncao vs. Marlon Moraes
Like the main event, this matchup promises a healthy blend of action and technique. Moraes has been one of the best bantamweights outside the UFC for years now, and Assuncao has been one of the best bantamweights in the UFC for just as long. Two kickboxers with knockout power and the skill to make it count: What’s not to like?
3. Claudia Gadelha vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Given Gadelha’s athletic and technical advantages, this one does have a chance to be fairly one-sided. Even so, Kowalkiewicz is ferocious. She does not get tired; she does not get hurt; and when the momentum shifts in her favor, only the very best in the world -- namely, Joanna Jedrzejczyk -- can stop the snowball before it turns into an avalanche. Even if Gadelha wins the first two rounds comfortably, Kowalkiewicz is likely to make the third round a memorable one.
4. Vitor Belfort vs. Nate Marquardt
Weak chins and heavy hands mean someone is getting knocked out in this one. The fighting equivalents of gray-haired old men, Belfort and Marquardt are still performing admirably, even in many of their losses. Two crafty veterans with fight-ending power will make for a tense matchup and a sudden ending that you absolutely will see coming. Plus, this is Belfort’s retirement fight. Perhaps the old man goes out on top.
5. Paulo Henrique Costa vs. Oluwale Bamgbose
Bamgbose is an awkward knockout artist. “Borrachinha” is a stylish one. More importantly, both men love to get in the faces of their opponents and slug it out. The fight does not mean much, which is why it is not ranked any higher, but if this scrap does not end in a finish, then we are officially living in a cold and uncaring universe. For the sake of our existential wellbeing, this one better be a war.
6. Erick Silva vs. Yancy Medeiros
Silva has always been an exciting fighter, but there is something particularly compelling about this older, wiser version. The chin is going, for sure, but Silva continues to tighten up his technique to compensate. He will do his best to be crafty while still delivering the punishing blows for which he is known; and Medeiros is mean enough not to let him.
7. Marco Beltran vs Deiveson Alcantara Figueiredo
If I trusted either of these fellows just a little more, this one would be higher up on the list. Beltran has had nothing but fast-paced, back-and-forth fights in the UFC; and if you do not know Figueiredo, you owe it to yourself to check out his fight with Denis Araujo from Jungle Fight 90. Simply put, the man comes to scrap. The battle for distance, with Beltran trying to move and counter and Alcantara trying to close the gap, should be quite compelling.
8. Johnny Eduardo vs. Matthew Lopez
Eduardo is not known for his exciting fights. A counterstriker with imperturbable patience, he likes to let his opponents lead. When they do, however, he is quick to respond with swift combinations and crushing low kicks. Good news: Lopez will lead, and he will do it often. Even a more disciplined Lopez is not a particularly patient fighter, and it may just take one clean shot for him to pour on the offense. Essentially, we have an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. The collision should be messy.
Connor Ruebusch is an analyst of striking and boxing technique for Sherdog.com, as well as BloodyElbow.com and BadLeftHook.com. He has written hundreds of articles examining fighting form and strategy, and he is not done yet. Every Wednesday he talks about the finer points of face-punching on his podcast Heavy Hands. Though he dabbles in fantasy MMA, he is not a regular gambler, nor is he an expert in the field. If you use these predictions as a betting guide, please do so in combination with your own best judgment and a healthy pinch of salt. It is your money.