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UFC FIGHT NIGHT 59 PREVIEW & PREDICTIONS

By David Tees on 1/17/2015 10:29 PM

In a rare move by the UFC, the world’s biggest MMA organization will be holding an event on a Sunday Night. The event will be headlined by a clash of top ten featherweights as Conor McGregor returns to Boston to fight Dennis Siver. The co-main event could be a “fight of the year” candidate as Ben Henderson faces Donald Cerrone for a third time. Also, TUF alumni Uriah Hall and Norman Parke compete, both against a pair of replacement opponents.

Main Card

Main Event

UFC Featherweight Division Fight

“Notorious” Conor McGregor (16-2-0) vs. Dennis Siver (22-9-0-1NC)

McGregor has been just devouring people in the UFC, earning victories over Marcus Brimage, Max Holloway, Diego Brandao and Dustin Poirier. Siver has only competed once in the last year after a failed drug test in 2013, that lone fight was a win over Charles Rosa at UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Story. McGregor’s last defeat came well over four years ago to the recently signed Joseph Duffy at Cage Warriors 39. Siver, despite being known for his striking skills, actually has more submission finishes than TKO finishes as a pro. Siver’s only shot at winning this fight depends on him getting McGregor to the ground, but McGregor is too good of a striker for that and he will finish Siver with strikes in the first.

Co-Main Event

UFC Lightweight Division Fight

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (26-6-0-1NC) vs. “Smooth” Ben Henderson (21-4-0)

Cerrone fought just over two weeks ago at UFC 182, defeating the previously unbeaten Myles Jury by unanimous decision. Henderson will be returning to the octagon after a TKO loss to Rafael Dos Anjos, which was the first TKO loss in his twenty five fight pro MMA career. Cerrone enters the fight riding a six fight winning streak, which is tied for the second longest winning streak of his career. Henderson has already defeated Cerrone twice, with both of those victories coming under the WEC banner. Henderson recently halted a planned move to welterweight to make one more run at lightweight gold, he uses a fast start to pummel Cerrone from bell to bell to get a decision.

UFC Middleweight Division Fight

Uriah “Primetime” Hall (9-4-0) vs. Ron “The Choir Boy” Stallings (12-6-0-1NC)

Hall will enter this fight riding a two fight winning streak, which includes a win over fellow TUF alumni Chris Leben at UFC 168. Stallings will be making his UFC debut in this fight and he is the third different opponent who was scheduled to fight Hall at this event. Stallings is simply in the octagon because there needed to be a body for Hall to decimate and Hall will TKO Stallings in the first.

UFC Lightweight Division Fight

“Stormin’” Norman Parke (20-2-1) vs. Gleison Tibau (32-10-0)

Parke is currently undefeated in his five fight run in the UFC and he was the winner of the UFC Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes. Tibau has won four of his last five fights under the UFC banner and he enters this fight on a two fight winning streak. Parke is quietly building himself into a contender in the lightweight division and he will use his striking to avoid Tibau’s takedowns to get a decision.

Preliminary Card

Cathal Pendred over Sean Spencer

John Howard over Lorenz Larkin

Zhang Lipeng over Chris Wade

Patrick Holohan over Shane Howell

Johnny Case over Frankie Perez

Sean Soriano over Charles Rosa

Sean O’Connell over Matt Van Buren

Tateki Matsuda over Joby Sanchez