There are two bouts on Friday’s UFC Fight Night card where both participants are ranked in the Top 15 in their division.
The first, as you would expect, is the main event pairing between Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Gegard Mousasi, who sit at No. 4 and No. 7, respectively, at middleweight. Both were champions during their time competing under the Strikeforce banner and have positioned themselves within arm’s reach of Chris Weidman and the top of the 185-pound weight class, with the winner moving one step closer to challenging for the title.
The second, however, happens to be flying under the radar.
While the return of Alistair Overeem, a lightweight tilt between Joe Lauzon and Michael Chiesa, and a heavyweight measuring stick match between Derrick Lewis and Matt Matrione round out the fight poster, it’s the matchup between lightweight-rivals-turned-featherweight-contenders Nik Lentz and Charles Oliveira that clocks in as the second matchup between ranked fighters.
A former wrestler at the University of Minnesota, Lentz has gone 4-1 since dropping down to the 145-pound ranks, collecting victories over the likes of Diego Nunes, Hacran Dias and Manny Gamburyan, with his lone setback coming against former and upcoming title challenger Chad Mendes. Now based out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla., “The Carny” is currently ranked No. 8 in the division and is one of the most undervalued veterans on the UFC roster.
Still a few months away from celebrating his 25th birthday, Oliveira is already on the second chapter of his UFC career.
After starting with a flash as a fresh-faced lightweight, the Brazilian prospect dropped to featherweight and started working his way up the ladder, only to encounter Top 5 contenders Cub Swanson and Frankie Edgar in back-to-back appearances. After rebounding from those losses he’s now riding a two-fight winning streak — both of which came with Performance of the Night bonuses — and Oliveira is once again on the rise, checking in at No. 14 in the rankings and continuing to show improvements with each outing.
From both a competitive and stylistic perspective, this is an intriguing fight.
Lentz is a grimy, suffocating grappler that has shown improvements with his hands since moving down in weight, while Oliveira remains a bundle of energy and offence, pressing forward at all times and chaining together strikes and submission attempts in rapid-fire, five-minute bursts. With both fighters looking to continue their progress up the rankings, this becomes a pivotal pairing that hinges on which one is able to better implement their game plan once the Octagon door closes.
What elevates (or should elevate) the interest in this fight to another level is that Lentz and Oliveira have history — a bitter, heated history that tracks back to their first meeting in June 2011 when both were trying to make waves in the lightweight division.
Lentz was riding a six-fight unbeaten streak in the UFC, was unbeaten in 14 straight overall, and sporting a 21-3-2 record at the time, but he couldn’t buy a main card appearance if he wanted to. Oliveira was coming off the first loss of his career — a “too much, too fast” pairing against Jim Miller that resulted in a first-round submission loss.
After an action-packed first round, the pace remained fast and furious in the second until Oliveira blasted Lentz with a knee that was clearly illegal. Oddly, the fight continued and the Brazilian quickly capitalized, transitioning to the back to lock up a rear-naked choke.
Oliveira was elated. Lentz was livid.
The bout was reviewed and ultimately deemed a no contest as a result of the illegal knee, but having the loss expunged from his record was only a Pyrrhic victory for Lentz. He has wanted a second chance at Oliveira since the second their first fight ended and now the time has come.
Hopefully, having fans fired up for this week’s rare Friday night event will result in plenty of eyes tuning in and catching what should be an exciting and competitive contest between these two featherweight hopefuls. In a division where a new fighter makes a move up the rankings or turns in a stellar performance seemingly every event, it’s imperative for Lentz and Oliveira to continue their winning ways and keep impressing if they’re keen on breaking into the upper echelon of the 145-pound weight class.
With Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor set to do battle later in the month, Ricardo Lamas and Dennis Bermudez positioned to face each other at UFC 180 in Mexico, and Frankie Edgar and Cub Swanson likely headed into the Octagon against one another later this year, you’ve got six of the top contenders in the division set to compete before the year is out, meaning this is the one and only chance Lentz and Oliveira have of making an impression and avoiding being lost in the shuffle as those other fights unfold.
Given the state of the division, their place in the rankings and their positioning under the radar on this fight card, don’t be surprised if Lentz and Oliveira combine to light the Octagon on fire Friday night at Foxwoods.