UFC Fight Night: Bader vs. St. Preux - The Idiot's Guide to the Fox Sports 2 Preliminary Card

Long time no preview! How's life been treating you buddy?

Well, I went to New Orleans for one of my best friend's wedding, and even had the pleasure of giving a best man speech. Needless to say, I was thankful there was no UFC last weekend otherwise I'd be blogging in the comments section of yahoo.com.

But you didn't miss that epic press conference between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier right?

I used to defend Jones, and still feel like the early skepticism of Jones was fueled by sentiments more deep seated than simply "dude's a fake". That skepticism has been validated only post hoc, in my opinion. I don't care whether or not Jones has "turned heel", or taken nonsensical cues from the Vince McMahon universe. But there's something far more illuminating going on with Jon Jones, the individual, that a thousand scripted Chael Sonnen promos can't touch. These men aren't charlatans of spectacle like Sonnen; they're harbingers of it. For better or for worse.

I'm not a huge fan of it, but there's a sincerity to it all that can't leave you indifferent.

Well, a far cry from all of the legitimate ugliness elsewhere at least.

Pretty sobering week. Robin Williams is dead, and John Koppenhaver and Josh Grispi have become symbols of depravity. The two stories have really struck a cord with me. Not because I can relate, or even that I know someone who has been in a similar situation, but because the people I love, and know could just as easily be the victims of a crime so heinous.

I like to remind myself of George Saunders' heartfelt story about a girl from seventh grade who others made fun of. Though he never contributed to the teasing of this hair chewing young pariah, it should have never been enough to simply defend her against others, but to show her warmth, and not regret failures of kindness. We tend to value moral behavior according to what we fail to do (striking a woman, saying something prejudice, etc) rather than what we actively do (give your mom a card, donate blood, etc) that certain stories leave us with a kind of indifference that simply shouldn't exist to begin with. Hence a simpleton like Ken Pavia going on Twitter, and defending "War Machine".

Not a big undercard, but at least Sara McMann is on it. Must be strange to headline a PPV one day, and get stuck on Fox Sports 34543 the next at 6 in the evening.

Performances.

I was high on McMann's chances against Rousey. Despite the crappy stoppage, it's hard to imagine it going any other way given Rousey's continued evolution.  Rousey is the great white in a flounder pond. And she's doing it all while acting (if we're being really generous to the word involving a role in which she laments the presence of "...men..." after every scuffle) in fluff like The Expendables.

You don't like the Expendables?! What kind of action movie fan are you?

Listen. I still geeked out to a post-cocaine Van Damme vs. post-Rocky 6 Stallone in the sequel. And that's despite how comically dreadful the choreography was in that scene.

We're off topic.

I know.

So like I was saying, McMann is in an interesting spot. The division is thin enough that she could theoretically win two fights, and be back in contention depending on who her opponents are. I feel like McMann still has a lot to offer the women's division. Not just because it's a thin division, but because she still has that unique skill set.

She's in an interesting fight, taking on the undefeated Lauren Murphy. The 31 year old from Alaska has a lot of wins by TKO/KO, but she won't score one here. She's a decent fighter, but despite her resume, not what you'd call a striking specialist. She keeps her distance with pretty good back and forth movement, but doesn't really open up with punches until her opponent is on the ground. I'd actually argue that McMann is a better boxer, even if she doesn't have Murphy's raw power. Still, expect McMann to get it down, and get it done.

It's Fun Size!

Yep. Zack Makovksy vs. Jussier Formiga at Flyweight is as good as it gets when it comes to undercard fireworks. One of the things we haven't had in awhile is a good ole' fashioned Sakuraba vs. Newton grappling war. This fight could potentially deliver on the now once-in-a-lifetime grapplefest that we don't get to see more of.

Makovsky is an entertaining fighter who is finally getting his dues after a Bellator career that I think garnered him the stigma of being a Bellator cup holder type. But I also feel like this is a decent matchup for Formiga, who everyone also continues to underestimate. His only three losses are to Ian McCall, John Dodson, and Jospeh Benavidez for christ sake.

It's a close, competitive fight, and one that will set neither man back. The problem for both is that in a thin division, one loss doesn't mean you get a guy fresh off the cabbage truck with a 4-0 record next time out. It means you could still fight a top 10 fighter because the pickings are slim.

There are other fighters on this card.

Crap! I'm late to my dentist appointment!