Roundtables
ROUNDTABLE: Which fights stand out on the undercard of Saturday's UFC 190 event?
Jul 30, 2015 - 7:20:28 PM ROUNDTABLE: Which fights stand out on the undercard of Saturday's UFC 190 event?

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Which fights stand out on the UFC 190 undercard? Is the strength of the undercard important with Ronda Rousey on top of the card?


MICHAEL BANE, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

The card brings a lot of Brazilian name value, even if it is more for nostalgia's sake as opposed to the fighters being top contenders at this stage of their careers. I'll gladly watch Shogun vs. Lil' Nog, Struve vs. Big Nog, and Bigfoot vs. Soa Palelei. It's not really because I expect any of them to ever come close to championship contention (despite what Rua said after his last loss), but because I've enjoyed watching them compete over the years and that interest will always be there. Also, when faced with the choice between watching them or fighters I've never heard of, my interest tends to gravitate toward people I've made a point to see fight in the past.

While the above referenced fights have been mentioned mostly for entertainment value, Claudia Gadelha vs. Jessica Aguilar is the one to which I'll be paying the most attention. The winner of this bout could be the next challenger for Joanna Jedrzejczyk's Strawweight Title, and with two top strawweights throwing down, it will be interesting to analyze their style's to see how they match up with Joanna Champion. Gadelha already fought the champ, losing a somewhat controversial split decision (many felt she won) in December of 2014, but after seeing Jedrzejczyk decimate Carla Esparza and Jessica Penne I'll be looking for marked improvement or domination from Gadelha to feel good about her chances in a title fight. Aguilar is being thrown into the deep end right away, and we should see where the former World Series of Fighting Champ stands in the division after Saturday.

The strength of the undercard is always going to be something of a factor, but outside of two equally sized draws on the same card, 90% of the people who buy the pay-per-view are buying for the main event. That number may even be higher for UFC 190. Rousey is a solid draw for the UFC, and she's only been gaining momentum. While this is hardly going to be the biggest sell of the year for the UFC, it's going to outsell the pay-per-view immediately following where Demetrious Johnson takes on John Dodson. The names on this card are mostly to encourage local attendance and bring a hot crowd. Expect UFC 190 to bring between 300k - 400k buys, a good number for an international card. Pumping up the undercard, outside of another fighter who could reasonably headline his or her own show, wouldn't do much to change that.


DAN MOORE, MMATORCH UK COLUMNIST

Fans look at the UFC 189 card, then look at this card, and they walk away disappointed. UFC 190 was always going to look bad in comparison, even with Ronda Rousey as the headliner. My only moan would have been the amount of fights (that's a very late finish in England), but I'm away in Estonia this weekend, so at least I'll have the option of a fast forward button when I get around to watching it.

I'm looking forward to seeing how Neil Magny fairs against someone as good as Demian Maia. Magny has a huge size and reach advantage, but Maia's striking is vastly improved and will easily be Magny's biggest test to date. Claudia Gadelha vs. Jessica Aguilar will be hugely entertaining and the winner rightly deserving of a title shot. Throw in the heavyweights on this card who should produce a couple of quick and savage finishes and you've got yourself a very decent night of fights.


FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

There's some interesting fights on the card, like Mauricio Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Stefen Struve vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Antonio Silva vs Soa Palelei, but Claudia Gadelha vs. Jessica Aguilar and Demian Maia vs. Neil Magny are the standouts. I think Magny pulls off the upset over Maia by decision and Gadelha beats Aguilar by submission.

The undercard does matter, but it's a chance for the UFC to put fighters on there that need a little attenton bump. What they should avoid, though, is making Rousey cards a one-fight card. That's a ticket to disaster. They can experiment with putting different types of fights on there, but even Rousey needs a solid undercard under her. You don't want to take a chance of not drawing in as many fans as possible, or even worse, Rousey getting hurt and having to cancel the whole card.


DAYNE FOX, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

The two fights that catch my eye are Claudia Gadehla vs. Jessica Aguilar and Demian Maia vs. Neil Magny, as they have the most implications outside of the main event. The winner of Gadelha and Aguilar will get a crack at Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the strawweight belt. I question whether or not their style will make for a fun fight, but I'm still intrigued to know who is the better fighter. Maia's days as a contender are long gone, but he is still a solid gatekeeper and will be a great litmus test to see whether or not Magny is ready or able to challenge those above Maia. It was easy to forget how raw Magny was when he first came into the UFC, but he really does have an incredibly rare physical skill set that could make him a viable contender.