UFC

UFC 219: Two Former Champions added to the Card

by Stephen Blackman

The UFC has added two former champions to the upcoming Dec. 30 card in Las Vegas.

Yesterday, the UFC made a barrage of fight announcements, including two major bouts scheduled for UFC 219 on December 30th, 2017 in Las Vegas. With lots of rumours swirling about who the headliner for this event will be, these announcements are setting the bar extremely high.

In an incredible bantamweight match-up that is screaming potential “fight of the night”, former champion and current No.1 Contender Dominick Cruz will take on No.3 contender Jimmie “El Terror” Rivera. Additionally, the No.7 women’s strawweight contender Cynthia Calvillo will fight to keep her undefeated streak alive against No.8 contender Carla Esparza.

We last saw Dominick Cruz in the Octagon on December 30th, 2016 when he was dethroned in spectacular fashion by now-champion Cody “No Love” Garbrandt. He will look to rebound against a fighter who has seemingly been unstoppable in recent times, Jimmie Rivera. Undefeated in the UFC, Rivera’s last fight at UFC on FOX 25 against Thomas Almeida was a 3-round battle with both fighters scoring knockdowns in the first two rounds. Ultimately, Rivera was able to keep up the pressure on Almeida through the third round and earned himself a hard fought decision.

In the other match-up, Cynthia Calvillo will look to extend her 6-fight professional win streak against former Invicta champion and constant contender Carla Esparza. In Calvillo’s last outing in the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 113, she edged out a decision against Joanne Calderwood. She will be facing a much more experienced and seasoned fighter in Esparza when they meet at UFC 219.

Esparza is coming off of a victory against Maryna Moroz at Fight Night 112 and boasts victories over top contenders such as Rose Namajunas, Bec Rawlings, and Felice Herrig.

Additionally, she is no stranger to fighting against undefeated fighters, as she was dispatched in the second round in the first-ever women’s strawweight title fight against Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 185.

With only three fights announced so far for the card, it’s safe to assume more incredible match-ups will be added in the near future. However, fans should already be excited for this card with the addition of these two highly-anticipated bouts.