With the recent addition of the WEC roster, the UFC now has stacked Pay-Per-View cards from top-to-bottom.
That includes the prelims, which now typically includes a few fights that are worthy of being on the PPV broadcast, but don’t quite make the cut.
At UFC 130, to top bantamweights collide as Miguel Torres (39-3) faces Demetrious Johnson (8-1). The winner of this fight immediately jumps into the top-5 contender status. Torres may already be there and there are plenty of exciting fights for him. Johnson is on the rise after beating “Kid” Yamamoto in his UFC debut back at UFC 126. Torres is now training at Tri-Star Gym in Montreal and his style has changed. He isn’t quite the reckless fighter he was before, but now he is taking criticism for being too cautious. Johnson will look to get inside the long reach of Torres and score takedowns to work his way for a victory on the ground.
Another featured prelim is a middleweight contest between Kendall Grove (12-8) and Tim Boetsch (12-4). Boetsch is making his middleweight debut and both fighters may need a win in order to keep a job in the UFC. Boetsch will come in looking to strike with his powerful fists while Grove will look to get the fight to the ground or in the clinch where he can use his knees. The big question for this fight will be Boetsch ability to not get winded against Grove, who pushes a fast pace.
Other bouts on the prelim card include Renan Barao vs. Cole Escovedo in a bantamweight contest, Chris Cariaso vs. Michael McDonald in a bantamweight fight, and Gleison Tibau vs. Rafaello Oliveira in a lightweight clash.
