Five Crucial Reasons To Watch UFC 198

What started out as a mere Fight Night card is now a massive PPV event that has the potential to be one of the biggest of the year. UFC 198 takes place live from Curitiba, Brazil, tonight (Sat., May 14, 2016) at the Arena de Baixada in the first soccer stadium event in UFC history.

The card features huge Brazilian names and legends such as Vitor Belfort, Shogun Rua, Demian Maia, and the UFC debut of Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino. The colossal Brazil event is headlined by a championship bout between current heavyweight king Fabricio Werdum, and top contender Stipe Miocic.

With all that being said, let’s take a look at the five crucial reasons you should watch UFC 198…

5. Can Maia Continue His Reign Of Dominance?

Arguably the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner in the sport today, Demian Maia returns to his home country of Brazil to take on fellow top-ten ranked welterweight Matt Brown.

Maia (22-6) has been on a dominating tare as of late, as the Brazilian rides an eyebrow raising four fight win streak.

In his last four fights Maia has handed the former undefeated welterweight prospect Ryan LaFlare his first professional loss, suffocated No. 7-ranked Neil Magny to a submission victory, and completely dominated fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Gunnar Nelson.

Now the No. 6-ranked welterweight looks to continue his obliteration of the 170-pound division by defeating ‘The Immortal’ Matt Brown.

Brown (20-13) has gone the distance with two of the best 170-pounders on the planet in Johnny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler, and is coming off a first round submission victory over Tim Means at UFC 189.

Currently the No. 8-ranked welterweight in the UFC, Brown looks to muster up a win streak of his own when he collides with one of the greatest Brazilian jiu-jitsu legends of our time.

4. Will Shogun Return To Form?

Losing three of his last five bouts, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua is looking to get back on track coming off of his unanimous decision victory over Antonio Nogueira at UFC 190.

”Shogun’ (23-10) has been a shell of his former self after being finished by the likes of Chael Sonnen, Dan Henderson, and Ovince Saint Preux over the span of the last three years.

Rua clashed with an equally declining Nogueira at UFC 190 where he was able to cruise to a unanimous decision victory, his first in nearly two years. Now Rua looks to make a habit of winning when he meets the up and coming Corey Anderson.

Anderson (8-1) is a former winner of The Ultimate Fighter 19 (TUF 19) and is riding a three fight win streak heading into his bout with ‘Shogun’.

Coming off of a unanimous decision victory over Tom Lawlor at UFC 196, Anderson is looking to climb the 205-pound rankings when he takes on the No. 8-ranked ‘Shogun’, a huge step up in competition for the young American.

3. Can Cyborg Live Up To The Hype?

Finally. That’s the word fight fans are using to describe Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino’s long awaited UFC debut after dominating the competition she has faced during her stints in Strikeforce and Invicta FC.

‘Cyborg’ (15-1-1) is the current reigning Invicta FC featherweight champion and is coming off a successful title defense in which she KO’d challenger Daria Ibragimova with two seconds to spare in the first round.

Now Justino makes her long overdue UFC debut in a catchweight bout of 140 pounds, since the UFC doesn’t currently have a women’s featherweight division, against challenger Leslie Smith.

Smith (8-6-1) comes off of a unanimous decision victory over Rin Nakai late this past March in Brisbane. Smith took the fight against ‘Cyborg’ when many others refused the bout to welcome the Brazilian to the UFC at the catchweight of 140 pounds.

A win over Justino would do wonders for Smith’s career, while a victory for ‘Cyborg’ under the UFC banner will officially announce her arrival to the big leagues to the entire MMA world.

2. Who Will Emerge As The Top Middleweight Contender?

In our co-main event of the evening two of the baddest men on the planet at 185 pounds are set to throw down, as hometown boys Vitor Belfort and Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza look to make a case for title contention with a huge win in Curitiba.

Belfort (25-11) is coming off of a first round finish over Dan Henderson in November, after suffering a first round loss to former champion Chris Weidman in his title bout at UFC 187.

Before challenging Weidman last May, Belfort was riding high on a three fight win streak over the likes of Michael Bisping, Dan Henderson, and current middleweight champ Luke Rockhold. Belfort looks to get back in the Octagon and challenge for the title, but first he needs to get past the dangerous ‘Jacare’ Souza.

Souza (22-4-1) comes off of an upsetting split decision loss to Yoel Romero back in December at UFC 194. Prior to his loss Souza, the now No. 2-ranked middleweight in the UFC, had amassed an impressive eight fight win streak over a span of three years that dated back to his days in Strikeforce.

Now ‘Jacare’ looks to capitalize on his impressive record, that includes 7 finishes out of his last nine bouts, and secure a victory over the No. 3-ranked Belfort for an opportunity at the title.

He has no small task ahead of him however, as the revitalized Belfort is full of confidence and looks to capture the middleweight title he let slip through his grasp almost a year ago.

1. Can Werdum Survive The Onslaught That Is Stipe Miocic?

In our colossal main event of the night, UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum looks to make his first title defense, against a very game Stipe Miocic, who will look to pull of an upset in enemy territory.

Werdum (20-5-1) has rejuvenated himself since his first stint it the UFC, amassing an impressive six-fight win streak in which he finished four of those opponents.

One of those opponents included his most recent victory where he captured the heavyweight crown versus Cain Velasquez, whom he submitted at last year’s UFC 188 in Mexico.

Werdum is one of the most dangerous fighters on the ground in the heavyweight division, and has made huge strides in his stand-up game under Kings MMA head coach Rafael Cordeiro.

The champion is in for a huge test however, when he takes on No. 3-ranked heavyweight challenger Miocic.

Miocic (14-2) has looked scary as of late after demolishing Mark Hunt in his home country of Australia and obliterating No. 6-ranked Andrei Arlovski in a matter of 54 seconds at UFC 195 this January.

Now Miocic heads into the biggest fight of his career, where he has the opportunity to capture the title of ‘baddest man on the planet’ if he can get past the Brazilian heavyweight king.

This bout is sure to deliver a ton of action-packed striking, and a test for the surging heavyweight if Werdum looks to take the fight to the ground. Will Miocic provide the world with an upset by defeating Werdum in his home country of Brazil?