The co-main event is the return of former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson as he battles Fabio Maldonado in a catchweight bout set at 215 pounds.
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In other action that features top ranked middleweights, No. 10 ranked Michael Bisping battles No. 11 CB Dollaway.
Coverage begins with three fights on UFC Fight Pass starting at 6:30 p.m. ET, then switches over to Fox Sports 1 at 8 ET and then switches over pay-per-view for main card at 10 ET.
Here are five reasons to watch UFC 186:
The best fighter in the world: Yes, Johnson is headlining is another pay-per-view, which is all we have been hearing in the lead up to UFC 186. How can you not appreciate him? He is ranked No. 3 in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings and the best 125-pound fighter in the world. Johnson has won seven consecutive fights with three of his last four wins by stoppage. People said he was boring, so he changed that perception. All Johnson does is win and will look to continue his dominance against Horiguchi.
Return of Rampage: It has been a long, winding road for Jackson to get to UFC 186. He re-signed with the UFC in December when he thought Bellator had breached his contract. Earlier this month, he was taken off the card after a New Jersey Superior Court judge granted Bellator an injunction. But on Tuesday a New Jersey court lifted the injunction so now he’s back on the card. What can we expect from Jackson? Who knows. He was 3-0 in Bellator, but he hasn’t fought since May. But, when Jackson fights, you can always expect him to put on a show for the fans.
Last chance for Bisping: Usually when you are the third fight from the top, you tend to stay under the radar. Not everyone is Bisping. He gets the fans attention with the venom that comes out of his mouth. When he does that, you want to see him get his butt kicked. This is a a big fight for “The Count”. He is 2-3 in last five fights and is getting farther away from title contention. Beating Dollaway doesn’t get him an elusive title shot, but it will get him one step closer and get him another big fight.
The women: Three female bouts take place on tonight’s show. First one takes place on Fight Pass with a battle of The Ultimate Fighter season 20 participants as Aisling Daly faces Randa Markos another one the streaming service as Valerie Letourneau faces Jessica Rakoczy Then on the Fox Sports 1, Alexis Davis battles Sarah Kaufman. Daly and Markos should be a stand-up war that should get the appetite wet for everyone. It was shocking that Davis and Kaufman are on the prelims and not the main card. They are both former title challengers to current women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and have fought each other two times before. Kaufman won the first one in 2007 on a regional show and then under the Strikeforce banner in 2012. Both fights were very exciting and this one shouldn’t be any different.
Canadian contingent: With the card in Canada, you would expect to see a fair share of Canadians. 11 Canadians are on the card including Kaufman, Patrick Cote who headlines the prelims against Joe Riggs, Yves Jabouin, who kicks off the main card against Thomas Almedi,a and an all-Canadian fight between Hamiltons Shane Campbell and Halifax’s John Makdessi.
Here is the complete UFC 186 card:
MAIN CARD (Pay-Per-View, 10 p.m. ET) - Demetrious Johnson vs. Kyoji Horiguchi for flyweight title - Quinton Jackson vs. Fabio Maldonado - Michael Bisping vs. C.B. Dollaway - Shane Campbell vs. John Makdessi - Thomas Almeida vs. Yves Jabouin
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET) - Patrick Cote vs. Joe Riggs - Alexis Davis vs. Sarah Kaufman - Bryan Barberena vs. Chad Laprise - Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. David Michaud
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 6:30 p.m. ET) - Chris Clements vs. Nordine Taleb - Valerie Letourneau vs. Jessica Rakoczy - Aisling Daly vs. Randa Markos
Steven Muehlhausen is a boxing and MMA writer and contributor for Sporting News. Email him at [email protected] and can find him on Twitter @SMuehlhausenMMA.
