In the co-feature, Andrei Arlovski will battle Frank Mir in a matchup of former heavyweight champions.
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Other action includes former light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Johnson squaring off against the hard-hitting Jimi Manuwa and rising star Paige VanZant facing Alex Chambers in women’s strawweight action.
Coverage will begin on UFC Fight Pass at 7 p.m. ET, then switch to Fox Sports 1 at 8 ET. The main card will air on pay-per-view beginning at 10 ET.
The five biggest reasons to watch UFC 191:
The best pound-for pound fighter in the world returns. Every time the UFC announces a Johnson title defense, the MMA universe seems to moan. How do you moan about the man who is regarded by many as the best fighter in the world? Just because he competes at 125 pounds, you shouldn’t disregard what Johnson has accomplished inside the Octagon. He is 10-1-1 in the UFC, has made six consecutive title defenses and has stopped four of his last five opponents. You want champions to finish fights and look dominant in doing so, and “Mighty Mouse” does it more often than not. If Johnson beats Dodson, then maybe the MMA public will give the Washington native the credit he deserves.
Does “The Magician” have a trick up his sleeve? Dodson came up short when he lost to Johnson at UFC on Fox 6 in January 2013. He had his moments in the fight and knocked Johnson down on a few occasions. He wasn’t able to capitalize, however, and Johnson was able to retain his belt. Dodson has been the toughest test for reigning champion. If Dodson can correct the mistakes he made in the first fight, he has a great chance to walk out the champion. Not many people get a second chance at glory; the 11-year veteran has a chance to prove the first fight was a fluke.
Heavyweight legends will battle. It isn’t often former champions get to meet while they’re still relevant in the sport. That wasn’t the case a few years ago. Mir was on a four-fight losing streak and people were saying he should retire. The two-time heavyweight champion has won his last two fights by first-round knockout. Arlovski had also lost four in a row, with three of those losses by knockout or TKO, but “Pitbull” is 9-1-1 in his last 11 fights including five consecutive wins. Don’t blink, because this one won’t last too long. The winner could be next in line to fight for another title shot.
Will we see the next Ronda Rousey? VanZant has become a UFC star after just just two fights. She defeated Kailin Curran by third-round TKO in November and dominated Felice Herrig in a unanimous decision in April at UFC on Fox 15. The fighter known as “12 Gauge” secured an apparel deal with Reebok before the Herrig fight. The Team Alpha Male fighter often is called the strawweight version of Rousey. She looks up to the women’s bantamweight champion, and a win over Chambers will get her one step closer to achieving the things Rousey has accomplished.
There’ll be a rumble in the Octagon. The Johnson-Manuwa showdown has slugfest written all over it. Thirteen of Johnson’s 19 career wins have been by KO or TKO; 14 of Manuwa’s 15 career wins have come that way. Johnson is looking to rebound from his UFC 187 title loss to Daniel Cormier. Manuwa is looking for his second consecutive win after beating Jan Błachowicz in April. Neither guy gets paid by the hour; it would be shocking if this fight goes the full 15 minutes.
Steven Muehlhausen is a boxing and MMA writer and contributor for Sporting News. You can email him at [email protected] and can find him on Twitter @SMuehlhausenMMA.
