The co-feature will have former Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza against late replacement Chris Camozzi. Also on the card is a battle of top featherweights as Cub Swanson faces Max Holloway.
In women’s strawweight action, Felice Herrig matches up against Paige VanZant.
Television coverage begins at 6 ET, with telecast of the Machida-Rockhold headliner scheduled for 8 ET.
Here five reasons to watch UFC on Fox 15.
Main event: This has the potential to be a classic. It will be hard to find two high-caliber fighters who are this even. Machida and Rockhold are former world champions. Their standup is even and their ground game is even.
Rockhold told Sporting News that he has many more ways to beat Machida, but Machida has that big-fight experience. He fought light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, middleweight kingpin Chris Weidman and former light heavyweight champion Shogun Rua on two occasions.
Rockhold has had big fights in the UFC against Vitor Belfort and Michael Bisping, and he beat Souza to win the middleweight title in Strikeforce in 2011. Competing on a card in Strikeforce and fighting in the main event on Fox are different platforms. Rockhold is on a three-fight winning streak and seeking to prove he is an elite fighter.
Machida proved it all in the UFC and wants another crack at a championship. The winner of this fight should be next in line to fight the winner of Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort at UFC 187 in May.
The women: Herrig vs. VanZant has everyone talking. Is it about their looks are what they can do inside the octagon?
VanZant skyrocketed when she defeated Kailin Curran at UFC Fight Night 57 in November by third round TKO. She generated more than 100,000 Google searches after the fight, which is unheard of for someone from the night’s second bout on UFC Fight Pass. After that, VanZant was everywhere. She signed a deal with Reebok, which generated jealousy among female fighters and thrust her into the spotlight.
Herrig made a name of herself on the regional circuit and social media. She feels it could be too much too soon for VanZant. Herrig has the experience advantage heading into her 16th career MMA fight.
The question is whether VanZant, 21, can handle the pressure. This is her fifth career fight and will be her most difficult. This fight isn’t about pretty faces. It is about fighters with a goal to face current strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
The substitute: Seven days ago, the MMA world was anticipating Souza battling Yoel Romero. Then Romero injured a knee and had to drop out.
Camozzi won a regional championship in March and was the farthest thing from the MMA stratosphere. He left a simple message on the MMA Underground forum stating he would take the fight. UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, who frequents that forum, noticed Camozzi’s post. Just like that, Camozzi got a call from Silva.
Fans weren’t pleased. UFC president Dana White noticed.
Give Camozzi credit for taking this fight on six-days’ notice. No one else would face the machine that is known as ‘“Jacare” Souza.
Yes, they fought in May of 2013. Yes, Souza demolished Camozzi by first-round submission.
Souza is on a seven-fight winning streak and won 11 of his past 12 fights. You could make a case if Souza wins he could be next to face Weidman-Belfort.
Can Camozzi pull off a Rocky-like miracle? That’s why we tune in and see.
Holloway in: Holloway is the only fighter to take Conor McGregor to the maximum rounds. He lost a unanimous decision to the man who will face featherweight champion Jose Aldo at UFC 189 in July. Since then, Holloway has been a tear, winning his past five fights — four by stoppage. “Blessed” is climbing the featherweight division ranks and is ranked ninth.
Swanson wants to bounce back from his November loss to Frankie Edgar at UFC Fight Night 57. If he had beaten Edgar, it could have been Swanson getting a shot at Aldo, not McGregor. Will the winner of this fight get the next shot at the belt? No, but with a win each guy gets one step closer to the ultimate goal.
Preliminaries: Four fights on Fox follow three fights that air at 4:30 ET on UFC Fight Pass. Why watch? Each has the potential to be fight of the night.
Aljamain Sterling, who is undefeated in 10 fights, kicks off the prelims at 6 ET against veteran Takeya Mizugaki. Then you have top-15 light heavyweights as Ovince St-Preux battles Patrick Cummings.
Headlining the prelims: No. 12 lightweight Jim Miller against rising prospect Beneil Dariush. If you like fights and want to see good one, the preliminaries will whet your appetite for the main card at 8 ET.
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.
