More reasons to watch UFC Fort Lauderdale

The UFC is right back at it again. Next up is UFC Fort Lauderdale.

While the main event of UFC Fort Lauderdale has seen a revolving door of fighters coming and go, the rest of the card has largely stayed intact. On paper, the card looks to have something for every type of fight fan.

Veterans like Jim Miller and Andrei Arlovski will grace the Octagon in Southeastern Florida, and fan favorite and local draw Mike Perry is strategically placed in the main card as well.

Here are some more reasons to tune into UFC Fort Lauderdale.

Mike Perry vs Alex Oliveira

“Platinum” Mike Perry vs Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira doesn’t just jump off the page for a possible Fight of the Night candidate, it has the potential to be Fight of the Year.

A fighter that has their back against the wall is a dangerous one. Such is the case for Perry who has gone just 1-3 in his last four outings. Perry will be fighting in Florida for the first time since January of 2018.

Like Perry, Oliveira is an all-action fighter with a pension for violence. He too is coming off of a loss so expect a slightly more measured “Cowboy” in this one.

The Main Card Curtain Jerker

UFC Fort Lauderdale’s main card kicks off with undefeated lightweight prospect Roosevelt Roberts taking on UFC newcomer Thomas Gifford.

This is an interesting fight for several reasons. Chief among them, Roberts is a substantial -400 favorite over Gifford who is a surprising +300 on the return as an underdog (odds via Bovada.com).

“The Young Lion,” as Gifford is known, is currently on a five-fight winning streak. He has finished four of those fights with three coming in the very first round.

Roberts professional winning streak of 7-0 is impressive in its own right. The “GoGetta” will look to prove oddsmakers correct with a win this weekend.

A Prelim Gem

What a treat we have here in this undercard bout between Gilbert Burns and Mike Davis.

Burns is a serious threat to anyone in the 155-pound division. As of late, he has found his groove, going 4-1 in his last five fights. A win here could propel “Durinho” into the top-15.

As for the 26-year-old Davis. He will make his promotional debut after losing to Sodiq Yusuff in one of the best Contender Series fights of all time back in July of 2018. “Beast Boy” was competing for Island Fights before signing with the UFC.

The Next Middleweight Contender

UFC Fort Lauderdale should net us the next middleweight contender as Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and “The Joker” Jack Hermansson will close the show at the BB&T Center.

Everyone from Yoel Romero to Paulo Costa was supposed to take part in this main event but in the end, we get a dandy of a match up anyway.

Souza is one of the best fighters to never hold UFC gold. The only question of late has been his age. Could he get it done 38? We got that answer when he knocked out Chris Weidman last year. Now that he’s 39, the question remains the same, is he too old?

Hermansson has been tearing it up lately. “The Joker” just defeated David Branch at the end of March and now returns to the Octagon just four weeks later to take on “Jacare” in a five-round main event. Hermansson, who is now ranked No. 10 in the middleweight division, will shoot straight to the top of the heap should he beat Souza.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 4/25/2019.