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While it may not do blockbuster business, next weekend’s UFC 209 is a huge card for hardcore MMA fans. Headlined by a pair of very intriguing title fights, the card also features plenty of fan favorites, plus a number of the more highly regarded prospects on the roster right now. The main event is going to be the welterweight title rematch between Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson. Their struggle on the huge UFC 205 card turned out to be a much better competition than many anticipated, ending in a majority draw. Woodley had the a lot more demonstrative moments in the struggle throughout the first and fourth rounds. But, Thompson was able to back him against the cage for long stretches of the rounds, and although he didn’t accomplish much once there that he took those rounds. The fifth saw Thompson open on a weary Woodley and end the struggle on a solid note, but it was only enough to get him back level on two scorecards. As Woodley and Thompson did at UFC 205, the co-main occasion could steal the show here as well. The interim lightweight title bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson features just two of those fighters in the branch who’ve taken the long road to their name shots. Nurmagomedov is now 8-0 inside the Octagon and 24-0 overall in his career. He has been tapped for large things since entering the UFC, and after overcoming a rash of serious injuries, eventually seems consistently fit and is favored to win the buckle on March 4th. Ferguson has seen his own lumps in the road on the way for this particular shot. After winning the 13th season of’The Ultimate Fighter’ back in 2011, he scored three successive wins. He fell a decision to Michael Johnson in 2012 that only stopped his sanity for a moment. Since that time, he’s reeled off nine consecutive wins against the likes of Rafael dos Anjos, Edson Barboza, and Josh Thomson, always putting on must-see fights. The combo of Nurmagomedov’s dominance and Ferguson’s high-paced, all-action approach creates their bout of the best bookings in the UFC in some time, and almost makes you forget that there is a guy out there holding the UFC lightweight title who seems to have no desire to defend it. The principal card of UFC 209 additionally offers a heavyweight rematch between Alistair Overeem and Mark Hunt. Both fought DREAM back in 2008 under far different circumstances. Overeem was just beginning his transformation into Ubereem, while Hunt’s commitment to the sport was about in line with Mario Yamasaki’s want to prevent fights on time. Both men are a lot of fighters at this point, as Overeem has embraced a far more conservative style and Hunt has rounded out his game considerably. In their first fight, Overeem immediately took Hunt down and filed himbut we haven’t seen a lot of his offensive fighting game lately. Will this fight mark its return, or will the K-1 Grand Prix champions engage on the feet? Rounding out the most important card, former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans makes his long-awaited middleweight debut against the always sudden Dan Kelly. The now 37-year-old Evans is 2-4 in his past six, and hasn’t won a fight since 2013. Kelly, despite turning 40 later this season, has impressed in his UFC run — despite the amount of competition was a far cry from what Evans would have provided within his prime — heading 5-1 despite being the betting underdog in every one of his UFC outings. Finally, among the rising stars at lightweight has the chance to flaunt his striking, but from a technical standpoint this might be his stiffest test yet about the toes. Lando Vannata stormed into the UFC, nearly upsetting Tony Ferguson on short notice in his debut, then scoring the popular pick for 2016’s knockout of the year against John Makdessi. He will be confronting an underrated opponent in David Teymur, who has a pair of TKO wins on his UFC restart after breaking into the organization via TUF. The undercard also includes some fights to keep your eyes on, as undefeated prospects Mirsad Bektic, Luke Sanders, Paul’The Bear Jew’ Craig, and Tyson Pedro make their yields. Both are paired together in a light heavyweight division which desperately needs fighters to grow up the rankings. Meanwhile, Bektic and Sanders face their stiffest professional tests from Darren Elkins and Iuri Alcantara, respectively.

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