The Chiba Lotte Marines don’t fill in for the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. The Kentucky Wildcats aren’t going to replace the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals.
Only in MMA things like what happened this week occur. Alexander Gustafsson, one of the top light heavyweights in the world, had to pull out of Saturday’s UFC on Fuel TV 9 (2 p.m. ET) main event due to a cut over his left eye. In stepped his training partner, Ilir Latifi, to face Gegard Mousasi and now that’s the headliner for the Stockholm, Sweden event.
Latifi has never fought in the UFC. Superior Challenge is the name of the last organization he competed for back in October. To say Latifi is an unknown would be an understatement. But there he’ll be Saturday across the ring from Mousasi, the former Strikeforce champion.
Mousasi is a 12-to-1 favorite. He has absolutely nothing to gain by beating a guy no one has ever heard of. Yet in a perverse way there’s something intriguing about this fight. Because, yes, Latifi has a chance. Not just in an everyone-in-MMA-has-a-chance type of way. Latifi is a wrestler by trade and Mousasi has struggled in the past with men like him. It’s like David vs. Goliath only David holds a little bit of Goliath’s kryptonite in his back pocket.
Either way, fans have to credit Mousasi (even though they won’t). He could have easily said no and fought Gustafsson on a later date. Instead, he’s taking a bad matchup against a guy with less Twitter followers than this author.
But hey, that’s MMA.
Ross Pearson vs. Ryan Couture
Dana White hates Randy Couture so much that he’s handing his son a fight he has very little chance of winning in his UFC debut. OK, that’s probably overstating it, though the hate is very real. Couture has a chance against Pearson, but this is a huge step up in competition. This isn’t Strikeforce Challengers anymore. Pearson won’t be fighting for a title anytime soon, but the Brit is a mid-level guy in a stacked lightweight division.
Matt Mitrione vs. Phil DeFries
Mitrione has lost two in a row – the only two losses of his short MMA career. This represents a turning point for the former New York Giants lineman. He really can’t lose to DeFries and hope to continue making his living for much longer in the UFC. DeFries’ only UFC win came against someone named Oli Thompson who is no longer with the organization.
Brad Pickett vs. Mike Easton
If you’re a gambler, toss some sheckles on this being Fight of the Night. Both of these guys love to brawl and neither one of them ever gets tired. Pickett and Easton are both coming off losses, so this is all about getting on the right track in the bantamweight division. They’re both near the top of it, too.
Diego Brandao vs. Pablo Garza
Brandao and Garza are both treading water slightly in the featherweight division, but that doesn’t mean this fight won’t be exciting. Both men are in favor of pushing the pace and it’ll be interesting to see how the 5-foot-7 Brandao deals with the lanky, 6-foot-1 Garza.
Robbie Peralta vs. Akira Corassani
It’s hard not to get excited by Peralta, who has 16 wins with 12 of them coming by knockout. He has not lost in the UFC and ended Jason Young’s night in just 23 seconds his last time out. Corassani, an “Ultimate Fighter” veteran and New York City resident, is likely just fodder for the Peralta cannon.
PRELIMS
Michael Johnson vs. Reza Madadi
Tor Troeng vs. Adam Cella
Adlan Amagov vs. Chris Spang
Conor McGregor vs. Marcus Brimage
Ryan LaFlare vs. Ben Alloway
Tom Lawlor vs. Michael Kuiper
Papy Abedi vs. Besam Yousef
Johnson is trying to get off the schneid after a loss to Myles Jury in his last fight and Cella is trying to erase the memory of being knocked out via spinning heel kick by Uriah Hall on “The Ultimate Fighter.” That is, if he has any recollection of that at all. Amagov and McGregor have promise as prospects and LaFlare, making his UFC debut, is a Long Island native. So there are some interesting things to watch on these prelims.
PREDICTIONS
Mousasi
Pearson
Mitrione
Pickett
Garza
Peralta
Johnson
Cella
Amagov
McGregor
LaFlare
Lawlor
Abedi
Fight of the Night: Pickett vs. Easton
Knockout of the Night: Peralta
Submission of the Night: Mousasi
mraimondi@nypost.com