The fights to watch at UFC 237 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 

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On Saturday, May 11th, UFC will be making its return to Rio for UFC 237 on PPV. The event will be headlined by a strawweight title fight between the champion, Rose Namajunas and #1 contender, Jessica Andrade.

Check the fights to watch this weeknd on PPV.

1. Jose Aldo vs Alexander Volkanovski

Many fans call him the King of Rio. Jose Aldo is an absolute legend in Brazil and in the world of MMA as a whole. He will go down in history as one of the greatest fighters who ever lived, for a fact. With that being said, he is fighting a serious threat in #4 ranked featherweight, Alexander Volkanovski. Volkanovski is currently riding a 16-fight win streak, undefeated since 2013. He holds a 6-0 record in the UFC, with wins over division stand-outs such as Darren Elkins and Chad Mendes. Volkanovski brings a lot to the table in this fight. He has a strong wrestling background and mixes that in with high-level striking and fast paced movement. 

Luckily for Aldo, he is a lot more experienced and has fought many fighters like this in the past. Volkanovski reminds me of a new-age replica of Chad Mendes. That’s no insult to Volkanovski either. Mendes is a great fighter and it’s a good comparison to be made. But they do have very similar fighting styles. 

Aldo has pretty much brought the house down in his last 2 fights, scoring TKO victories over top featherweight contenders, such as Jeremy Stephens and Renato ‘Moicano’ Carneiro. His only losses over the past 14 years, have been to all-time greats in Conor McGregor and Max Holloway. 

This fight is going to be the ‘Fight Of The Night’ at UFC 237 and that’s why I have it ranked first here. If you plan on taking a smoke break at ANYTIME during this PPV, plan accordingly because you DO NOT want to miss this one! 

2. Anderson Silva vs Jared Cannonier

Many fans have claimed him as their GOAT. And there is a strong case to be made as to why he fits that mold. Spider Silva has been an A+ fighter since the beginning. Completely dominating inside the Octagon, both as a champion and afterwards. He has slowed down in recent years, but still gives us classic fights and shows that he can hang with the best of them. 

At UFC 237, he will face an absolute force inside the middleweight division, in Jared Cannonier. Cannonier used to fight in the heavyweight division until he dropped down to 205. From there, he took a couple losses and decided to drop down to middleweight. Since his start at middleweight, he has looked better than ever. In Cannonier’s first fight at middleweight, he finished former WSOF champion, David Branch inside two rounds. 

When he goes up against Anderson Silva in Rio, he will have the biggest test of his career on his hands. 

If you enjoy a good stand-up fight, this one is sure to keep you locked in from start to finish.

3. Rose Namajunas (C) vs Jessica Andrade

When the 115-pound title is on the line Saturday night, we will likely see one of the best strawweight fights in the division’s history. 

Rose Namajunas really proved herself at UFC 217 when she finished strawweight queen, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, inside the first round. Prior to this, Jedrzejczyk had been on a 14-fight win streak and undefeated inside the Octagon with an 8-0 UFC record. About 5 months later, she got her immediate rematch with Namajunas at UFC 223. They fought a 5-round war but in the end, Joanna came up short again, losing to Namajunas by unanimous decision. 

Namajunas is definitely at the highest point of her career, so far, with 2 wins over arguably the best strawweight ever. Andrade is a new challenge though and styles make fights. Andrade is one of the division’s most terrifying strikers. 

Andrade holds a professional record of 19-6, with a UFC record of 10-4. She has looked great in her last three fights, scoring big wins over some of the division’s best talent. She defeated 2x title challenger in Claudia Gadelha, #8 ranked Tecia Torres and former title challenger, Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Overall, Andrade has been on a complete tear lately and we are going to see what she can do against another high-level striker in Rose Namajunas. 

Whatever you do, be sure not to miss this championship fight on Saturday night, live on PPV!

The UFC 237 PPV is available for purchase exclusively through ESPN+. Otherwise, you can likely catch all the action at your local sports bar, both Buffalo Wild Wings and Hooters should be playing it.

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Follow our writer Kevin Mahoney (@KeysRealTalk).



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