While most of the hype around UFC 145 has been around Jon Jones and Rashad Evans, there are 11 other bouts on the card. What questions will they answer? Read on.
Are the young phenoms with similar names the real deal? Michael McDonald and Rory MacDonald are both barely old enough to buy a beer after their fights, but have 28 bouts with just two losses total. McDonald's bout with Miguel Torres will show if he is ready to jump towards contender status, while the last time MacDonald fought with such a bright light on him, he was knocked out with seven seconds left to go by Carlos Condit.
[ Related: Jon Jones-Rashad Evans feud brings added intrigue to UFC 145 ]
What did the loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira do to Brendan Schaub's mental make-up? If you've been reading Ben Fowlkes' excellent series, "The Hurt Business," you know Schaub is a fighter who needs to train his psyche as much as his takedown defense. The loss to Nogueira would be tough to take for any fighter, as Schaub looked close to a win before Nog came back with the Brazilian crowd roaring behind him. Perhaps the loss steeled Schaub for his next bout. Perhaps it shook him. We'll find out Saturday.
Can Chad Griggs handle the jump in competition? In Strikeforce, Chad Griggs' last three bouts were against Valentijn Overeem, who had dropped two out of five bouts heading into their fight, Gian Villante, who is 2-2 in Strikeforce, and Bobby Lashley, the former pro wrestler who hasn't faced the best in competition. Now, Griggs will face undefeated Travis Browne. Will he win his UFC debut?
What did being cut do to (or for) Miguel Torres? In December, Miguel Torres was cut from the UFC after making a joke about a rape van. He was welcomed back after doing charity work and making a full apology. In his first fight back, Torres wasn't given an easy bout. Instead, he will have to fight McDonald, the aforementioned phenom. Can Torres show he's still a relevant bantamweight?
Is it possible for Jones/Evans to live up to the hype? This fight has been talked about for more than a year. Even Jones and Evans are sick of talking about each other, about their coaches, about their former friendship, and about what they plan to do to each other. Now that they're so close to actually punching each other in the face, expectations are so lofty that nothing short of a Dan Henderson/Mauricio "Shogun" Rua-esque bout will satisfy. Looking at Evans' last few fights, that's unlikely.
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