Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brass will close out the month of April with a decent pay-per-view (PPV) offering tonight (Sat., April 25, 2015) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, as the Bell Centre plays host to the UFC 186 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, highlighted by the flyweight title fight pitting reigning champ Demetrious Johnson against upstart contender Kyoji Horiguchi.
Catch all the action LIVE with a PPV main card start time of 10 p.m. ET (for up-to-date UFC 186 results click here).
Below is everything you need to know to stay on top of the PPV event in Canada.
Who: Demetrious Johnson vs Kyoji Horiguchi
What: UFC 186
When: Sat., April 25, 2015, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET on Fight Pass
Where: Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
How To Watch: Main card at 10 p.m ET on PPV; FOX Sports 1 "Prelims" under card at 8 p.m ET; and UFC Fight Pass early "Prelims" at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Live UFC 186 results: Play-by-play coverage stream right here
Why It Matters: UFC 186 may not be the most stacked PPV in UFC history, but fight fans can not deny the brilliance of Demetrious Johnson inside the Octagon. Sure, the PPV is severely lacking elsewhere, but the main event gives MMA fans another opportunity to witness "Mighty Mouse's" greatness. The question is: How many people will tune in this time?
What's Hot: "Rampage" is back! If you haven't been following along the UFC 186 storyline, you may be unaware that Quinton Jackson is in fact back on the card tonight after a judge overruled an injunction that initially barred the former light heavyweight champ from fighting on the PPV. With Jackson taking on the oft-exciting brawler Fabio Maldonado, fight fans may very well be in for a treat!
What's Not: We lost Steve Bosse! NO!! Okay, really though, this PPV is just plain weak. UFC on FOX 15 last weekend was a far superior event, and for some reason UFC brass want MMA fans to shell out $55 or more for this mediocre PPV. What happened to the days where a paywall actually meant something? It is okay though guys, we are just about a month away from UFC 187.
Original Card vs Actual Card:
This card has been absolutely mangled by injuries, and UFC brass struggled mightily to keep an intriguing card intact.
The biggest loss was the scheduled main event, as UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw bowed out of his title rematch against Renan Barao due to a rib injury.
Montreal then lost one of their own when Rory MacDonald was pulled from the card after Hector Lombard tested positive for steroids. Canadians shouldn't be too upset, however, as "Red King" is now facing off against Robbie Lawler for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 189.
Lightweight berserker Abel Trujillo broke his arm in training, forcing him out of his PPV main card bout against John Makdessi. Shane Campbell will take "Killa's" place.
Nordine Taleb was scheduled to face off against Cláudio Silva, but when Silva pulled out of the fight, UFC brass replaced him with Chris Clements.
Finally, "Rampage" Jackson was pulled from the card and replaced by Steve Bosse once the injunction was levied, but with the court overturning the ruling this past week, the former light heavyweight champ is back on the card and Bosse is back off.
New Blood:
Shane Campbell (vs. John Makdessi): "Shaolin" is best known for his Street Fighter impersonation back in the World Series of Fighting (WSOF), but don't let his antics fool you, Campbell is a legitimate threat inside the Octagon. At 27 years old, the Canadian has earned an impressive 11-2 record, including five (technical) knockouts.
How The "Prelims" Look: Well, I don't want to say bad... So let's just go with "not good."
Featuring a slew of mediocre talent alongside a handful of prospects, this "Prelims" card will be fantastic once it finally wraps up.
For some reason Joe Riggs is still fighting, as he takes on Patrick Cote in the main event on FOX Sports 1 in a completely meaningless fight.
Elsewhere, Jessica Rakoczy gets another shot inside the Octagon nearly a year and a half after getting savagely beat down by Julianna Pena at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 18 finale. If you are wondering, her MMA record is 1-4 with one no contest. Yes, seriously.
Not much to see here other than maybe Chad Laprise, as the Canadian searches for his 10th career MMA victory without a loss.
Who Needs A Win Badly: This portion is reserved for fighters who could be fighting for their jobs today, rather than contenders or title challengers needing victory. Let's take a look at those who need to pull it together:
Jessica Rakoczy (vs. Valerie Letourneau): Unless Rakoczy has improved exponentially since her last UFC fight, I just don't see how she can possibly pull out a victory inside the Octagon. With a horrendous 1-4 MMA record, "Ragin'" needs to win tonight.
Joe Riggs (vs. Patrick Cote): "Diesel" may only be 32, but in fight years he is far more seasoned. With that being said, the MMA journeyman is unquestionably on his last leg in the sport, and a loss to Cote tonight could mark the end of his career.
Interest Level: 4/10
There should be three reasons you watch UFC 186:
1. To witness the masterful Demetrious Johnson in action.
2. "Rampage" Jackson is back, and his opponent isn't looking for takedowns.
3. Thomas Almeida is going to bring the violence on PPV.
That's just about it.
Check out the full UFC 186 card right here:
UFC 186 Main Event:
125 lbs.: UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson vs. Kyoji Horiguchi
UFC 186 Co-Main Event:
205 lbs.: Rampage Jackson vs. Fabio Maldonado
UFC 186 PPV Main Card (10 p.m. ET):
185 lbs.: Michael Bisping vs. C.B. Dollaway
155 lbs.: John Makdessi vs. Shane Campbell
135 lbs.: Thomas Almeida vs. Yves JabouinUFC 186 FOX Sports 1 "Prelims" (8 p.m. ET):
185 lbs.: Patrick Cote vs. Joe Riggs
135 lbs.: Sarah Kaufman vs. Alexis Davis
170 lbs.: Bryan Barberena vs. Chad Laprise
155 lbs.: Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. David MichaudUFC 186 Fight Pass "Prelims" (6:30 p.m. ET):
170 lbs.: Chris Clements vs. Nordine Taleb
115 lbs.: Valerie Letourneau vs. Jessica Rakoczy
115 lbs.: Aisling Daly vs. Randa Markos
See you then!