Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) presents UFC Fight Night 39, its brand of mixed martial arts (MMA) on April 11, 2014 at du Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Headlining UFC’s return to UAE will be a 5-round heavyweight fight between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Roy Nelson. In addition, a featherweight bout between Clay Guida and Tatsua Kawajiri will be featured. These fights along with a nice card of matchups will begin at 11:30 a.m. ET till the main event airs at 2:00 p.m ET. The full card of matches (listed below) will air live on “Fight Pass,” the all new digital subscription service of the UFC.
Main Event:
265 lbs.: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Roy Nelson
Fight Pass Main Card (2 p.m. ET):
145 lbs.: Clay Guida vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
170 lbs.: John Howard vs. Ryan LaFlare
155 lbs.: Ramsey Nijem vs. Beneil Dariush
Fight Pass Prelims (11:30 a.m. ET):
265 lbs.: Daniel Omielanczuk vs. Jared Rosholt
135 lbs.: Johnny Bedford vs. Rani Yahya
185 lbs.: Thales Leites vs. Trevor Smith
185 lbs.: Chris Camozzi vs. Andrew Craig
135 lbs.: Dustin Ortiz vs. Alptekin Ozkilic
145 lbs.: Jim Alers vs. Alan Omer
Also check out our cover and photo shoot with UFC Octagon girl BRITTNEY PALMER
Clay Guida vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
Whereas most insiders are leaning toward Tatsuya Kawajiri (33-7-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), the Japanese standout, to extend his win streak to seven straight victories in Abu Dhabi, Clay Guida (30-14 MMA, 10-8 UFC) will upstage him and take home the victory. Guida who has not had much success recently and who hasn’t fought since August, when he lost to Chad Mendes at UFC 164, appears to be the hungrier of the two fighters. Certainly, as an older fighter who was humbled by his third-round TKO, he’s hearing from the naysayers that it’s time to retire, but the veteran will show the fans on April 11th that he won’t be checking into a retirement home any time soon.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Roy Nelson
In the heavyweight bout pitting Antonio Roderigo Nogueira (34-8-1) and Roy Nelson (20-8-1), the odds makers are heavily favoring “Big Country” feeling that Nogueira, a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, has been brutalized too frequently during his illustrious career to handle the power punching of Nelson. The former champ certainly has aged and his step is a bit slower. Nonetheless, Noguiera’s fighting prowess cannot be underestimated. His hitting accuracy and blocking skills outshine Nelson, and much like Guida, he has something to prove since he’s not been competing since June of 2013.
