The UFC FIGHT NIGHT series rolls into Berlin on May 31st with a card headlined by Middleweight bouts. The co-main event features Francis Carmont taking on C.B. Dolloway in a match that is likely to feature a tight line that has Carmont favored. Carmont entered the UFC and promptly won his first six fights before losing a decision to top-shelfer Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Sousa, while Dolloway has now been with the UFC roughly six years, keeping a respectable but unimpressive 8-5 record in that time span.
Carmont needs a win to stay on track. A loss to ‘Jacare’ can be forgiven, a second loss in a row added to that loss, and to Dolloway, would not be forgiven either in the rankings or by UFC brass. That Carmont needs a stand out flashy win is besides the point, he is more likely to grind his way to a win, as his style has slowly morphed into the Yushin Okami type of blanket thanks to his tutelage under the GSP camp.
Dolloway is at a crossroads in his career. He is coming off a win in less than 40 seconds against Cezar Ferreira, and that type of short night could be a sign that Dolloway is looking to find another level. In his loss prior to that, against Tim Boetsch, Dolloway went the distance and even earned the nod on one of the judges scorecards. Before that he has another split decision, a win over Daniel Sarafian, and he ended the agony that was Jason Miller’s career. If one more judge had seen the Boetsch fight for him, we would be talking about Dolloway on a 4 fight winning streak instead of a guy just 3-3 in his last six fights.
So both men are in need of a win, and what is more important is that both men need a spectacular win more than anything to speed up their trajectory. Carmont has a lot of advantages in this fight, but his tendency to be cautious could come back to haunt him if Dolloway comes in loose and can set the pace in the fight. Dolloway may be worth a look here as the underdog.
