UFC Fan View: Swanson v Lobov and three fights you don’t want to miss

For the final event in a run of three in three weeks, the UFC lands in Nashville, Tennessee, on Saturday night with a line-up of fights headlined by a featherweight bout between exciting scrappers Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov.

A veteran of the UFC and the now-defunct WEC, 33-year-old Swanson is vastly experienced and boasts a diverse and unorthodox arsenal of striking techniques as well as a savvy ground game.

Lobov, a team-mate of Conor McGregor, is a former Ultimate Fighter contestant with knockout power in both hands. The Dublin-based Russian will be looking for his third Octagon win in a row against Swanson, while the American is hoping to record a fourth successive victory to claw himself back into the title picture at 145lbs.

It might not be the most high-profile event in recent weeks, but there remains plenty of exciting match-ups filling up the card below the main event. Here are the three fights you don’t want to miss.

Al Iaquinta vs. Diego Sanchez – Lightweight

Since losing his Ultimate Fighter Season 15 Finale contest to Michael Chiesa in June 2012, New York-native Al Iaquinta has won an impressive seven of eight contests, with the only blemish on his record in that time being a submission at the hands of Mitch Clarke almost two years ago.

With four wins on the bounce – including three TKO victories – the powerful boxer will rubber stamp his status as a real player in the 155lbs division if he can overcome veteran Diego Sanchez on Saturday night, and might even crack the top 10 in the UFC’s official rankings.

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For his part, Sanchez, winner of the very first Ultimate Fighter way back in 2005, hopes to record back-to-back victories for the first time since 2011.

John Dodson vs. Eddie Wineland – Bantamweight

Currently ranked ninth at 135lbs, Jackson-Winklejohn fighter John Dodson had been a perennial contender in the UFC’s flyweight division for almost five years before making the step up to bantamweight last year following a second defeat to 125lbs king Demetrious Johnson.

Although he won his first fight in the higher weight-class, Dodson suffered a disappointing setback in his last outing against John Lineker in October last year, dropping a five-round split decision. The powerful and athletic 32-year-old aims to get back on track against former WEC champion Eddie Wineland in Nashville.

That will be no mean feat, though, as Wineland, also 32, is coming off back-to-back TKO wins.

Joe Lauzon vs. Stevie Ray – Lightweight

If there is one fighter in the UFC who guarantees entertainment, it’s Joe Lauzon. The 27-12 lightweight may be slightly beyond his prime at 32, and with a whopping 23 Octagon bouts under his belt, but he remains a dangerous prospect for any opponent and is always willing to put on a show.

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No fighter in UFC history has earned more post-fight bonus awards than Lauzon (15) and the Massachusetts-based submission expert will be keen for another when he takes on Scotland’s Stevie Ray on Saturday night.

Ray, despite being just 27 years old, already has 26 fights under his belt – he may be less experienced than his opponent but he is far from a rookie. With four wins from five appearances in the UFC, including the biggest victory of his career over Ross Pearson last time out, getting his hand raised against Lauzon would see the former Cage Warriors champion demand recognition stateside.