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UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw
UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw

The UFC 177  PPV event is set to take place on Saturday, August 30, at the Sleep Train Arena in SacramentoCalifornia. The event will feature the anticipated rematch between current bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw and former champion Renan Barao. Dillashaw shocked the MMA world with a dominant TKO win in their first match at UFC 173 to dethrone the longtime champion, ending his eight year unbeaten streak in the process.

The co-main event will feature Dillashaw’s teammate Danny Castillo as he takes on TUF winner Tony Ferguson in a lightweight matchup. Let’s take a look at the five biggest questions going into the event:

Was TJ Dillashaw dominating Renan Barao in the initial matchup a fluke?

I know…Dillashaw beat the brakes off of Barao for the better part of four rounds before finishing him in the fifth. Yep, and Junior dos Santos knocked out Cain Velasquez in 64 seconds in their first fight before getting the brakes beaten off him in the subsequent rematches. Did Barao getting rocked so badly in the first round really change the course of the fight? It’s certainly possible and it doesn’t hurt that Dillashaw fought the fight of his life. However, the confidence Dillashaw has going into this fight has to be at an all time high. Can Barao make the proper adjustments to impose him game? Guess we’ll find out on Saturday night!

Can the winner of Tony Ferguson and Danny Castillo eventually make some noise in the division?

Both fighters come into this fight with a great deal of potential and the skillset to win some fights. Ferguson is (8-1) since 2009 with the lone loss coming against the surging Michael Johnson. Castillo is (6-2) since 2011 with the losses coming against Michael Johnson and a close loss against Edson Barboza. It’s now or never for Castillo who turned 35 years old yesterday. Ferguson is only 30 years old and a win here should put him in the mix for a top 10 lightweight.

Does Bethe Correia take down another “4Horsewoman” in Shanya Baszler?

Correia made headlines after his last bout against Jessamyn Duke at UFC 172. Duke is a member of the “4Horsewomen” group comprised of herself, Ronda Rousey, Baszler, and Marina Shafir. Correia made this gesture after defeating Duke which didn’t please that group of women at all and sort of made an instant rivalry when Baszler voiced her displeasure on Twitter. They’ll have their chance to see who’s the best on Saturday night. Baszler is (1-2) dating back to 2012, not counting her loss on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show. She needs a win here in the worst way.

Can Henry Cejudo make weight and an impact in his UFC debut against Scott Jorgensen?

Cejudo was a can’t miss flyweight prospect and a gold medalist Olympic wrestler, but missing weight multiple times and pulling out of fights for the Legacy Fighting Championships promotion has put a damper on his shine. However, an impressive win against the always tough Scott Jorgensen could re-ignite the  hype on Saturday night(provided Cejudo makes weight).

Can UFC 177 crack the 250,000 PPV buyrate?

The first bout between Dillashaw and Barao did just over 200,000 PPV buys at UFC 173. As I mentioned earlier, Dillashaw was a huge underdog but the co-main event featured Daniel Cormier taking on Dan Henderson. Robbie Lawler was also on the card taking on Jake Ellenberger. The UFC 177 card isn’t near as deep, but there will probably be more people interested in this rematch than for the first encounter. There hasn’t been a UFC PPV for a month and a half, and maybe folks are willing to shell out a little extra?

Be sure to make ProMMAnow.com your home this week for all of your UFC 177 news and coverage!

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