Another fight weekend is here, and baby, you love to see it. This weekend has one of the most stacked lineup of events we’ve seen in a while, at least in volume, if not in quality. There are Bellator shows on DAZN and Paramount Network on both Friday and Saturday night, as well as a UFC card on ESPN+ Saturday and an LFA show on UFC Fight Pass.

As always, here are the three fights I’m going to be watching closest over the next couple nights:

Lyoto Machida vs. Phil Davis II, Bellator 245

Friends, it simply does not matter what year it is, I will ride with Lyoto Machida until the day I die, and that’s just a fact. Machida’s rise to the UFC light heavyweight title in 2009 felt like watching the entire paradigm of the sport shift. To that point, it seemed more or less accepted that fighters with backgrounds in the traditional martial arts – karate, taekwondo, etc. – had no place in MMA. That stuff would get you killed in a real fight, they’d say. If you weren’t a college wrestler, BJJ guy or a Muay Thai kickboxer, you might as well just stay home.

But then along came Machida, a karate master and Brazilian sumo champion who had brilliantly fused his skill in Shotokan with a strong knowledge of jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai. He fought like no one we had ever seen before – he’s one of the single deadliest counter-strikers the sport has ever known, and for two and a half years, the UFC’s best had no idea how to figure him out.

Of course, he eventually got figured out. He only logged one successful defense of his title – and a controversial one at that – before dropping the belt to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and went just 8-7 the rest of the way inside the Octagon. Still, all those losses were to very high-level competition, and along the way he gave us some unforgettable highlights – including perhaps my favorite knockout in MMA history, this downright cinematic front kick against Vitor Belfort in his last UFC fight.

Machida has primarily fought at middleweight over the last few years, and he’s largely been successful since jumping to Bellator in late 2018. We last saw him about a year ago, losing a split decision to perennial elite 185er Gegard Mousasi in a competitive fight: Machida has traditionally thrived by using his opponents’ aggressiveness against them, and Mousasi smartly refused to play that game. The fight was admittedly rather dull, but that’s one of the ways you can beat Machida – pace yourself, don’t overextend, and make your shots count.

Former UFC top contender and Bellator champion Phil Davis beat Machida a different way in 2013. That is to say, he probably didn’t at all. Davis’ unanimous decision win in Rio de Janeiro was extremely controversial at the time – Machida soundly outstruck Davis, an elite wrestler who managed to score takedowns at the end of rounds one and two but didn’t do much with them. Even though Machida generally did a very good job avoiding Davis’ takedowns, those two – which gave Davis maybe a total minute of top control – were enough to win him both rounds, and Machida lost a head-scratcher in front of his countrymen.

It’s a decision that has rankled me for years, and Machida will be looking to set the record straight Friday night in the main event of the first show of Bellator’s double-shot. Karmically, the error must be corrected. But it’ll be tough for “The Dragon” to pull off: he’s fought at 205 only once in the last seven years, Davis is seven years younger, he’s taller, rangier and more athletic, and “Mr. Wonderful” has done his own growing since these two first met. Although he had a reputation as a boring one-note wrestler in the UFC, Davis has rounded into a very solid all-around mixed martial artist over the last few years, showing that he’s made strides as a striker since joining Bellator.

I do think that even at the age of 42, Lyoto Machida still has a lot of juice left. That’s what I’m counting on, at least – I’m always going to be in that guy’s corner.

Juan Archuleta vs. Patchy Mix, Bellator 246

The Bellator bantamweight title – vacant ever since Japanese star Kyoji Horiguchi relinquished the belt after a severe knee injury last year – is on the line in the main event of Bellator’s Saturday event, which will be its last on Paramount Network after many years on the station.

And they’ve picked two pretty good guys for that spot. Juan Archuleta has only lost once in the last five years, a decision defeat to one of the best talents Bellator has ever produced, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. He’ll be battling submission machine Patrick “Patchy” Mix, the most dangerous man named Patchy since the pirate, who’s undefeated at 13-0 in his pro career.

Mix actually has a 25-fight win streak if you include his amateur career, one of the longest currently going in MMA. Mix is an ultra-aggressive grappler who tries to submit all of his opponents early, and has a ton of tools in his toolbox: he fully earned my attention in his last Bellator fight, when he tapped out Isaiah Chapman with an extremely rare Suloev Stretch kneebar in the first round.

He very much looks like a very fun young fighter to watch in the coming years. Archuleta will be the biggest test of his career, by far – Archuleta is moving down from 145, where he was one of Bellator’s best. Although he didn’t prove to be a striker on the level of Pitbull in their title fight last year, he’s a very skilled and technical wrestle-boxer who can match up well with just about anyone.

Archuleta’s 24-2 record speaks for itself, and he represents a monumental step up in competition for Mix. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Mix and his skillset over the last year or so, and I can’t wait to see how he does against a fighter of Archuleta’s caliber.

Khama Worthy vs. Ottman Azaitar, UFC Vegas 10

This weekend’s UFC card – which lost its main event earlier this week due to a positive COVID-19 test from Glover Teixeira – is looking so dismal that it inspired me to write a post specifically about the weakest UFC cards in history. But it’s still the UFC, and there’s always fighters worth watching. I’m especially intrigued by the co-main, between a pair of talented lightweight prospects in Khama Worthy and Ottman Azaitar.

Both Worthy and Azaitar are undefeated in their short UFC careers, and none have gone to decision yet in the Octagon. Worthy is 16-6 overall, but fought some tough competition very early on – his third pro fight was against Paul Felder, for instance. He’s won seven in a row, knocking out former training partner Devonte Smith as an injury replacement last August before finishing Luis Pena with a third-round guillotine in June.

Worthy is very explosive, has real knockout power in his hands, and fights with a herky-jerky style that can throw off his opponents. I really like his striking game – he knows how fast his hands are, and strings together three-punch combinations the second his opponent opens up. He also did a very good job fending Pena off on the ground last time out, avoiding some dangerous submissions before stuffing a late takedown and catching Pena in a tight choke.

Worthy will be the more experienced fighter in the matchup with Azaitar, who made his UFC debut last September and hasn’t fought since. A much more compact lightweight at 5-foot-8, the 30-year-old Moroccan came in as a touted prospect in his fight against Teemu Packalen and delivered, knocking the Finn unconscious with a crispy overhand right.

Azaitar is a powerful striker who fights aggressively and with a fast pace, and I think the ingredients are there for some fireworks when he and Worthy face off. Worthy likes to let his opponents take the lead on the feet, and Azaitar is going to throw punches and give him chances to string together combos.

I like both of these fighters, and I wouldn’t bet on this one lasting all three rounds.