Why UFC 292 In Boston Could Be Underrated Card With Major Implications

UFC 292 commences Saturday night at TD Garden in Boston. The company has plenty of exciting pay-per-view events in the coming months with major titles on the line.

For that reason, even with two title bouts of its own, the UFC 292 card could turn out to be underrated on paper.

Two main-card fights stand out with pure potential. On the pay-per-view opener, featured finisher Marlon "Chito" Vera kicks off the card. UFC play-by-play broadcaster Jon Anik believes Vera can get the card going with a fast start against Pedro Munhoz.

"Munhoz certainly has the respect of his peers but isn't necessarily getting respected the way he deserves to be," Anik told NESN.com in an interview Tuesday. "He's fighting Marlon 'Chito' Vera, who is the most decorated finisher in the 135-pound division's history. It's a huge fight there and a great way, almost a bulletproof way at least in terms of must-see TV, to kick off the pay-per-view."

The main card also features the return of rising Irish fighter Ian Garry, who enters Saturday a perfect 12-0 in the UFC. The 25-year-old fights the man he recently called out in Neil Magny, who took the fight as a fill-in for Geoff Neal.

Anik added that Garry holds plenty of championship potential and a chance to show just that in Saturday's welterweight bout.

"The kid's appetite for growth in MMA knowledge is just absurd," Anik said of Garry. "He's been traveling the world. He just did most of this recent camp in Brazil. ... Ian Garry is a guy worth watching, Some suggest he can be top-five. Some suggest he is good enough to fight for the title. I do believe Ian Machado Garry is good enough to be the world champion. If that is going to be a reality anytime soon, he's got to beat Neil Magny this weekend."

Prior to the main card, UFC 292 sees the battle-tested return of a decorated veteran in former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. The 39-year-old defeated Anderson Silva for the belt back in 2013 and continued to compete in subsequent years.

Weidman has not fought since 2021, when he broke his leg in the first round of a bout with Uriah Hall at UFC 261. And Anik awaits the return of the former champion given the degree of rigorous rehab required to bounce back in combat sports after such an injury.

"For Chris Weidman or for any athlete to come back in a striking combat sports from this type of leg break is some serious stuff," Anik said. "I think he feels a bit bionic in nature because there's a metal rod in his leg. ... I'm hoping it goes well for Chris. I'm actually pretty confident it will."

From ascending fighters to the return of former champions, UFC 292 has potential to rise to the occasion as more than just an entertaining card.

The main event (Sean O'Malley vs. Aljamain Sterling) and the co-main event (Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos) are intriguing in their own right, but several other matchups could have major UFC implications down the road, as well.